Developmental Quality Assurance Lead Engineer

Joby Overview

Located in Northern California, the team at Joby Aviation is driven by our goal of creating an affordable, all-electric air transportation system. Imagine a piloted air taxi that takes off vertically, then quietly carries you and your fellow passengers over the congested city streets below, enabling you to spend more time with the people and places that matter most. Since 2009, our team has worked steadily to make this dream a reality. We’ve designed and tested many generations of prototype aircraft capable of serving in a network of electric air taxis. We’re looking for talented, committed individuals to join our team as we push onwards toward certifying the Joby aircraft with the Federal Aviation Administration, scaling our manufacturing, and preparing to launch commercial service in 2025.

Overview

Modern aircraft development requires demonstrated compliance with a variety of FAA rules, guidance documents, and industry standards.  The Developmental Quality Assurance Group is critical to ensuring Joby’s compliance with ARP4754A for systems development, DO-178C for software development, and DO-254 for electronics development. You will lead a team of skilled engineers focused on maintaining company standards, policies, and procedures tailored to meet various development assurance guidelines. This role is critical for guiding multiple teams, including software, systems engineering, electronics, and supplier partners, to uphold compliance and quality standards throughout the development process.

 

The skilled engineers within this group have established company plans, standards, policies, and procedures for meeting the various guidelines and serve in both a mentoring and oversight capacity as Joby executes to those plans.  The Developmental Quality Assurance engineering staff work side by side with the company’s certification staff to ensure adherence to the company’s processes.  They are deeply engaged in day-to-day development activities so that as issues arise, they can be quickly identified and resolved to ensure a compliant development process is always maintained. 

 

Quality Assurance also provides oversight for a range of suppliers producing software and airborne electronic hardware for Joby’s initial type certification vehicle.  Finally, Quality Assurance works closely with Joby’s configuration management team including participating in Change Review Boards to ensure configuration control and product conformity are achieved.  Quality Assurance at Joby is a hands-on, active participant in the development process.

 

POSITION MAY INCLUDE ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY THAT IS SUBJECT TO U.S. EXPORT CONTROLS

Responsibilities

It is understood that individual candidates are unlikely to have experience in all these areas nor is it expected.  Our goal is to find individuals who are open to new challenges and are willing to roll up their sleeves and do what is necessary to help the team succeed.  We have built an outstanding quality assurance team where individuals have breadth across many aspects of quality assurance and depth in one or two areas.  The goal is to certify our aircraft with constant attention to safety and airworthiness compliance. 

 

This role involves close coordination with the onsite Quality Lead at Avionyx, Joby’s wholly owned subsidiary in San Jose Costa Rica. The overall vision is for the Quality team at Joby and the Quality team at Avionyx to support one another in accomplishing the quality assurance activities of both companies in a consistent and coordinated way with each team providing surge support to the other.

The ideal candidate for this lead position will not only engage in a variety of tasks—such as briefing the FAA one day, auditing peer review processes the next, and assisting in the creation of compliance documentation shortly thereafter—but also take on the responsibility of guiding and mentoring the Joby team.

 

As a leader, you will develop team plans and allocate resources to achieve company goals. You will foster collaboration, encourage professional growth, and cultivate a multifaceted skill set among team members. While we welcome applicants with strong expertise in a specific area and a desire to deepen that specialization, it’s crucial to be prepared to inspire your team to broaden their skills and gain the invaluable perspective that comes with versatility in multiple aspects of the role

 

System Process Assurance Skillset

• Provides technical advice and counsel to system safety, systems engineering, SW, and AEH development teams on compliance issues associated with ARP4754A and ARP4761
• Supports the development team in developing all required plans and standards to meet the relevant guidelines (e.g., ARP4754A and ARP4761)
• Develops and maintains process documentation associated with system and safety compliance oversight activities including project System Safety Program Plan (SSPP), technical and quality review checklists, audit and test witnessing plans, and others as needed.
• Provides guidance for establishing a conforming lab, ensuring all processes, equipment, and outcomes meet regulatory and internal standards.
• Participates in planning, requirements, design, code, and test reviews to both identify technical and process issues in accordance with the project’s development assurance plans
• Accomplishes development quality assurance activities in compliance with governing plans and defined sampling criteria
• Maintains accurate compliance records (e.g., checklists, audit records) for assigned projects
• Develops and maintains metrics in concert with the development and verification teams
• Continuously works to identify process improvements for both reducing defect density in Joby’s products and to improve overall efficiency
• Liaison with development and verification engineers, as required to ensure requirements, are clearly communicated and the resulting product meets all requirements.
• Ensures all artifacts supporting ARP4754A compliance align with approved plans and are completely prepared for submittal to the appropriate regulators
• Provides support for regulatory oversight during development projects by way of leading audits, test witnessing, and coordinating with regulatory personnel
• Provides guidance to development team(s) for certification questions and/or issues

 

Software Process Assurance Skillset

• Provides technical advice and counsel to software and systems development teams on compliance issues associated with DO-178C and associated technical supplements
• Supports the software team in developing all required plans and standards to meet the relevant guidelines (e.g., DO-178C)
• Develops and maintains process documentation associated with software compliance oversight activities including project Plan for Software Aspects of Certification (PSAC), technical and quality review checklists, audit and test witnessing plans, and others as needed.
• Participates in planning, requirements, design, code, and test reviews to both identify technical and process issues in accordance with the project’s development assurance plans
• Accomplishes development quality assurance activities in compliance with governing plans and defined sampling criteria
• Maintains accurate compliance records (e.g., checklists, audit records) for assigned projects
• Develops and maintains metrics in concert with the development and verification teams
• Continuously works to identify process improvements for both reducing defect density in Joby’s products and to improve overall SW activity efficiency
• Liaison with development and verification engineers as required ensuring requirements are clearly communicated and resulting product meets all requirements.
• Ensures all artifacts supporting DO-178C compliance align with approved plans and are completely prepared for submittal to the appropriate regulators
• Coordinates closely with peer leads at other sites to ensure a consistent approach to software quality, as well as providing surge support as required; may also participate in/lead internal audits for peer organizations
• Participate in regulatory audit preparation and internal review as requested
• Provides guidance to development team(s) for certification questions and/or issues

AEH Process Assurance Skillset

• Provides technical advice and counsel to software and systems development teams on compliance issues associated with DO-254 and associated regulatory guidance
• Supports the powertrain and electronics team in developing all required plans and standards to meet the relevant guidelines (e.g., DO-254)
• Develops and maintains process documentation associated with Airborne Electronic Hardware (AEH) compliance oversight activities including project Plan for Hardware Aspects of Certification (PHAC), technical and quality review checklists, audit and test witnessing plans, and others as needed.
• Participates in planning, requirements, design, code, and test reviews to both identify technical and process issues in accordance with the project’s development assurance plans
• Accomplishes development quality assurance activities in compliance with governing plans and defined sampling criteria
• Maintains accurate compliance records (e.g., checklists, audit records) for assigned projects
• Develops and maintains metrics in concert with the development and verification teams
• Continuously works to identify process improvements for both reducing defect density in Joby’s software products and to improve overall AEH activity efficiency
• Liaison with development and verification engineers as required ensuring requirements are clearly communicated and resulting product meets all requirements.
• Ensures all artifacts supporting DO-254 compliance align with approved plans and are completely prepared for submittal to the appropriate regulators

Required

• 10+ years of related technical experience in one or more of the above areas (systems, SW, AEH) with at least 2-3 years in a leadership or senior role.
• Practitioner-level knowledge of one or more of the governing standards noted in the above descriptions (e.g., ARP4754A, DO-178C, DO-254)
• Experience in working in a process-driven environment (e.g., safety or mission-critical product development, regulated industry)
• Confidence and the ability to make tough decisions, even under pressure.
• The ability to discern between significant issues requiring a process to be stopped and the nuance to understand when workarounds are acceptable.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills including writing skills
• Ability to work without supervision and solve complex problems.
• Enjoys working in a collaborative, collegial environment
• Strong bias toward safety and ethical engineering
• Capable of coming up to speed on topics quickly; excited to learn new things
• Strong work ethic and goal-focused
• BS in engineering or technical area (e.g., computer science, electronics technician); MS preferred

Desired

• Aerospace or Defense experience
• Relevant Professional qualifications (e.g., CQE, CSQE, CISSP, CISM, ASEP, CSEP)
• Familiarity with FAA Designated Engineering Representative (DER) Handbook Requirements (Order 8110.37)
• Familiarity with aerospace quality frameworks (e.g., AS9100, AS9006, AS9115)
• Bilingual (English/Spanish)
• Experience with Jira, Confluence, Polarion, GitHub, Collaborator and SharePoint

 

Please still apply if you don’t meet all items in the desired section! Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. We are dedicated to building a diverse and effective workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Additional Information

Compensation at Joby is a combination of base pay, bonus,  and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). The target base pay for this position is $104,900 - $179,500/yr. The compensation package offered will be determined by location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Joby also offers a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off, healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan with a company match, an employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, and more.

Joby is an Equal Opportunity Employer.