Development Engineer

Ensign-Bickford Industries; Moorpark (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company, located in Moorpark, CA, seeks a Development Engineer to drive aerospace product development from design through production transitions. You will lead a cross-functional team, manage detailed schedules, and ensure technical integrity while meeting program milestones.

The role emphasizes leadership, risk-driven decision making, and collaboration with program management for customer deliverables and qualification activities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering required (Mechanical or Aerospace preferred).
• Minimum of 7 years in project engineering, product development, or technical program leadership.
• Experience leading multi-function technical teams through product development.
• Ability to manage detailed project schedules and drive milestones.
• Experience applying customer requirements and government/military specs.
• Strong problem-solving and root cause analysis capability.
• Proficient with SolidWorks, 3D/2D modeling, and tolerancing.
• DoD security clearance eligibility and ability to work on DoD/ITAR products.

Responsibilities

• Lead a cross-functional team through design, development, qualification and transition to production.
• Own technical integrity and schedule performance to meet customer and program milestones.
• Translate schedule into actionable engineering tasks and remove roadblocks.
• Develop and maintain detailed MS Project schedules and manage priorities.
• Guide teams through upset conditions with recovery plans and forward progress.
• Plan customer deliverables, design reviews, test events, and qualification activities.
• Provide strategic technical guidance on schedule, cost, and risks.
• Coordinate with manufacturing, quality, and supply chain for producibility.

Skills

Project leadership

Schedule management

Root cause analysis

Technical leadership

Effective communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

MS Project

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Job Description

This opportunity is located within our Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company business, a global leader of mission-critical hardware and systems solutions including precision energetics systems and innovative explosive solutions.

EBAD's continued growth requires an experienced engineer for the position of Development Engineer, for the A&D side of the business (Products: CAD/PAD & Explosive & Inert Mechanisms) reporting to the Product Development Lead. The position is located in Moorpark, CA.

This is an exciting opportunity for a seasoned engineer to expand their leadership capabilities while driving impactful project execution through technical expertise, project management, and process improvement.

Responsibilities:

The Development Engineer is a technically oriented project engineer focused on detailed project planning, technical execution, and disciplined delivery of aerospace and defense products in development. This role leads a cross-functional team through the design, development, qualification, and transition to production of mechanical and energetic systems.

The Development Engineer owns both technical integrity and schedule performance, ensuring programs meet customer requirements while maintaining margin, mitigating risk, and driving execution.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Create a cohesive team environment and lead the product team through the EBAD product lifecycle process in support of overall program milestones, deliverables, and objectives.

• Translate the integrated project schedule into actionable daily and weekly engineering tasks, managing team action items through structured communication, accountability, and proactive removal of roadblocks.

• Develop and maintain detailed project schedules in MS Project, understanding task interdependencies and managing shifting priorities.

• Guide teams through upset conditions; drive recovery plans and reestablish forward progress toward key milestones.

• Collaborate with Program Management to proactively plan customer deliverables, design reviews, test events, hardware builds, and qualification activities aligned with overall program objectives.

• Provide strategic technical guidance to the Program Manager on schedule, cost, and technical risks to enable informed decision‑making.

• Utilize visual management system to lead project team meetings, ensuring alignment on priorities, performance tracking, and transparent status communication.

• Generate, allocate, and verify requirements; ensure compliance to customer and government/military specifications.

• Lead internal reviews: Spec Req Review, Risk Review, Design Concept Review, Prelim Design Reviews, Prelim Technical Data Package Drawing Review, Long‑Lead Procurement Design Reviews, DFMEA Creation, DVT Test Readiness Reviews, Critical Design Reviews, Production Technical Data Package Review.

• Manage risk mitigation planning, including margin assessment and verification strategy in DVT.

• Develop and maintain the technical data package by performing design trade studies, tolerance analyses, and hand calculations to support sound technical decisions.

• Interact with suppliers to rapid prototype parts for risk reduction testing.

• Plan and oversee Development Verification Testing (DVT), including test requirement development, procedure review, and validation of performance to requirements with appropriate margin.

• Interface directly with customers and suppliers on technical, schedule, and execution matters.

• Coordinate closely with manufacturing, quality, and supply chain teams to ensure producibility and smooth transition from development through qualification into production.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering required (Mechanical or Aerospace preferred).

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in project engineering, product development, or technical program leadership (or equivalent combination of education and experience).

• Experience leading multi‑function technical teams through product development.

• Demonstrated ability to manage detailed project schedules and drive execution to milestones.

• Experience applying customer requirements and government/military specifications.

• Strong problem‑solving and root cause analysis capability.

• Technical competence in mechanical design fundamentals, including GD&T interpretation and tolerance analysis.

• Demonstrated experience generating 3D models & 2D drawings, SolidWorks preferred

• Experience supporting or leading product development and qualification testing.

• Experience with cost estimating and technical proposal support.

• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.

• Proficient with Microsoft Office tools including MS Project, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.

• Must have or be able to obtain a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) security clearance and be capable of working on U.S. DoD and ITAR restricted products.

Compensation:

Salary Range: $120,000 - $150,000 per year. Salary is determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, internal equity, and alignment with market data.

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, national origin, or veteran status.