Head of Hardware Engineering – Avionics & UAM

Acron Aviation; Grand Rapids (MI); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Acron Aviation seeks a Hardware Engineering Manager for its Surveillance product line to lead a multidisciplinary team responsible for delivering mission-critical avionics hardware from concept through certification and sustainment.

You will shape strategy, workforce planning, and execution priorities, building high-performing teams and driving collaboration across RF, FPGA/Firmware, Electrical, Mechanical, CAD, and Component Engineering in a fast-paced, regulated environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Computer, Mechanical, Aerospace, or related engineering discipline.
• 10+ years of engineering experience in aerospace, avionics, defense, or related industries.
• 3+ years of engineering leadership or management experience with direct reports.
• Demonstrated success managing complex hardware development programs across the full product lifecycle.
• A people-first leadership record: talent development, coaching and mentoring, performance management, and team building.
• Experience supporting manufacturing, production, and fielded-product environments.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to lead through influence in a matrixed organization.
• Experience establishing, overseeing, and providing accountability for technical execution outsource partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary hardware engineering team, empowering subject-matter experts to drive technical excellence and innovation.
• Build a high-performing engineering culture: coach and mentor engineers and emerging leaders, own succession and workforce planning, and champion employee engagement.
• Drive execution of new product development, product enhancement, and sustaining engineering to cost, schedule, quality, and performance objectives.
• Provide technical oversight of hardware architecture, design reviews, trade studies, and verification activities across the product lifecycle.
• Champion Design for Excellence (DFX): manufacturability, cost, test, reliability, and supportability — partnering closely with Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain.
• Own component selection, obsolescence management, and long-term sustainment strategy for the product line.
• Partner with senior leaders, program managers, customers, and functional stakeholders to drive successful program outcomes and organizational effectiveness.
• Support proposals, basis-of-estimate development, and customer technical engagements.
• Collaborate with product management, software engineering, systems engineering, and other stakeholders to define product requirements and roadmaps.
• Act as the hardware technical liaison with customers, suppliers, and regulatory agencies when required.
• Utilize AI tools and workflows to augment and optimize hardware engineering staff.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

People-first leadership

Team-building

Influence in matrixed organization

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Computer, Mechanical, Aerospace, or related engineering

Master’s degree in Engineering, Engineering Management, or MBA

Job description

Acron Aviation seeks a Hardware Engineering Manager for its Surveillance product line to lead a multidisciplinary team responsible for delivering mission-critical avionics hardware from concept through certification and sustainment.

You will shape strategy, workforce planning, and execution priorities, building high-performing teams and driving collaboration across RF, FPGA/Firmware, Electrical, Mechanical, CAD, and Component Engineering in a fast-paced, regulated environment.