Chief Engineer, Fury Aircraft Development

ABOUT THE TEAM
The Air Dominance and Strike (AD&S) Chief Engineering Team is the technical authority for our most critical programs. They are responsible for owning the technical baseline, leading multi-disciplinary engineering teams through rigorous development and flight test, and delivering revolutionary air systems that meet the mission. They are the ultimate problem-solvers, driving technical execution from architecture to operational demonstration.

ABOUT THE JOB
As the Chief Engineer for Fury, you will own the technical execution of a high-performance unmanned aircraft system as it progresses through the heart of its Engineering & Manufacturing Development (EMD). You will lead a multi-disciplinary team of engineers to finalize the detailed design, oversee the fabrication and integration of prototype vehicles, and guide the program through a comprehensive flight test campaign. Your primary mission is to mature the Fury platform from its current state of "design and test heritage" into a fully validated and performance-verified system, ready for a clean handoff to our production team.
This role requires a leader who thrives in a fast-paced development environment, making critical technical trade-offs across all aircraft disciplines. You will leverage your deep experience in aircraft development and systems integration to drive technical decisions, manage risk, and lead the team to a successful flight-proven design.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Lead Technical Execution: Own the technical baseline and lead a multi-disciplinary engineering team (aerodynamics, structures, GNC, propulsion, avionics, software) through detailed design, system integration, and verification.
• Oversee Prototype Build & Integration: Coordinate the fabrication and assembly of prototype and development articles, resolving engineering challenges that arise during the build process.
• Drive the Test Campaign: Lead the engineering team in planning and executing a comprehensive test program, including ground test, SIL/HIL integration, and developmental flight test, to validate performance and expand the operational envelope.
• Manage System Design & Architecture: Guide the team through critical design trades, sub-system optimization, and interface management to ensure a cohesive and high-performance air vehicle architecture.
• Ensure Airworthiness & Safety: Serve as the technical authority for system safety and partner with test teams to develop the data and artifacts required to achieve military flight releases.
• Problem Solve & Troubleshoot: Act as the lead technical problem-solver, driving root cause analysis and implementing effective solutions for issues discovered during integration and testing.
• Prepare for Production: Partner with the manufacturing engineering team to ensure the design is production-ready (DFM/DFA) and support a clean transition to low-rate production.
• Support deployed flight test and demonstration activities at customer and test sites.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience as a Chief Engineer, Integrated Product Team (IPT) Lead, or senior technical leader on a full air vehicle development program.
• Deep, hands-on experience leading a multi-disciplinary team through at least one major phase of aircraft EMD (e.g., detailed design, prototype build, or flight test).
• Proven track record of taking a complex aircraft system from design into build and successful flight testing.
• Strong technical foundation across multiple core aircraft disciplines (e.g., aerodynamics, structures, GNC, propulsion, systems integration).
• Experience with developmental flight test, including test planning, risk management, and data analysis.
• Strong understanding of the "why" behind Vehicle and Systems design.
• Experience working on mission-critical DoD or advanced development aircraft programs.
• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or a related engineering field.
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Direct experience leading the development of unmanned aircraft (UAS) at Group 3 or above.
• Experience as the technical authority for a "clean-sheet" or major modification aircraft program.
• Hands-on leadership in a fast-paced, agile, or startup aerospace development environment.
• Experience with military airworthiness certification processes (e.g., MIL-HDBK-516).
• Background in advanced or classified aircraft development (e.g., Skunk Works, Phantom Works, or similar).
• An active Top Secret security clearance.