Senior Principal Engineer Leader

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company (EBAD); Simsbury (CT); On-site; USD 160,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company (EBAD) is seeking a Principal Engineering Manager to lead EBAD's Principal Engineering organization, strengthening technical capability and building the next generation of leaders. You will drive rigorous problem-solving, safety, and cross-functional collaboration across engineering functions to deliver high-consequence aerospace and defense products.

The role emphasizes developing senior technical talent, shaping engineering practices, and guiding

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Aerospace Engineering, Physics or a related technical field; advanced degree preferred.
• At least 10 years of progressive engineering experience in complex aerospace/defense or equivalent high-consequence products.
• Demonstrated success leading, coaching, and developing senior engineers, with accountability for results and succession planning.
• Strong technical credibility across the product-development lifecycle from design to production.
• Experience guiding multidisciplinary problem-solving using structured, data-driven methods.
• A track record of improving engineering standards, design practices, reviews, or development processes.
• Sound technical judgment to challenge assumptions, assess risk, and guide decisions when information is incomplete.
• Strong influence and communication skills to align technical experts, leaders, customers, and teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop the Principal Engineering team with clear expectations and accountability for results.
• Build a technical-leadership pipeline by mentoring engineers and identifying capability gaps.
• Strengthen problem-solving and safety capability through structured methods and rigorous design reviews.
• Improve technical capability by advancing standards, methods, reviews, tools, and practices with measurable impact.
• Provide senior technical judgment on complex challenges and engage multidisciplinary expertise as needed.
• Use EBAD Operating System (EBOS) to reinforce cadence, visual management, standard work, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement.
• Partner with Development Eng, Systems Eng, Program/IPT leadership, Operations, Quality, and customers to balance manufacturability, safety, cost, and schedule.
• Support critical technical reviews, failure investigations, proposals, and customer engagements.
• Translate complex technical considerations into risks, recommendations, and business implications for leadership.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Problem-solving

Communication

Cross-functional influence

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Aerospace Engineering, Physics

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

EBOS

Job description

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company (EBAD) is seeking a Principal Engineering Manager to lead EBAD's Principal Engineering organization, strengthening technical capability and building the next generation of leaders. You will drive rigorous problem-solving, safety, and cross-functional collaboration across engineering functions to deliver high-consequence aerospace and defense products.

The role emphasizes developing senior technical talent, shaping engineering practices, and guiding