Chief Engineer, Aerospace Hardware

CFD Research Corporation; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) matching

Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)

Medical, vision, and dental insurance

Paid leave and compensation time

Parental leave and disability coverage

Life insurance and other benefits

Job summary

CFD Research Corporation seeks a Chief Engineer to serve as Technical Authority for aerospace development programs. You will oversee system integrity, mission assurance, and the technical baseline across mechanical, power/electronics, and embedded software disciplines.

The role splits time between the Huntsville, AL headquarters and the Hollywood, AL engineering center, interfacing with customers and IPT leads to ensure safe, compliant, and integrated products.

Qualifications

• US citizen and eligibility to obtain Secret Clearance.
• 10+ years of engineering experience in the aerospace or aviation industry.
• Demonstrated experience in an engineering leadership, technical oversight, or multidisciplinary project lead role.
• Broad technical foundation covering engineering principles in hardware, electronics, or software.
• Strong written and verbal technical communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Primary Technical Interface to the Customer: Leads the program’s technical engagement and defends the technical baseline, design approach, risks, and verification strategy at formal reviews and customer forums.
• Technical Authority & Gate Certification: Hold final approval authority for engineering designs, changes, and verification results; certify readiness at major milestones (PDR, CDR, TRR).
• System Integration & Interface Management: Decompose customer requirements into technical specs and manage ICDs; maintain overall system architecture.
• IPT Leadership & Collaboration: Provide technical guidance to IPT leads and resolve disagreements; approve design approaches.
• Verification, Validation & Quality: Oversee V&V strategy and approve test plans; ensure safety and AS9100 compliance.
• Risk & Anomaly Management: Lead investigations into failures, manage mitigation plans, and track technical debt.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Technical oversight

Multidisciplinary project lead

System architecture

Technical communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace/Mechanical/Electrical/Systems/Computer/Software or related engineering field

Master’s or Ph.D. in Aerospace/Mechanical/Electrical/Computer/Systems Engineering

Job description

About CFD Research: Since its inception in 1987, CFD Research has delivered innovative technology solutions within the Aerospace & Defense, Biomedical & Life Sciences, Intelligence & Sensing, and Energy & Materials industries. CFD Research has earned multiple national awards for successful application and commercialization of innovative component/system technology prototypes, multi-physics simulation software, multi-disciplinary analyses, and expert support services. Based in Huntsville, Alabama where laboratory facilities and headquarters are located, CFD Research also has office and laboratory facilities in Dayton, Ohio, prototyping test and evaluation facilities in Hollywood, Alabama, and office facilities in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. CFD Research is an ISO9001:AS9100D registered company and is appraised at CMMI Level II for Services.

CFD Research is a 100% ESOP (employee-owned company) recognized in Inc. Magazine's Inc5000 as a top growing company for four of the last five years. Learn more at www.cfd-research.com

CFD Research Corporation is seeking a Chief Engineer to serve as Technical Authority for aerospace development programs. In this role, you will be accountable for overall technical success, system integrity, and mission assurance on programs focused on aerospace power generation and power conversion systems. You will manage system architecture to ensure all technical efforts produce a safe, compliant, and integrated product across mechanical, power/control electronics, and embedded software disciplines. This position will interface directly with the Customer, Program Management Office, and Integrated Product Team (IPT) leads. This position will split time between our Headquarters in Huntsville, AL and our Engineering Test Center in Hollywood, Alabama. To learn more about the Hollywood Engineering Test Center capabilities and state-of-the-art equipment, please visit the facility's home page: https://www.cfd-research.com/hollywood/

Key Responsibilities

• Primary Technical Interface to the Customer: Serves as the program’s primary technical interface to the customer and provides technical authority for engineering execution across the program. Leads the program’s technical engagement with the customer and is responsible for representing and defending the technical baseline, design approach, technical risks, and verification strategy at formal reviews and other customer technical interchange and decision forums. Ensures customer technical direction is appropriately incorporated into program execution.
• Technical Authority & Gate Certification: Hold final approval authority for engineering designs, technical changes, and verification results. Serve as the primary authority for certifying program readiness at major technical milestones, including PDR, CDR, and TRR.
• System Integration & Interface Management: Decompose high-level customer requirements into technical specifications for Integrated Product Team (IPT) Leads. Own Interface Control Documents (ICDs) to ensure physical, electrical, and software interfaces integrate across all subsystems. Maintain overall system architecture and subsystem compatibility throughout the design lifecycle.
• IPT Leadership & Collaboration: Provide technical guidance to IPT Leads, ensuring technical approaches are sound and subsystem decisions do not degrade overall system performance. Resolve technical disagreements between IPTs. Conduct formal scope-versus-resource discussions with Program Managers when technical requirements conflict with budget or schedule constraints. Approve IPT design approaches to ensure alignment with system specifications.
• Verification, Validation & Quality: Oversee the Verification and Validation (V&V) strategy and approve test plans to ensure all requirements are verified through test or analysis. Ensure design compliance with safety regulations and industry standards such as AS9100.
• Risk & Anomaly Management: Lead investigations into technical failures or anomalies during development or testing. Own technical risk mitigation plans, evaluate technical root causes for project variances, and track technical debt.

Basic Qualifications

• Candidate must be a US Citizen and meet eligibility to obtain (and maintain) a Secret Clearance
• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Systems, Computer, Software, or a related engineering field.
• 10+ years of engineering experience in the aerospace or aviation industry.
• Demonstrated experience in an engineering leadership, technical oversight, or multidisciplinary project lead role.
• Broad technical foundation covering engineering principles in hardware, electronics, or software.
• Strong written and verbal technical communication skills.

Desired Qualifications

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Computer, or Systems Engineering.
• Experience with aerospace power generation systems, power conversion, fluid power, emergency power systems, or rotating electromechanical systems.
• Experience executing requirements flow-down, defining system-level architectures, and managing Interface Control Documents (ICDs).
• Experience serving as lead sign-off authority for major formal gate reviews (PDR, CDR, TRR) and issuing Certifications of Readiness.
• Hands-on experience developing V&V plans, conducting factory acceptance testing, qualification testing, and working with standards such as FAA, MIL-STD, NASA, or AS9100.
• Experience leading root cause analysis for testing anomalies, managing technical risk mitigation plans, and tracking technical debt.

Location

This individual will work onsite in Huntsville, AL and Hollywood, AL.

Candidate must be a US Citizen and possess the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.

Benefits

• CFD Research offers competitive salaries and excellent employee benefits, including an employer matching 401(k) and Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).
• CFD Research offers our Full-Time, permanent employee-owners a highly competitive insurance package, including medical, vision, and dental insurance.
• Additionally, we offer company paid leave, compensation time, parental leave, long-term and short-term disability, accidental death and dismemberment, and life insurance.
• Part-Time and Temporary employee-owners may receive partial or reduced benefits and leave time based on their employment status level.
• Performance appraisals occur twice a year and annual pay increases are based upon corporate goals, personal development, performance, and outstanding achievements.
• In addition, group and individual bonuses are awarded for exceptional performance.

CFD Research is an EO employer - Veterans/Disabled and other protected categories