Application Guide
How to Apply for Flight Research DevOps Engineer
at Joby Aviation
🏢 About Joby Aviation
Joby Aviation is pioneering electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to revolutionize urban mobility with quiet, emissions-free air travel. Unlike traditional aerospace companies, Joby combines Silicon Valley innovation with rigorous aerospace engineering, creating a unique environment where software directly enables flight. Working here means contributing to tangible climate solutions while pushing the boundaries of aviation technology.
About This Role
As a Flight Research DevOps Engineer at Joby, you'll build and secure the infrastructure that enables massive parallel simulations of multiple aircraft—critical for validating flight safety and performance. This role uniquely bridges export-controlled aerospace software with modern DevOps practices, ensuring both innovation velocity and regulatory compliance. Your work directly accelerates the development of certified electric aircraft that will transform transportation.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day involves refining Terraform modules for simulation clusters on AWS, troubleshooting pipeline failures in multi-vehicle test runs, and collaborating with flight software engineers to streamline their workflows. You might implement security controls for newly classified code, then evaluate a new tool for faster artifact management, all while ensuring compliance doesn't slow down rapid iteration for aircraft certification.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Joby Aviation Is Looking For
- Has 3+ years building CI/CD pipelines in aerospace or similarly regulated environments, with hands-on experience separating export-controlled code (like ITAR/EAR) from monorepos.
- Proficient in C++ and Python for tooling/automation, with proven experience on AWS (preferred) or another major cloud, using Terraform/Pulumi for infrastructure-as-code.
- Understands security-first DevOps in regulated contexts—able to implement controls for classified software while maintaining developer productivity for flight simulation workloads.
- Is a 'US Person' (US citizen or permanent resident) with aerospace or defense industry exposure, passionate about applying DevOps to accelerate physical product certification.
📝 Tips for Applying to Joby Aviation
Explicitly highlight any experience with export control compliance (ITAR/EAR) in your resume—describe how you've managed secure code separation or access controls in monorepos.
Quantify your impact on simulation or testing infrastructure: mention scale (e.g., 'managed pipelines for 1000+ parallel simulations'), cost optimization, or reliability improvements.
Tailor your cloud examples to AWS if possible (their desired expertise), emphasizing aerospace-relevant services like EC2 Spot Instances for HPC or GovCloud for compliance.
Demonstrate knowledge of Joby's technology: reference their full-scale prototype flights or FAA certification progress to show genuine interest in eVTOL.
Use keywords from the job description like 'multi-vehicle parallel simulations,' 'export controlled software,' and 'core tooling' in your resume bullet points.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
['Explain how your DevOps experience in regulated environments (aerospace, defense, automotive) ensures both security and velocity for flight-critical software.', 'Describe a specific project where you improved CI/CD for large-scale simulations or testing, highlighting metrics like reduced iteration time or increased parallelism.', "Connect your passion for sustainable transportation to Joby's mission—show you understand their goal of replacing car commutes with quiet electric aircraft.", "Mention any familiarity with aerospace development cycles (e.g., DO-178C, certification pipelines) and how you've adapted DevOps practices to meet rigorous standards."]
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Study Joby's FAA certification timeline and recent flight test videos to understand their stage of development and technical challenges.
- → Research Joby's partnerships (e.g., with NASA, the U.S. Air Force, or Toyota) to grasp their regulatory and engineering ecosystem.
- → Explore the specifics of eVTOL aircraft design and simulation needs—how parallel testing validates safety in urban air mobility scenarios.
- → Review Joby's sustainability reports and public talks to articulate how your work aligns with their mission of reducing carbon emissions.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Applying with generic DevOps experience but no examples of working in regulated industries (aerospace, defense, medical, automotive) with compliance constraints.
- Failing to address export control requirements—not clarifying 'US Person' status or lacking awareness of ITAR/EAR implications for software.
- Emphasizing only development skills in C++/Python without demonstrating infrastructure-as-code or CI/CD pipeline ownership for large-scale systems.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!