Chief Engineer, Defense

About the role

You will own the end-to-end technical strategy for adapting our aircraft to meet the most demanding defense missions. This role places you at the center of propulsion, aerostructures, and systems integration decisions that define mission success. You will ensure that every subsystem works in harmony under the constraints of speed, altitude, and operational unpredictability. The position requires a relentless focus on safety, performance, and schedule discipline while navigating the realities of defense development. You will translate ambiguous operational needs into precise engineering requirements and solutions. As the top technical authority, you will be accountable for delivering an aircraft that performs as specified in the harshest environments. Your leadership will directly influence how quickly and effectively these capabilities reach the warfighter.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Drive end-to-end technical execution across propulsion, aerostructures, avionics, flight controls, thermal management, and systems integration to close critical performance gaps for the United States government.
• Translate defense mission requirements into concrete engineering specifications, ensuring traceability from high-level objectives through detailed design, verification, and validation activities.
• Serve as the primary design authority for the aircraft, owning design decisions, configuration control, and the integrity of the technical baseline throughout the program lifecycle.
• Lead the identification, tracking, and mitigation of technical, schedule, and cost risks, directing root-cause investigations and corrective actions for critical issues that threaten delivery or performance.
• Own the development and maintenance of requirements, architecture, and interface controls that connect airframe, propulsion, avionics, and mission systems into a coherent operational capability.
• Act as the principal point of contact for government customers, prime contractors, and defense agencies, communicating technical status, challenges, and path forward with clarity and precision.
• Align engineering, manufacturing, quality, flight test, and program management teams around a unified technical plan that balances performance, affordability, and schedule.
• Mentor and grow a high-performing, cross-functional engineering organization, fostering a culture of technical excellence, accountability, and pragmatic problem-solving.
• Lead analysis, ground test, and flight test campaigns, guiding test objectives, data interpretation, and certification activities to prove airworthiness and satisfy regulatory expectations.
• Ensure designs and processes adhere to military standards and Department of Defense airworthiness certification processes from concept through qualification.
• Provide oversight of supplier and vendor deliverables, ensuring that hardware, software, and services meet strict defense and performance requirements.
• Establish and maintain the technical foundation needed to scale operations as the program transitions from development toward production.

Requirements

• Hold a Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related field, with a Master's degree or PhD strongly preferred.
• Bring a minimum of 10 years of cumulative experience in aircraft design and development, with a substantial portion focused on flight vehicles and complex systems.
• Demonstrate a proven track record of owning technical, schedule, and cost outcomes on large, complex aerospace programs that operate under intense pressure.
• Possess deep, working knowledge of aircraft systems integration, including propulsion, structures, aerodynamics, avionics, and flight controls, and how they interact in high-speed regimes.
• Have significant experience supporting defense or military aerospace programs, including familiarity with defense acquisition policies, milestones, and compliance expectations.
• Maintain strong experience engaging with government customers, prime contractors, and defense agencies, navigating technical, contractual, and regulatory discussions.
• Be a U.S. citizen, as required by program participation, and hold an active Secret security clearance, with the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance.
• Show experience with modern tactical mission systems integrations, including architectures, data links, and sensor suites relevant to defense applications.
• Demonstrate thorough familiarity with MIL-STD standards and Department of Defense airworthiness certification processes and documentation.
• Have a history of leading engineering teams through early-stage development, including pre-production and prototype phases, where uncertainty and change are constant.
• Operate comfortably in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment where requirements evolve and technical risk must be managed transparently.
• Exhibit strong written and verbal communication skills to articulate complex technical concepts to both engineering and non-technical stakeholders.

Practical notes

Hours

Full-time

Travel

No travel specified

Visa

U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain Secret clearance, Top Secret desired

Deadline

No deadline specified