Senior Manager Hardware Engineering

AVIA; Grand Rapids (MI); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

None

Job summary

Acron Aviation is seeking a Hardware Engineering Manager for its Surveillance product line. You will lead a diverse team across RF, FPGA/Firmware, Electrical, Mechanical, CAD, and Component Engineering to deliver mission-critical avionics hardware from concept through certification and lifecycle support.

You will shape strategy, workforce planning, and execution, building high-performing teams and accelerating product development while ensuring cost, schedule, and compliance objectives are met.

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.

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.
• 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

Engineering leadership

People management

Hardware engineering

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic planning

AI tooling awareness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Computer/Mechanical/Aerospace

Master’s degree desirable

Tools

RF testing tools

DO-254 knowledge

Manufacturing/testability tooling

Job description

About Acron Aviation (Avionics – Surveillance):

Acron Aviation designs, engineers, and manufactures certified avionics systems that support safety-critical flight operations across commercial and military aviation. Within Avionics, the Surveillance product line develops and sustains systems that enable aircraft awareness, collision avoidance, and airspace interoperability. Our portfolio includes TCAS, Mode S transponders, ADS-B, and integrated surveillance solutions deployed across commercial, military, and rotorcraft platforms. This work is performed in highly regulated environments and demands deep expertise across systems, hardware, software, and RF throughout the full product lifecycle.

The Opportunity

As the aerospace industry enters into the new era of Urban Air Mobility (UAM), Acron Aviation will be at the forefront of this new market. This role offers a unique opportunity to influence engineering strategy, develop future leaders, and drive organizational excellence across multiple hardware disciplines in a highly collaborative environment, developing TCAS/ACAS and transponder radios for jet, rotorcraft, and UAM platforms. As Hardware Engineering Manager for our Surveillance product line, you will lead and inspire a diverse organization of RF, FPGA/Firmware, Electrical, Mechanical, CAD, and Component Engineering professionals responsible for delivering mission-critical avionics hardware — from concept through certification, production, and lifelong product support.

You will shape organizational strategy, workforce planning, and execution priorities to ensure hardware engineering capability aligns with business objectives and future growth, while building, developing, and retaining high-performing teams through a culture of innovation, accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning.

What You Will Do

• 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.

Basic 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.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Engineering Management, or MBA.
• Commercial or military avionics product development experience.
• Familiarity with DO-160, MIL-STD-810, DO-254, or similar certification and qualification standards.
• Experience with RF, surveillance, or aerospace electronic systems; FPGA/embedded firmware team leadership.
• Reliability engineering, environmental qualification, and obsolescence/lifecycle planning experience.
• Experience leading a team with multiple geographic locations.
• Experience establishing and/or developing an overseas team.

Why This Role

• Significant organizational impact and broad responsibility across hardware engineering disciplines.
• Ownership of engineering strategy, culture, and engagement for a growing product line.
• Opportunity to develop future leaders and shape a high-performing organization.
• Visibility with senior leadership and participation in growth and transformation initiatives.

Ideal Candidate

We are seeking a collaborative and strategic engineering people leader who excels at developing talent, building high-performing teams, and leading through influence. The ideal candidate brings experience managing diverse hardware engineering functions, balancing technical excellence with execution, and fostering an environment where employees can perform at their best while delivering exceptional results for customers and the business.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Acron Aviation is proud to be an Affimative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to treating all employees and applicants with respect and dignity and to maintaining a workplace free from unlawful discrimination. All applicants will be considered for employment regardless of race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or other related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Acron Aviation maintains a drug-free workplace and conducts pre-employment substance abuse testing and background checks, where allowed by law. Acron Aviation is an E-Verify employer.