Senior Project Engineering Manager - Aircraft Interiors (ONSITE)

Prattwhitney; Winston-Salem (NC); On-site; USD 132,400 - 251,600; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Three weeks of vacation

401(k) plan with matching

Job summary

Collins Aerospace, part of RTX, is hiring a visionary leader to oversee a team of Engineering Project Leads and Project Engineers in Winston-Salem, NC. You will champion design excellence, drive schedules and budgets, and foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement in aviation interiors.

The role emphasizes leadership growth, strategic planning, and collaboration across engineering, operations, quality, and supply chain to deliver high-impact programs onsite in North Carolina.

Qualifications

• Typically requires a degree in STEM and minimum 10 years relevant experience.
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship now or in the future.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of Engineering Project Leads and Project Engineers to execute complex seating actuation system integration.
• Monitor project health metrics to ensure on-time, on-scope, on-budget delivery and drive data-driven decisions.
• Translate customer requirements into executable project plans, cost estimates and resource forecasts.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Aerospace industry

Regulatory awareness

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Job description

At RTX, the world's largest aerospace and defense company, 185,000 great minds are united by purpose and inspired to make a difference solving the world’s most complex problems.

With our three market leading businesses, world-class operations and investments in research and development, we offer capabilities and opportunity no one else can. Together, we push the boundaries of known science and find new ways to connect and protect our world.

Collins Aerospace is a leader in technologically advanced, intelligent solutions that help redefine the aerospace and defense industry. With a comprehensive portfolio and deep technical expertise, we help customers meet the demands of the global market.

Join us and help shape the future of aerospace and defense.

Are you ready to lead the future of commercial aircraft seating? We are seeking a visionary leader to oversee a talented and diverse team of Engineering Project Leads and Project Engineers.

In this role, you'll champion design excellence, drive schedule and budget success, and foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

If you are passionate about engineering leadership and want to shape the future of aviation interiors, this is the opportunity for you!

This role is ideal for someone looking to grow as a leader in the aerospace engineering field while gaining exposure to both technical and strategic aspects of product development.

This is an onsite position in Winston Salem, North Carolina.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead and Inspire: Lead a team of Engineering Project Leads and Project Engineers responsible for executing complex integration of commercial seating actuation systems. Provide direction on resource planning, schedule development, risk mitigation, and issue resolution to ensure successful delivery across multiple high‑impact programs.
• Drive Project Execution Excellence: Monitor and analyze project health metrics to ensure all projects are delivered on time, within scope, and within budget. Promote a culture of accountability and data‑driven decision‑making, using performance indicators to guide corrective actions and maintain execution discipline.
• Strategic Planning & Execution: Support business development by compiling detailed, accurate quotes for new project bids. Translate customer and business requirements into realistic project plans, cost estimates, and resource forecasts owned by your EPLs and Project Engineers.
• Collaborate and Integrate: Work cross‑functionally with engineering, operations, quality, supply chain, finance, and customer-facing teams to ensure alignment across all phases of project execution. Serve as the escalation point for project‑related issues, coordinating timely resolution and removing barriers that impact delivery.
• Establish and Improve Project Management Processes: Develop, implement, and maintain standardized project management processes within the ESI department. Ensure EPLs and Project Engineers consistently apply best practices, documentation standards, and governance methods.
• Operational Leadership: Own department-level capacity and demand planning by maintaining up‑to‑date workload data across EPLs and Project Engineers. Provide leadership visibility into resourcing constraints, future staffing needs, and long‑term project forecasts.
• Develop Talent and Teams: Mentor and grow Engineering Project Leads and Project Engineers, fostering a high‑performance culture focused on communication, ownership, and continuous improvement. Ensure the team has the tools, training, and processes needed to successfully deliver programs.
• Ensure Compliance and Quality: Support adherence to internal processes, customer requirements, and aerospace standards. Ensure that project teams execute work in a manner that aligns with company quality, safety, and compliance expectations.

What You Will Learn:

• Leadership and Team Management: Strengthen your leadership skills by managing a diverse team of EPLs and Project Engineers. Learn to balance competing priorities, mentor individuals at varying experience levels, and guide teams through complex project challenges.
• Advanced Project and Systems Integration Practices: Enhance your understanding of system integration within the aerospace environment, learning how to coordinate cross‑functional technical inputs and maintain alignment across engineering disciplines.
• Strategic Project Management: Build expertise in cost modeling, schedule planning, bid development, risk management, and overall project strategy. Gain proficiency in structuring executable project plans from proposal through closure.
• Regulatory and Compliance Awareness: Deepen your understanding of aerospace requirements, internal governance, and customer compliance expectations, enabling improved project planning and execution.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Learn how to effectively collaborate across engineering, operations, quality, supply chain, finance, and customer teams. Develop the ability to influence without authority and manage diverse stakeholder expectations.
• Process Optimization and Continuous Improvement: Participate in and lead initiatives that improve project governance, execution maturity, and operational efficiency. Learn how to evaluate and optimize department processes to drive better execution outcomes.

Qualifications you Must Have:

• Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and minimum 10 years prior relevant experience or an Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 7 years of experience.
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the company’s immigration sponsorship now or in the future. The company will not offer immigration sponsorship for this position.
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the company’s immigration sponsorship now or in the future. The company will not seek an export authorization for this role.
• Experience working in the aerospace industry.
• Experience with RTCA DO-160 / DO-254 Electrical Component Certification.
• Experience with RTCA-DO178 Software Component Certification.
• Previous Project management experience is required.

What We Offer:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Three weeks of vacation for newly hired employees
• Generous 401(k) plan that includes employer matching funds and separate employer retirement contribution, including a Lifetime Income Strategy option
• Tuition reimbursement program
• Student Loan Repayment Program
• Life insurance and disability coverage
• Optional coverages you can buy pet insurance, home and auto insurance, additional life and accident insurance, critical illness insurance, group legal, ID theft protection
• Birth, adoption, parental leave benefits
• Ovia Health, fertility, and family planning
• Adoption Assistance
• Autism Benefit
• Employee Assistance Plan, including up to 10 free counseling sessions
• Healthy You Incentives, wellness rewards program
• Doctor on Demand, virtual doctor visits
• Bright Horizons, child and elder care services
• Teladoc Medical Experts, second opinion program
• And more!

Onsite: Employees who are working in Onsite roles will work primarily onsite. This includes all production and maintenance employees, as they are essential to the development of our products. Regardless of your role type, collaboration and innovation are critical to our business and all employees will have access to digital tools so they can work with colleagues around the world – and access to Collins sites when their work requires in-person meetings.

At Collins, the paths we pave together lead to limitless possibility. And the bonds we form – with our customers and with each other -- propel us all higher, again and again.

As part of our commitment to maintaining a secure hiring process, candidates may be asked to attend select steps of the interview process in-person at one of our office locations, regardless of whether the role is designated as on-site, hybrid or remote.

The salary range for this role is 132,400 USD - 251,600 USD.

The salary range provided is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels. RTX considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, location, education/training, and key skills.

Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits, including but not limited to, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, flexible work schedules, employee assistance program, Employee Scholar Program, parental leave, paid time off, and holidays.

Specific benefits are dependent upon the specific business unit as well as whether or not the position is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement.

Hired applicants may be eligible for annual short-term and/or long-term incentive compensation programs depending on the level of the position and whether or not it is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement.

Payments under these annual programs are not guaranteed and are dependent upon a variety of factors including, but not limited to, individual performance, business unit performance, and/or the company’s performance.

This role is a U.S.-based role. If the successful candidate resides in a U.S. territory, the appropriate pay structure and benefits will apply.

RTX anticipates the application window closing approximately 40 days from the date the notice was posted. However, factors such as candidate flow and business necessity may require RTX to shorten or extend the application window.

RTX is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any other applicable state or federal protected class.

RTX provides affirmative action in employment for qualified Individuals with a Disability and Protected Veterans in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act.

RTX is an aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide.

It comprises three industry-leading businesses – Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon. Its 195,000 employees enable the company to operate at the edge of known science as they imagine and deliver solutions that push the boundaries in quantum physics, electric propulsion, directed energy, hypersonics, avionics and cybersecurity. The company, formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies Corporation aerospace businesses, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.