Director - Civil Certification

Bell Flight; Fort Worth (TX); On-site; USD 160,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

9/80 schedule

PTO 80 hours

Vacation time 120 hours

11+ holidays per year

Parental leave 6 weeks

Tuition reimbursement

Health insurance

On-site clinic

Job summary

Bell calls on a Director of Civil Certification to lead our civil certification programs, including FAA relations, Type Certification, and ODA administration. You will supervise Certification and Production Certification teams and partner with internal programs and external authorities to ensure compliant, timely certification of Bell products.

You will translate complex aviation regulations into actionable engineering requirements, guide audit readiness, and drive continuous improvement across

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, or related Engineering field (Master’s preferred).
• Minimum 5 years managing FAA or FAA-delegated organization projects.
• Over 10 years in certification, flight test, or engineering leadership.
• Experience managing FAA-delegated programs and audits.
• Deep knowledge of FAA regulations and certification processes.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead a team of specialists to work with programs and authorities on type validation.
• Oversee Certification and Production Certification teams for compliance and ODA performance.
• Serve as executive liaison to FAA ODA Management Team and lead renewal cycles.
• Develop certification strategies and technical positions for commercial programs.
• Guide audit readiness and ensure alignment with FAA regulations and policy.
• Lead certification projects with internal teams and external authorities.
• Translate regulatory expectations into engineering requirements early in design.
• Structure test campaigns with Flight Test and Engineering for evidence generation.
• Maintain compliance tracking and configuration control for certified data.
• Manage external certification resources (DERs, labs, consultants).
• Act as lead ODA administrator and shape long-term organization structure.
• Identify future talent to support EFUM pipeline.

Skills

Executive communication

Multidisciplinary leadership

Leadership

FAA regulations knowledge

Program/project management

Team coordination

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, or related Engineering field

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

Bell is more than an aviation company — we are pioneers. From breaking the sound barrier to tiltrotors, we challenge what’s possible.

Today, we are shaping the future of civil aviation with the first commercial fly‑by‑wire helicopter. And we want you to help lead that mission.

Work location is onsite at Bell’s Commercial Business Center in Fort Worth, TX

Director of Civil Certification

The Director of Civil Certification provides executive leadership over all civil certification functions at Bell, including Type Certification, Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) Administration, and Production Certification.

This leader ensures Bell maintains delegated authority, advances major Type Certification programs, and safeguards long‑term commercial success.

What You’ll Be Doing as the Director of Certification:

• Build and lead a team of Validation/Certification Project Specialists to work effectively with programs and certification authorities to type validate commercial products
• Oversee Certification and Production Certification teams to ensure strong execution, regulatory compliance, and consistent ODA performance
• Act as the executive liaison to the FAA ODA Management Team, driving ODA performance and leading the organization through ODA renewal cycles
• Provide guidance and direction to Commercial Programs on commercial product validation by developing certification strategies and technical positions
• Guide audit readiness and responses, monitor ODA Unit Member performance, and ensure alignment with FAA regulations and policy
• Lead execution of validation/certification projects in support of the Commercial Programs team through development of strong relationships with domestic and foreign authorities
• Translate regulatory expectations into clear engineering requirements and ensure certification considerations are embedded early in system architecture and design decisions across all disciplines
• Partner with Flight Test and Engineering teams to structure test campaigns that distinguish between engineering learning and certification evidence generation, ensuring test data is valid and usable for compliance
• Establish and maintain effective compliance tracking and configuration control processes to ensure the certified configuration aligns with approved design data and assumptions
• Select and manage external certification resources—including DERs, consultants, test labs, and conformity partners—to support compliance activities and evidence generation
• Act as lead ODA administrator
• Define the long‑term structure of Bell’s civil certification and airworthiness organization, developing internal certification talent and scaling capability as future programs grow
• Support identification of future talent to support the EFUM pipeline

Skills You Bring to the Role:

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, or related Engineering field (Master’s preferred)
• At least 5 years’ experience managing FAA or FAA‑delegated organization projects
• At least 10 years cumulative certification and flight test or product engineering leadership experience
• Demonstrated experience managing FAA or FAA‑delegated programs, including certification basis, means of compliance, cert project oversight, and audit preparation
• Expert knowledge of FAA regulations, FAA Orders (e.g., 8100.15, 8110‑4, 8130.2), and TC/STC/PC certification processes
• Proven capability leading multidisciplinary teams
• Strong executive communication skills

Preferred:

• Experience with novel configurations, advanced technologies, or emerging aviation concepts
• Knowledge of FAA, EASA, TCCA, ANAC, UKCAA, and other foreign CAA regulations and compliance strongly preferred

What we offer you in return:

• You’ll be off every other Friday with our 9/80 work schedule
• 80 hours of Personal Time Off (PTO)
• 120 hours Vacation time
• 12‑13 paid holidays per year
• 6 weeks parental leave
• Tuition reimbursement
• Competitive salary
• Comprehensive health insurance
• On‑site clinic, pharmacy, physical therapy, and licensed counselor
• Access to more than 11 Employee Resource Groups
• And so much more

It’s time to make your mark on the future of aviation. Join us on this mission, and let’s make history together.

Textron is committed to providing Equal Opportunity in Employment, to all applicants and employees regardless of race, color, religion, age, national origin, military status, veteran status, disability, sex (including pregnancy and sexual orientation), genetic information or any other characteristic protected by law.

This position requires use of information which is subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). The ITAR/EAR defines a U.S. person as a U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (i.e. ‘Green Card Holder’), Political Asylee, or Refugee. Non‑U.S. persons selected must meet eligibility requirements for access to export‑restricted information.