Lead, grow, and develop a multi-disciplinary mechanical engineering team spanning structures, mechanisms, GSE, and packaging. Hire across all levels—from interns and new graduates to principal engineers—and build a pipeline of mechanical talent that scales with the company. Mentor and develop early-career engineers: assign stretch work, run structured 1:1s, give honest feedback, and create clear paths from junior to senior contributor. Coach senior engineers into technical leadership and IPT lead roles.
Set performance expectations, run performance reviews, and own compensation and leveling decisions for the team. Build a team culture that values rigorous engineering, hands-on work, and personal ownership of outcomes.
Program Execution
Plan and resource mechanical engineering work across multiple programs; balance new development, sustaining engineering, and customer-driven changes. Partner with program management to commit to schedules, identify risks, and deliver on milestones. Drive productionization and transition from prototype to rate production across Firestorm's aircraft lines. Support test and fielding events, including on-site presence for structural and integration test campaigns.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field (Master's degree preferred) U.S. Citizenship required due to ITAR regulations & the ability to maintain a Department of Defense (DoD) security clearance 10+ years of mechanical engineering experience, with significant time in aerospace, defense, automotive, or comparable hardware-intensive industries 5+ years of direct people management experience, including hiring, performance management, and growing engineers from junior to senior levels Demonstrated history of building and developing high-performing engineering teams—not just managing them Deep technical credibility in mechanical design: structures, mechanisms, composites and/or metallic structures, GD&T, tolerance analysis, and DFM Hands-on experience leading designs from concept through qualification and into production Experience with change control, PLM systems (Arena, Windchill, Teamcenter, or equivalent), and configuration management at scale Experience leading cross-functional integrated product teams (IPTs) Strong communication skills—able to engage with engineers, executives, customers, and government stakeholders with equal effectiveness Ability to work in a fast-paced and dynamic startup environment