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Head Engineer Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

Cruz Associates Inc

Industrial Engineer

Indian Head, MD · On-site

$75K - $101K/yr

This position is that of an Industrial Engineer, Indian Head Naval Surface Warfare Center, MD. This position will be full-time and onsite (40 hrs. weekly). Industrial engineers will focus on ...

Range

Head of Talent

Mclean, VA · On-site

About the role We're looking for a Head of Talent to lead and scale our recruiting function. In ... Design and implement scalable talent acquisition strategies across technical (engineering, product ...

Cruz Associates Inc

Chemical Engineer

Indian Head, MD · On-site

The job location is at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Indian Head, MD . Scope of Performance: Perform project engineering duties to include: preparation of cost proposals, planning project ...

Knox Systems

Head of Customer Success

Washington, DC · On-site

$165K - $185K/yr

The Head of Customer Success will work closely with Sales, Engineering, Security, Compliance, Product, and Operations leadership to drive customer health, retention, expansion readiness, and ...

Loudoun County Government

Head Lifeguard

Sterling, VA · On-site

As a certified Head Lifeguard responsibilities include, but are not limited to: maintaining records ... aquatics programming and pool facility management, working with the public, groups and ...

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Showing results 41-60

All JobsHead Engineer JobsHead Engineer Jobs in Washington

Head Engineer information

See Washington salary details

$11

$42

$80

How much do head engineer jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 8, 2026, the average hourly pay for head engineer in Washington is $42.76, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $30.45 and $51.62 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Head Engineer vs Mechanical Engineer?

AspectHead EngineerMechanical Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Engineering, leadership experienceBachelor's or Master's in Mechanical Engineering
Work EnvironmentProject management, team leadership, strategic planningDesign, analysis, testing, and manufacturing
Employer & Industry UsageConstruction, manufacturing, engineering firmsAutomotive, aerospace, robotics, manufacturing

The Head Engineer typically oversees engineering projects, manages teams, and sets strategic goals, requiring leadership skills and experience. Mechanical Engineers focus on designing, analyzing, and testing mechanical systems. While both roles require engineering credentials, the Head Engineer has a broader managerial scope, whereas Mechanical Engineers concentrate on technical tasks within their specialty.

What are some of the main challenges a head engineer faces when leading cross-functional engineering teams?

One of the primary challenges for a Head Engineer is ensuring effective communication and alignment among diverse teams, such as software, hardware, and quality assurance. Balancing technical leadership with management duties—like resource allocation and project prioritization—can also be demanding. Additionally, the Head Engineer must foster collaboration and innovation while maintaining project timelines and meeting business objectives. Addressing these challenges requires strong interpersonal skills, a strategic mindset, and the ability to adapt to evolving project needs.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a head engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Head Engineer, you need advanced engineering expertise, project management experience, and typically a relevant engineering degree with professional certification (such as PE or equivalent). Familiarity with industry-standard software (like AutoCAD, MATLAB, or project management tools) and compliance with regulatory frameworks is crucial. Leadership, effective communication, and problem-solving abilities set outstanding Head Engineers apart by enabling them to guide teams and drive innovation. These skills ensure successful project delivery, safety, and the development of efficient engineering solutions.
What are the most commonly searched types of Engineer jobs in Washington? The most popular types of Engineer jobs in Washington are:
What cities in Washington are hiring for Head Engineer jobs? Cities in Washington with the most Head Engineer job openings:
Head Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Head Engineer job openings in Washington as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 92% Full Time, 2% Part Time, and 6% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $88,949 per year, or $42.8 per hour.

Head of Talent with Security Clearance

Lumbra Inc

Arlington, VA • On-site

Other

Posted 18 days ago

Job description

About Lumbra Lumbra builds the vendor-neutral operating system for agentic AI in high-consequence environments. In our first ten months we won four fully competed prime contracts across the U.S. Government, every one of them deploying into classified spaces. We are live on JWICS. We were selected from a field of 200+ companies for a defense innovation challenge and won it. We beat two established defense primes on the same program and earned the follow-on, now in execution. Our team comes from the CIA unit that planned the bin Laden mission, MIT, frontier AI labs, and Special Operations. About the Role Lumbra is post-Series A and scaling fast across engineering, GTM, product, design, operations, and security - entry-level through C-suite. We need a Head of Talent to own the recruiting function end-to-end and run it through the next stage of growth: someone who has scaled hiring across functions before, who can recruit engineers because they can actually talk to engineers, and who treats the recruiting org as a product they're building. You hire the people who beat the primes. What You'll Own * Own the full recruiting function: sourcing through close, across every function and level, including the strategy, the processes, and the team that executes them.
* Run executive search for senior and C-suite hires in partnership with the CEO - the relationship work, the closing, and the discretion these searches demand.
* Recruit across engineering, GTM, product, design, operations, and security, scaling the function so no single vertical becomes a bottleneck as headcount grows.
* Build the cleared recruiting pipeline for TS/SCI engineers, FSO, FDE, and TPM roles - sourcing strategies for a candidate pool that doesn't behave like commercial tech.
* Design the hiring process itself: interview loops, scorecards, calibration, leveling, offer construction, and the feedback loops that hold quality steady under volume.
* Grow the recruiting team: sourcers, recruiters, coordinators, plus the operational rigor (ATS hygiene, reporting, candidate experience) that holds it all together.
* Own employer brand and the candidate-facing presence that makes Lumbra a place top operators want to come, in partnership with marketing and the founding team.You'll Work Alongside CIA officers, MIT engineers, Special Operations combat vets, and applied AI engineers from frontier labs like Anthropic and Google. You'll make decisions that immediately affect national security. You'll own part of a company early and when it matters. This Role Is Not For Someone who needs a defined playbook, prefers process to outcome, or is uncomfortable closing senior candidates personally. Preferred Qualifications * Cleared recruiting experience (TS/SCI, FSP, IC/DoD talent pipelines)
* Background recruiting at defense tech, national security, or government-adjacent companies
* Experience scaling from founding recruiter to leader of a multi-person team
* Familiarity with Ashby or comparable modern ATS tooling
* DC-market fluency for cleared and commercial talentMust-haves * 7+ years recruiting experience, including team leadership of a recruiting org through a period of rapid scaling
* Track record at commercial or national-security tech companies through Series A/B/C growth stages
* Demonstrated success recruiting across functions, not just one vertical
* Strong technical recruiting depth and comfort engaging substantively with engineers
* Experience owning executive search through to close
* U.S. citizenship
* Based in the National Capital Region

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