Staff Project Engineer, Digital

Neon Aerospace; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

Neon Aerospace is seeking a Digital Principal Project Engineer to drive execution across Neon’s enterprise digital programs (PLM, ERP, MES, QMS, data, and AI). You’ll coordinate stakeholders, manage dependencies, mitigate risks, and ensure compliant, on-time delivery in a regulated aerospace setting.

You will partner with Digital, engineering, IT, and vendors to align requirements through go-live, promoting disciplined planning and clear communication for adoption and scale.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related technical field or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of progressive experience in technical/program management or enterprise systems programs.
• Experience leading deployments of PLM/ERP/MES/QMS from requirements through go-live.
• Experience managing schedules, dependencies, risks, action registers, and program reviews.
• Experience with partners/vendors against statements of work and milestones.
• Knowledge of system integration, data migration, cutover, user testing, and release management.
• Familiarity with aerospace/regulated environments; PMP/PgMP a plus.

Responsibilities

• Drive end-to-end execution of Neon’s enterprise digital programs across PLM, ERP, MES, QMS, data, and AI tooling.
• Build and communicate integrated program plans, roadmaps, milestones, and critical paths across multiple workstreams.
• Coordinate cross-functional activities among Digital, IT, security, export control, engineering, and finance.
• Manage partners and vendors, track performance, and escalate gaps.
• Track integration dependencies, data flows, and decision logs across the enterprise landscape.
• Plan environment promotion, data migration, cutover, and hypercare for deployments.

Skills

Technical program management

Enterprise systems

System integration

Stakeholder communication

Risk mitigation

Project scheduling

Program governance

ITAR/export controls

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering/related field

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Aerospace is at a turning point — costs are rising, supply chains are strained, and old ways of building can’t keep up. At Neon Aero, we’re breaking that mold. We move fast, think big, and combine start-up agility with aerospace expertise to design, build, and scale aircraft in ways the industry has never seen. Our team leverages automation, AI-driven tools, and a fully connected digital backbone to accelerate innovation and reduce barriers to production.

Here, you won’t just take a job — you’ll help reinvent how the world flies. If you’re ready to solve complex problems, push technology further, and work alongside some of the brightest minds in aerospace, this is your chance to make a real impact.

The Digital Principal Project Engineer is responsible for driving execution across Neon’s enterprise digital programs, including the deployment and integration of the PLM, ERP, MES, QMS, supply chain, data, and AI platforms that make up Neon’s digital backbone. This role serves as the connective point across Digital teams, engineering and business stakeholders, implementation partners, and software vendors to coordinate deliverables, manage dependencies, track decisions, resolve blockers, and elevate technical risks.

Operating in a manner similar to a technical program manager for enterprise systems, this individual keeps Digital programs aligned as capabilities move from requirements and design through configuration, integration, validation, cutover, and adoption. The role preserves accountability, schedule integrity, and the compliance rigor required of a regulated aerospace supplier handling export-controlled data.

Why This Role Matters

• Drive end-to-end execution of Neon’s enterprise digital programs, including PLM, ERP, MES, QMS, supply chain, data platform, and AI tooling deployments, from requirements through go-live and adoption.
• Build, maintain, and communicate integrated program plans, roadmaps, milestones, and critical paths across concurrent Digital workstreams and their dependencies on engineering, operations, supply chain, and finance.
• Coordinate cross-functional activities among Digital, IT, information security, export control, engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, quality, finance, and operations stakeholders.
• Manage implementation partners and software vendors against statements of work, deliverables, and milestones; track partner performance and elevate gaps.
• Track system integration dependencies, interface points, data flows, open actions, and decision logs across Neon’s enterprise application landscape.
• Plan and coordinate environment promotion, data migration, cutover, and hypercare for system deployments, including the retirement of legacy systems and tools.
• Coordinate user acceptance testing, validation, and release readiness with business owners, ensuring deployments meet Neon’s quality system and documentation requirements.
• Engage information security and export control early in planning so that deployments respect Neon’s ITAR and controlled unclassified information (CUI) boundaries.
• Identify technical, schedule, integration, and adoption risks early; drive mitigation planning, escalation, and follow-through to closure.
• Lead recurring program reviews, steering meetings, partner syncs, and go-live readiness reviews with clear agendas, action ownership, and status reporting.
• Partner with Digital technical leads and platform owners to translate Digital strategy into executable workstreams, timelines, and measurable checkpoints.
• Coordinate training, communication, and change management so that engineering and business users adopt new systems and processes.
• Track program budgets, partner spend, and license commitments against plan.
• Prepare concise, accurate program status updates for Digital and executive leadership, including schedule status, top risks, decisions needed, budget status, and mitigation plans.
• Promote disciplined execution through structured planning, Jira-based work tracking, change control, and documentation aligned with Digital team standards.
• Foster strong working relationships across technical and business teams while maintaining accountability for execution and follow-through.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, information systems, industrial engineering, or a related technical field; equivalent professional experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• Minimum of 8 years of progressive experience in technical program management, enterprise systems program management, systems integration, technical project engineering, or a closely related role.
• Experience leading deployments of enterprise systems such as PLM, ERP, MES, or QMS from requirements through go-live.
• Experience managing integrated schedules, dependencies, risks, action registers, and program reviews across concurrent technical workstreams.
• Experience managing implementation partners and software vendors against statements of work and milestones.
• Strong working knowledge of system integration, data migration, cutover planning, user acceptance testing, and release management.
• Working knowledge of how engineering and manufacturing data flows across the product lifecycle, including requirements, CAD and BOM, engineering change, production, and quality records.
• Ability to communicate credibly with engineers, business users, partners, and executive leadership.
• Experience in fast-paced environments with shifting priorities, aggressive milestones, and concurrent deployments.
• Proficiency with Jira, Confluence, or similar tools for work tracking, scheduling, and program reporting.
• Experience in aerospace, defense, or other regulated manufacturing environments is preferred.
• No certifications required; PMP or PgMP certification is a plus.

Why Join Us

• Work alongside elite engineering talent and innovators from across aerospace and tech.
• Be part of a team moving faster than the industry standard.
• Shape solutions that are lower-cost, autonomous, and scalable: the future of aviation.
• Competitive compensation, including equity participation, growth opportunities, and full health benefits (health, vision, dental, 401(k)) designed to support you in and out of work.

This is the expected compensation range for this role. Final compensation will be based on role scope, experience, skills, internal equity and location. This role may also be eligible for bonus/equity/benefits, if applicable.

$150,000 - $175,000 USD

Neon Aero, Inc is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable law.

We believe that diverse perspectives drive innovation, and we welcome candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

All final candidates must successfully complete a background check and drug screening as a condition of employment.

At this time, Neon Aero and its divisions are not accepting unsolicited resumes from third-party recruiters or staffing agencies.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Neon Aerospace’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.