Director Engineering Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

We are seeking a Chief Engineer to lead all engineering efforts for V-BAT, an established Group 3 VTOL UAS program. This individual will be responsible for directing and sustaining a high-performing, multidisciplinary team that delivers flight software, autonomy, ground control systems, aircraft, and payloads for a vertical takeoff and landing autonomous aircraft that is currently deployed worldwide. 

This is a foundational leadership role for an existing product line that is growing in system maturity and mission capability. The ideal candidate combines deep technical experience across complex aerospace and UAS systems (with the ability to dive deep across a broad spectrum of engineering disciplines), a background in innovative and disruptive companies, and a proven ability to build and scale organizations and collaborate across disciplines in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment. 

• Build and lead the engineering and software team for the Group 3 UAS program, spanning flight software, autonomy, flight controls/GNC, ground systems, flight systems, flight sciences, avionics, payloads, and propulsion. 
• Define the engineering vision, technical strategy, and system architecture in alignment with the program roadmap, product line strategy, and long-term technology investments. 
• Serve as the senior technical leader for engineering within the program, making architectural decisions, managing technical and program risk, and driving execution across subsystems and suppliers. 
• Lead organizational planning, workforce strategy, and capability roadmap to support multiple concurrent development, test, and sustainment efforts. 
• Drive cross-functional collaboration across engineering, flight test, operations, program management, supply chain, quality, and production to enable predictable, high-quality product delivery. 

• Establish and continuously improve engineering standards, technical governance, configuration management, documentation practices, and development processes (including CI/CD, automated testing, and modern DevOps practices). 
• Drive engineering rigor through disciplined technical reviews, root cause analysis, lessons learned, and continuous improvement while maintaining the execution speed required in a fast-paced development environment. 
• Ensure compliance with applicable aerospace standards, certification or airworthiness expectations, regulatory requirements, and company engineering policies. 

• Attract, hire, and retain top-tier talent across engineering disciplines, building scalable organizations capable of supporting current and future platforms. 
• Foster a culture of technical excellence, continuous learning, accountability, and high ownership. 
• Mentor and grow Directors, engineering managers, and technical leads to support scaling and program longevity. 

• Report regularly on progress, risks, and technical decisions to senior leadership, clearly articulating tradeoffs and investment recommendations. 
• Interface with external partners, customers, and government stakeholders as needed to represent the engineering roadmap, technical strategy, and program status. 
• Support business development and capture activities by defining technical approaches, architectures, and execution plans for new opportunities. 

• Typically requires a minimum of 15 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience. 
• Strong technical background in one or more of: aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and avionics, propulsion, or closely related disciplines. 
• Experience building and leading multidisciplinary engineering teams and organizations (including direct managers and technical leaders) across hardware, software, and systems. 
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to manage and inspire cross-functional teams; excellent written and verbal communication skills. 
• Proven track record of successfully shipping products, showcasing the ability to navigate development cycles, overcome obstacles, and deliver high-quality solutions to meet project deadlines and customer expectations in a fast-paced environment.