Engineering Director – Aerospace
Location: Newport News, VA
Job Type: Direct Hire
Starting Salary: $130,000/year, with higher compensation available based on experience
Position Overview
Seeking an experienced engineering leader to oversee multidisciplinary teams spanning Mechanical, Structural, Electrical, and Aerodynamic engineering. This position owns engineering strategy, team development, program execution, and technical delivery from initial feasibility through design, qualification testing, and production.
Key Responsibilities
Lead engineering programs, including staffing, scheduling, workload planning, estimates, budgets, and resource allocation.
Manage multiple engineering programs with varying scope and priorities.
Build, develop, and improve a high-performing engineering organization.
Provide coaching, career development, and technical leadership.
Monitor product development milestones and communicate progress to senior management.
Investigate missed targets and implement corrective actions, including training, process, and methodology improvements.
Establish and maintain engineering design review processes, technical guidelines, and development standards.
Conduct and oversee design reviews for technical quality and compliance.
Establish department goals, KPIs, priorities, and performance initiatives.
Serve as the primary engineering interface for Sales and Operations on technical strategy and delivery planning.
Support business development and proposals, including technical compliance matrices and engineering feasibility assessments.
Promote innovation while maintaining focus on product safety, manufacturability, and cost effectiveness.
Maintain current knowledge of aerospace engineering practices, tools, and methods.
Support AS9100, Lean, and other quality initiatives.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or equivalent combination of education and experience.
10+ years of progressive engineering management experience, preferably in aerospace or defense.
Experience with aerospace product development, including STC (Supplemental Type Certificate) and FAA certification processes.
5+ years of experience with FAR compliance and signature authority in an FAA and/or military certification environment.
Experience managing multiple concurrent engineering programs.
Strong project management, planning, organizational, and team leadership skills.
Ability to influence stakeholders across multidisciplinary teams.
Strong customer-facing relationship management and communication skills.
Ability to analyze complex technical and business requirements.
Proficiency with SolidWorks and Microsoft Office.
U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Resident status.
Preferred Qualifications
Business acumen; Business Administration or Finance background preferred.
Familiarity with commercial and Department of Defense (DOD) contracting processes.
Broad knowledge of engineering, aircraft modification, FAA certification, and STC processes.
Security Clearance
Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret U.S. Security Clearance is required.
U.S. Citizenship is required for clearance eligibility.
Clearance processing is handled through DISCO (Defense Industrial Security Clearance Office).
Performance Expectations
Success in this role will be measured through:
- Engineering staff productivity and utilization.
- Quality performance and FAA/MCO compliance.
- Schedule and milestone performance across programs.
- Effectiveness of design review, governance, and risk management.
- On-time qualification testing and transition to production.
- Continuous improvement, including root-cause closure, process adoption, and training effectiveness.
Additional Requirements
Ongoing technical and compliance training as required.
Certification, AS9100, and Lean training as applicable.
Up to 50% domestic and international travel.
Ability to occasionally lift or move bulky items weighing more than 50 lbs.
Participation in a Drug Free Workplace Drug Testing Program.
