Chief Engineer WSISS

DCS Corp; Ridgecrest (CA); On-site; USD 142,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

DCS Corp in Ridgecrest, California, seeks a senior General and Operations Manager to serve as Chief Engineer on a major US Navy Aviation Services and Support contract. This dual-hatted role bridges technical leadership and operations, ensuring fleet readiness and naval air warfare requirements.

You will lead multidisciplinary teams, manage complex infrastructure, mentor staff, and provide executive-level communication with government stakeholders and external vendors to deliver reliable,

Qualifications

• 20+ years of aviation and management experience in military/defense domains.
• Master's degree in aerospace, CS or related field required.
• BS with 24+ years experience acceptable substitution.
• Ability to obtain Secret clearance within 6–9 months; TS/SCI possible.

Responsibilities

• Direct daily engineering and support operations and meet SLAs.
• Oversee performance monitoring tools and deliverable accuracy.
• Supervise, mentor, and evaluate technical staff and lower managers.
• Advise government stakeholders and coordinate with defense vendors.

Skills

Leadership

Executive communication

Systems engineering leadership

Technical troubleshooting

Education

Master's degree in aerospace engineering / CS

Bachelor of Science degree

Job description

Salary Range: $142,188 - $190,000

Seeking a dual-hattedSenior General and Operations Managerto serve as theChief Engineeron a majorUS Navy Aviation Services and Support contract.

The Chief Engineer will act as the primary technical interface to the Navy'sIntegrated Product Team (IPT) leads, Technical Directors, and program leadership, ensuring that all engineering workflows directly support fleet readiness and naval air warfare requirements.

In this critical role, you will lead multi-disciplinary technical teams, manage complex infrastructure, and ensure the engineering integrity and reliability of all deliverables. As the principal engineering champion, you will combine operational leadership with technical governance to drive high client satisfaction, solve complex system anomalies, and mentor the next generation of engineering and administrative professionals. We are seeking a senior-level, dual-hattedGeneral and Operations Manager.

Essential Job Functions:

Direct daily engineering and support operations, resolve critical escalated system issues, and consistently meet or exceed Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

Oversee performance monitoring tools to optimize systems, and deliverable accuracy.

Supervise, train, and evaluate technical support staff; assign daily operational tasks; and mentor lower-level engineering managers to support career growth.

Serve as a key technical advisor to government stakeholders and partner with external defense vendors to integrate hardware and software solutions, as directed.

Required Skills:

Due to the sensitivity of customer related requirements, U.S. Citizenship is required.

Masters Degree focused on aerospace engineering, computer science, or a closely related technical discipline with 20 plus years of experience.

Allowable Substitution:A Bachelor of Science (BS) degree with 24 plus years of related experience.

Ability to obtain Secret Clearance within 6-9 months of hire date with the ability to obtain a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance.

Minimum of twenty (20) years of combined aviation and management experience.

Leadership:Minimum of three (3) years of direct management experience guiding and directing lower-level technical/engineering managers, as well as providing technical oversight on advanced engineering issues.

Domain Expertise:20+ years of dedicated experience in technical support, complex systems management, or military aviation engineering leadership.

Proven track record in complex troubleshooting, cross-functional team leadership, and executive-level technical communication.

Accustomed to interfacing with contractors and both US and foreign government personnel.

Experience with the principles of Information Management, Process Improvement, and Quality Assurance management.

Management experience dealing with multiple, simultaneous systems engineering tasks.

Strong communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

Desired Skills:

Familiar with the systems and the functionality of F/A-18A-F and EA-18G.

Preferred former Military Aircrew.

Experience completing “Data Calls” and providing detailed presentations and solutions to tasks assigned by the customer in the NAWCWD environment.

Familiarity with government contracting and R&D contracts.

Active Security Clearance is preferred.

Work Location / Arrangement:

Full-time on-site in China Lake, CA; hybrid and remote work are not available for this role.