Drone Software Engineer Jobs in Michigan (NOW HIRING)

Senior Director of Engineering – New Programs
ND Defense LLC | Madison Heights, MI

Position Overview

The Senior Director of Engineering – New Programs is a hands-on engineering leader responsible for driving the capture, launch, and early execution of new programs across ND Defense's expanding multi-domain portfolio — including tactical wheeled vehicles, drones/UAS, maritime systems, aerospace platforms, automated vehicles, and defense electronics. This role serves as the senior technical voice in business development and proposal efforts for new opportunities, establishes engineering credibility in markets where ND Defense is expanding, and builds the engineering teams and external resource relationships needed to execute new program awards successfully.

This position reports to the VP of Engineering. Until that position is filled, it will temporarily report to the CEO. A parallel Senior Director of Engineering – Current Programs manages the sustaining engineering portfolio.

Strongly Preferred Characteristics

Builds from scratch as comfortably as they optimize what exists — equally effective establishing new processes where none exist and improving inherited ones that no longer serve the organization.

Bias toward action and ownership — when the path forward is unclear, they define it; when resources are constrained, they find a way; they do not wait for perfect conditions to deliver results.

Energizes teams around new challenges — able to lead engineers into unfamiliar domains and emerging markets with a sense of purpose and momentum, turning uncertainty into opportunity rather than hesitation.

Operates lean by design — instinctively looks to AI tools, smart workflows, and disciplined prioritization to stretch limited resources further, treating efficiency as a leadership discipline rather than a budget constraint.

Essential Responsibilities

Business Development & New Program Capture

Serve as the senior technical voice in business development, customer engagements, and proposal efforts — particularly for programs in new domains where ND Defense must establish technical credibility with government customers

Lead bid/no-bid analysis, technical volume development, basis of estimates (BOEs), and cost proposal support on government contract opportunities across DoD, naval, aerospace, and commercial defense markets

Represent ND Defense at customer technical interchange meetings (TIMs), industry days, design reviews, and government stakeholder engagements

Translate engineering capability into competitive differentiation in proposals and customer-facing communications

Collaborate with senior leadership to identify, evaluate, and pursue new program opportunities aligned with ND Defense's growth strategy

New Program Launch & Early Execution

Own engineering execution from program award through initial delivery milestones — on schedule, within budget, and meeting customer technical requirements — across new tactical wheeled vehicle, drone/UAS, maritime, aerospace, automated vehicle, and defense electronics programs

Establish systems engineering rigor, design review frameworks (PDR/CDR), verification and validation strategies, and configuration management processes for new programs from the ground up

Assess engineering workload requirements by program and discipline — translating new program scope into staffing plans, external resource needs, and execution strategies across systems, mechanical, electrical, software, and test engineering

Ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory and contractual requirements, including ITAR, export control, FAR/DFARS, MIL-SPEC/MIL-STD, CMMC/cybersecurity, and program-specific CDRLs

Establish and administer the new programs engineering budget, managing cost performance and making resource allocation tradeoffs across concurrent program starts

Organization Building & Resource Strategy

Build and lead high-performing, multi-disciplinary engineering teams for new programs, spanning mechanical, electrical, systems, software, and test engineering disciplines

Develop and execute a workforce strategy that blends internal hires with external engineering resources — contract engineers, engineering services firms, and specialty consultants — to address capability gaps in emerging product lines and new domains

Identify, evaluate, and manage relationships with external engineering partners and staffing firms, negotiating SOWs, managing deliverables, and ensuring quality and IP protection

Create career development pathways and technical opportunities to attract and retain engineering talent in a competitive Michigan defense market

Ensure new program staffing decisions, organizational design, and resource commitments align with the company's business plan, growth strategy, and HR policies

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Strategic Leadership

Partner with the Sr. Director of Engineering – Current Programs, Supply Chain, Quality, Manufacturing, Contracts, and Finance to ensure smooth transition of programs from new program phase into sustaining execution

Collaborate with the VP of Engineering and senior leadership on organizational goals, engineering strategy, and company-wide operations

Contribute to the development and enforcement of engineering policies, practices, standards, and security measures in alignment with VP-level direction

Drive continuous improvement in new program launch processes, incorporating lessons learned across the portfolio

Perform other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Engineering Technology, or a closely related technical discipline

Minimum 15 years of progressive experience in product design, development, and engineering in a defense or government contracting environment

Minimum 5 years of experience managing and leading multi-disciplinary engineering teams, including direct supervisory responsibility for technical professionals

Demonstrated experience in new program capture — including technical volume development, BOE generation, and proposal leadership on government contract opportunities

Demonstrated ability to assess engineering workload across disciplines (systems, mechanical, electrical, software, test) and translate program scope into staffing and resource plans

Demonstrated experience with U.S. government/DoD contracts, including familiarity with FAR/DFARS, ITAR, CMMC, and MIL-SPEC/MIL-STD requirements

Proficiency in tactical wheeled vehicle development and/or multiple engineering disciplines relevant to military vehicle and product design — sufficient to credibly assess cross-disciplinary program requirements

Experience managing external engineering resources (contract engineers, engineering services firms, consultants) as part of an integrated workforce strategy

Must be a U.S. Person as defined by ITAR (22 CFR §120.62)

Preferred Qualifications

Master's degree in Engineering, Systems Engineering, or Engineering Management

Experience launching engineering programs in multiple domains — drone/UAS, maritime, aerospace, autonomous vehicles, or defense electronics — and familiarity with their associated regulatory frameworks

Experience with electronics development, embedded systems, or commercial/defense electronics programs

Experience working with TACOM, GVSC, PEO GCS, NAVSEA, or similar DoD acquisition organizations

Professional Engineering (PE) license or relevant technical certifications (PMP, INCOSE CSEP, etc.)

Active or recently held DoD security clearance (Secret or above)

Leadership Capabilities

Able to operate at the strategic level and credibly engage at the technical level across multiple engineering disciplines — engineers need to respect you, not just report to you

Strong proposal and business development instincts; understands how engineering capability translates to competitive wins on government contracts

Effective communicator with customers, program managers, senior government stakeholders, and cross-functional internal teams

Financially literate; comfortable owning engineering budgets, generating BOEs, and making resource tradeoffs across competing new program starts

Skilled at evaluating make-vs-buy decisions for engineering capability and managing a blended internal/external engineering workforce

Proven ability to build teams and engineering infrastructure in a growing, resource-constrained environment — from the ground up rather than inheriting established organizational structure

Capable of transitioning programs smoothly from new program execution into the sustaining engineering organization

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

Full-time, on-site position at ND Defense's Madison Heights, MI facility with periodic travel to the West Point, MS plant and customer/government sites

Combination of office and manufacturing/lab environment; may require access to production floor, test areas, and secure facilities

Travel expected at approximately 15–25% depending on program requirements and business development activity

Equal Opportunity Employer including veteran and disability