Director, Flight Sciences

Radia; Boulder (CO); Hybrid; USD 205,000 - 245,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Mental health support with 24/7Counsel

Virtual therapy and Calm app

Employer-paid life and disability ins.

401(k) retirement plan

Health Care FSA and HSA options

Lunch on site for Boulder office

Perks at Work discounts

Job summary

Radia, headquartered in Boulder, CO, seeks an experienced Flight Sciences leader to oversee WindRunner development, a large Part 25 aircraft. You’ll manage aerodynamics, performance, loads, dynamics, and control, guiding the team through certification, cost, and schedule goals.

The role reports to the VP of Engineering and Chief Engineer, leading across disciplines and suppliers while driving strategic planning, staffing, and program execution toward successful certification and production

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in Flight Sciences.
• At least 5 years in technical leadership or people leadership roles.
• Experience on a Part 25 airplane development program.
• Strong analytical and communication skills; ability to tailor messaging.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Flight Sciences organization (aerodynamics, performance, loads, dynamics, stability and control, and mass properties).
• Provide technical leadership and decision-making to meet program, certification, safety, and performance objectives.
• Guide recruiting and staffing to support PDR, CDR, certification, and production readiness.
• Ensure engineering processes and standards are followed by the team.
• Define regulatory requirements and means of compliance within Flight Sciences.
• Strategize planning, scheduling, budgeting, and program management.

Skills

Technical leadership

Flight Sciences expertise

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Problem solving

Education

Aerospace Engineering degree

Job description

About Radia

Radia is a dual use aerospace company developing WindRunner, the world’s largest cargoaircraft. WindRunner is designed to enable direct transport of oversized cargo across defense, energy, commercial, aerospace, and humanitarian missions without reliance on specialized infrastructure. Radia is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado and Rome, Italy, with a growing global partner and supplier network.

Radia is looking for an experienced Flight Sciences leader to oversee development of WindRunner, a large Part 25 aircraft. This leader will be accountable for the Flight Sciences organization, including the disciplines of aerodynamics, aircraft performance, loads and dynamics, stability and control, handling qualities, control laws, and mass properties. The role reports to the VP of Engineering and Chief Engineer.

This hands‑on technical leader will provide engineering expertise while ensuring the Flight Sciences team meets technical deliverables on schedule and within budget. The role owns Flight Sciences performance across technical quality, cost, and schedule, including requirements definition, task planning, integrated development schedules, certification planning, cost management, risk and opportunity management, and supplier integration. This leader will set priorities, plan team capacity, and adjust execution as the WindRunner program strategy evolves.

Radia is a collaborative, creative environment that values simple, practical solutions to complex aircraft development challenges. The ideal candidate is technically strong, willing to dive into details and support the team directly when needed, and able to lead strategically across disciplines, suppliers, and program stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Flight Sciences organization, including aerodynamics, airplane performance, loads and dynamics, stability and control, control laws, handling qualities, and mass properties.
• Provide technical leadership, decision-making, and review authority across Flight Sciences disciplines to ensure solutions meet program, certification, safety, and performance objectives.
• Guide recruiting, staffing plans, and organizational growth for the Flight Sciences team to support PDR, CDR, certification, and production readiness for WindRunner.
• Ensure that all engineering processes and standards are followed by your team
• Work with systems engineering and certification teams to define regulatory requirements and means of compliance within the Flight Sciences domain.
• Guide the Flight Sciences team with strategic planning, scheduling, budgeting, and overall project management
• Represent Flight Sciences in key design reviews, technical interchange meetings, certification reviews, and executive program reviews.

Required Qualifications

• BS, MS, or PhD in Aerospace Engineering or a related technical field.
• 15+ years of experience in Flight Sciences
• At least 5 years in technical leadership, people leadership, or functional management roles
• Proven leadership capability combined with deep technical knowledge
• Deep expertise in at least one Flight Sciences discipline and broad foundational knowledge across the Flight Sciences domains (aerodynamics, aircraft performance, loads and aeroelasticity, stability and control, control laws, handling qualities, mass properties, etc.)
• Experience with all phases of the aircraft development lifecycle, from pre-PDR through certification
• Experience on a Part 25 airplane development program, with strong understanding of certification requirements; Part 25 experienced preferred, Part 23 experience considered
• Creative, curious, methodical and detail-oriented
• Comfortable working effectively in a collaborative environment
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
• Strong technical, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging to suit the audience
• Ability to lead across internal teams, external suppliers, contractors, and partner organizations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Development experience on large transport category aircraft, such as Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, Boeing 777, or Stratolaunch Roc
• Experience in a fast-paced design environment
• Experience managing external contractors, suppliers, or engineering service providers
• Experience with wind tunnel testing and/or flight testing

Work Environment

Boulder, CO preferred; remote candidates may be considered based on experience, role requirements, and ability to travel as needed.

Compensation

$205,000-$245,000

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus mental health support with 24/7 counseling, virtual therapy, and the Calm app.
• Employer-paid life and disability insurance, voluntary critical illness and accident coverage, and a 401(k)-retirement savings plan.
• Health Care FSA and HSA options with tax advantages and rollover features.
• Employees working from Radia’s Boulder office enjoy complimentary lunch on any day they work onsite.
• Additional benefits include Employee Assistance Program, caregiver support, discounted fitness memberships, educational assistance, training programs, adoption assistance, commuter benefits, and exclusive discounts through Perks at Work.