Project Lead Engineer / Integrated Product Team Lead

Safran S.A.; Rockford (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Safran S.A. is seeking a Project Lead Engineer in Rockford, IL to independently lead and coordinate highly technical Aerospace & Defense engineering projects, including Flight Control and Utility Actuation systems.

You will drive disciplined project execution through planning, risk management, data analysis, and cross-functional collaboration, leading IPTs to resolve issues while delivering quality solutions within cost and schedule objectives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering with 2 years of engineering experience, or advanced degree in engineering or related field, or 5 years of relevant project engineering experience.
• Ability to communicate effectively in English with customers, coworkers, and supervisors.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate technical teams to ensure requirements and deliverables are achieved.
• Lead engineers and cross-functional teams in defining problems and developing solutions.
• Coordinate engineering reviews, technical discussions, and cross-functional activities.
• Support root-cause investigations with IPTs and customers to drive corrective actions.
• Analyze project data to support data-driven technical decisions.
• Prepare and present project status, risks, and recommendations to leadership.
• Maintain adherence to established processes and lifecycle activities.
• Travel up to 10%.

Skills

Leadership coordination

English communication

Project planning

Education

B.S. in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering

Advanced engineering degree

5 years project engineering experience

Tools

SAP

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Office

Job description

The Project Lead Engineer independently leads and coordinates the execution of highly technical Aerospace & Defense engineering projects, including Flight Control and Utility Actuation systems. This role drives disciplined project execution through structured planning, engineering processes, risk management, data analysis, and cross-functional collaboration. The Project Lead Engineer is expected to lead the project execution, coordinate multi-disciplined engineers and Integrated Product Teams (IPT) to resolve technical and project issues, maintain alignment to requirements, and deliver quality solutions within established cost and schedule objectives.

Roles and Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Engineering Execution

• Lead and coordinate technical teams to ensure requirements and deliverables are achieved.
• Lead engineers and cross-functional teams in defining problems and developing solutions.
• Coordinate engineering reviews, technical discussions, and cross-functional activities.
• Support root-cause and field investigations with IPTs and customers to drive corrective actions.
• Analyze engineering and project data to support data-driven technical decisions.
• Prepare and present technical content, project status, risks, and recommendations to engineering and business leadership.

Process & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure adherence to established engineering standard work, processes, and development lifecycle activities throughout project execution.
• Ensure development activities, reviews, documentation, and approvals are completed in accordance with defined processes.
• Promote consistent use of standard work and drive accountability for process execution.
• Apply structured problem-solving and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Support compliance with AS9100 and AS9145 requirements.
• Identify opportunities to standardize processes, improve communication, and strengthen execution.

Project Planning, Schedule & Resources

• Develop and maintain project plans, schedules, resource plans, and performance metrics.
• Track progress, staffing, and schedule; identify variances and implement corrective actions.
• Coordinate with engineering leadership to forecast resource requirements.
• Maintain processes for tracking tasks, deliverables, decisions, risks, issues, and action items.
• Maintain and present project plans and progress reports to ensure objectives are achieved.

Budget, Cost & Program Performance

• Develop and maintain project budgets and monitor engineering spending against objectives.
• Own cost performance and variances while maintaining focus on technical execution.
• Cost Account Management and Earned Value Management (EVM) for military programs.
• Analyze project data and recommend efficiency and optimize resource utilization.

Risk & Issue Management

• Identify risks, assess impacts, develop mitigations, and communicate status to leadership.
• Develop alternative approaches and recommendations to address technical and project challenges while maintaining project and technical objectives.

Customer Communication

• Establish and maintain customer communication including technical reviews, project/program reviews, investigations, and status of product, project, or problems.

Additional Responsibilities

• Support other duties and functions as required by business needs.
• Travel up to 10%.

Qualifications You Must Have

• Bachelor of science degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering with two (2) years of engineering experience - or - an advanced degree in engineering or a related technical discipline - or- five (5) years of relevant project engineering experience.
• Ability to effectively communicate in English with customers, coworkers, and supervisors.

Qualifications We Prefer

• Aerospace & Defense industry experience.
• Experience leading or coordinating technical teams and engineering activities.
• Experience working within engineering, quality, or project management processes.
• Experience supporting projects with requirements, budgets, schedules, and deliverables.
• Experience with root-cause analysis, risk management, and continuous improvement.
• Experience with Earned Value Management (EVM).
• Experience with Microsoft Office, SAP, Microsoft Project or other project management tools.