Manager, Software Engineering - Cloud infrastructure

About Pyka Pyka’s goal is to provide society with a new form of safe, clean, and cost-effective transportation enabled by autonomous electric aviation. To get there, we’re taking a different approach than most. We're applying our technologies to every industry where autonomous electric aircraft can be useful, starting with the highest value and most dangerous jobs. In doing so, we're building game-changing products manufactured at scale, while perfecting the safety, reliability, and capabilities of our autonomy engine and electric propulsion systems. We design, develop and manufacture an ecosystem of technologies including proprietary flight control software, avionics, high power density motors, motor controllers, batteries, and custom carbon-fiber composite airframes. Today, we supply autonomous electric aircraft for cargo transport and crop protection to real-world customers across four separate continents and have secured industry-first regulatory approvals from the FAA. Our cargo aircraft enables remote connectivity, enhances express delivery networks, and ensures fast and reliable shipping of critical supplies to areas in need. Our crop protection aircraft offers agricultural services providers and farmers an autonomous tool to make aerial application safer, more precise, and less harmful to surrounding environments. Both vehicles are highly economical to operate, easy to deploy, and significantly reduce CO2 emissions in their respective industries. What you work on at Pyka makes people’s lives better now and brings the future of electric aviation one step closer each day.

Role Overview Pyka is looking for a Senior Software Engineer to be the software owner of our Dropship and Cargo programs. The software problems in these programs span the stack: path planning over long ranges, controls for a new airframe, integration of new sensors, engine control and state-of-charge management on a hybrid powertrain, and incorporating weather into how a mission is planned and flown. You will be responsible for the software behavior of these aircraft as a whole — what it needs to do, how the pieces fit together, and whether it is ready to fly — and you will be the engineer the Dropship team comes to when software is the open question on their side.

Some of the current and future projects you will likely contribute to include: Path planning for long-range cargo missions that accounts for energy state, winds aloft, and weather along the route Energy management on a hybrid powertrain: engine control, state-of-charge policy, and how the aircraft trades power against range, payload, and reserve Flight controls and handling for a new airframe, from simulation through flight test Integrating new sensors and payload systems, and defining the software needs before the hardware is fixed Turning operational feedback from cargo flights into requirements for the next iteration of the aircraft Defining what mission planning and ground tools need to expose to operators flying these aircraft

Lead a team of engineers to deliver infrastructure and tooling projects end-to-end, from requirements definition to deployment and ongoing maintenance Own team and project roadmaps, balancing company priorities, operational needs, and long-term infrastructure improvements Own project execution, defining milestones and priorities, tracking progress, and adjusting as requirements evolve Own the infrastructure and practices for managing aircraft and engineering data Guide infrastructure decisions with attention to security, scalability, performance, and cost Hire, onboard, mentor, and support engineers through regular feedback and coaching Contribute technically when needed to guide architecture, review designs, debug complex issues, or unblock work

6+ years of experience in software engineering, cloud infrastructure, platform engineering, or related roles Prior experience managing engineers, including coaching, setting priorities, and supporting individual development Experience designing, deploying, and operating production systems on Google Cloud, including Google Cloud Storage and BigQuery Strong technical foundation in Python, Linux systems, networking, databases, and modern software development workflows Experience with infrastructure as code (e.g. pulumi), CI/CD systems, containers, and deployment automation Familiarity with infrastructure supporting data analysis and machine learning workflows Experience improving system reliability through monitoring, incident response, and operational practices Experience with cloud security, access management, and cost management Strong technical judgment and the ability to make practical tradeoffs between immediate needs and long-term maintainability Experience working across teams to turn ambiguous engineering and operational needs into concrete plans Comfortable working in fast-moving and highly collaborative environments with evolving priorities Experience supporting robotics, autonomous systems, or other hardware-focused engineering teams is a plus

$180,000–$250,000 salary per year + equity. Compensation will vary depending on location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Salary ranges are subject to change. Employer-sponsored health, dental and vision insurance FSA with employer matching 401(k) Paid holidays, generous PTO, and additional unpaid time off Voluntary short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance Pre-tax commuter benefits Free catered lunch and plenty of snacks