FMS Aerospace, a subsidiary of Bridger Aerospace, is seeking a combined Director of Engineering role for our Huntsville office. The Director of Engineering is a senior leadership role responsible for the strategic direction, technical excellence, and operational performance of the engineering organization within an aerospace engineering and manufacturing environment. This position oversees multidisciplinary engineering teams supporting product development, manufacturing, production support, sustainment, process improvement, and customer programs.
The Director of Engineering ensures engineering activities align with business objectives, regulatory requirements, quality standards, and customer expectations while driving innovation, efficiency, and growth.
The ideal candidate combines strong technical expertise, leadership capability, and business acumen with a proven track record of delivering complex aerospace programs on schedule and within budget.
Key Responsibilities
Engineering Leadership
- Lead, develop, and mentor multidisciplinary engineering teams including mechanical, aerospace, manufacturing, electrical, systems, quality, and test engineers.
- Establish departmental vision, goals, and performance metrics aligned with company strategy.
- Build a culture of accountability, innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Manage engineering resource allocation across multiple programs and priorities.
- Recruit, develop, and retain top engineering talent.
Program & Technical Oversight
- Provide technical leadership for aerospace product design, development, qualification, production, and lifecycle support.
- Oversee engineering execution for customer-funded and internally funded programs.
- Ensure engineering deliverables meet requirements for cost, schedule, quality, safety, and performance.
- Review and approve engineering designs, analyses, specifications, and technical data packages.
- Support proposal development, technical volume creation, and customer presentations.
Manufacturing & Production Support
- Partner with Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Quality teams to support production objectives.
- Resolve production challenges through engineering analysis and corrective actions.
- Support new product introduction (NPI) and transition from development to production.
- Improve manufacturing processes, tooling, workflows, and production efficiency.
Regulatory Compliance & Quality
- AS9100 & ISO:9001
- FAA regulations (as applicable)
- DoD and government contracting requirements
- Airworthiness and certification requirements
- Oversee configuration management, design control, and engineering change processes.
- Participate in audits, customer reviews, and regulatory assessments.