QA Engineering Manager

Skyways designs, builds, and operates fully autonomous long-range cargo aircraft. Founded in 2017, the company has spent the last eight years developing and deploying autonomous logistics systems for real-world operations. Our V2 aircraft carries 30 lbs up to 500 miles, while our next-generation V3 carries 100 lbs over 1,000+ miles with 20+ hours of endurance. Both use a hybrid-electric architecture that takes off like a helicopter and cruises like a plane, enabling long-range autonomous delivery without traditional runway infrastructure. Today, Skyways aircraft operate across three continents in controlled national airspace under FAA oversight and in support of U.S. military operations. We are transitioning from prototype development to full-rate production and scaling toward large autonomous cargo fleets. Backed by Y Combinator and a $37M AFWERX STRATFI award from the U.S. Air Force, Skyways is creating a new form of transportation to advance our civilization from Austin, Texas. The Opportunity The QA Engineering Manager will build Skyways’ quality foundation from the ground up. This is not a policy role. It is an opportunity to design and lead how quality is embedded into everything we design, build, and fly. You will be the first person in this function, owning quality across the full lifecycle from receiving and development through production and delivery. You will create the systems and processes that make quality inseparable from how Skyways operates, ensuring every part, assembly, and aircraft meets the highest standards before it leaves the floor. This role is for someone with an entrepreneurial spirit who thrives in new territory. You will jump into the unknown, build structure where there is none, and make quality a core advantage for Skyways as we scale.