Head of Principal Engineering

Ensign-Bickford Industries, Inc.; Simsbury (CT); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company is seeking a Principal Engineering Manager to lead the Principal Engineering Organization and elevate technical capability across EBAD. You will mentor senior engineers, drive disciplined problem solving, and ensure rigorous design reviews, qualification activities, and program decisions align with safety, reliability, and manufacturability.

This role offers broad influence across engineering, operations, and customers, with opportunities to shape the

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, or related technical field; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive engineering experience in aerospace/defense or high-consequence products.
• Proven ability to lead and develop senior engineers; succession and capability development.
• Strong technical credibility across product lifecycle from design to production; data-driven problem solving.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Principal Engineering team with clear expectations and accountability.
• Mentor engineers and build a leadership pipeline to close capability gaps.
• Strengthen problem-solving and safety capability through structured methods and rigorous design reviews.
• Improve engineering standards, processes, tools, and practices across the lifecycle to reduce failures and improve reliability.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to align technical decisions with manufacturability, testability, and customer outcomes.
• Support critical technical reviews, failure investigations, and customer engagements.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Systems engineering

Problem-solving

Risk assessment

Cross-functional

Technical judgment

Education

Bachelor’s in Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace Engineering

Tools

EBOS

Job description

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company is seeking a Principal Engineering Manager to lead the Principal Engineering Organization and elevate technical capability across EBAD. You will mentor senior engineers, drive disciplined problem solving, and ensure rigorous design reviews, qualification activities, and program decisions align with safety, reliability, and manufacturability.

This role offers broad influence across engineering, operations, and customers, with opportunities to shape the