Product Development Director Jobs in Laceys Spring, AL

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

• Ensure compliance with aerospace standards and customer requirements, including:
  • 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.

Strategic Planning & Business Operations

• Develop and manage engineering budgets, capital expenditures, and departmental forecasts.
• Support long-term growth initiatives, technology roadmaps, and market expansion strategies.
• Identify opportunities for process automation, digital engineering, and advanced manufacturing technologies.
• Collaborate with executive leadership to align engineering investments with business objectives.
• Monitor and report engineering performance metrics to senior management.

Customer & Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as a primary technical interface with customers, partners, suppliers, and government agencies.
• Support customer meetings, design reviews, technical interchange meetings, and program reviews.
• Maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders and ensure customer satisfaction.
• Represent the company at industry conferences, trade shows, and professional organizations.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• Minimum 10–15 years of progressive engineering experience in aerospace, defense, aviation, or advanced manufacturing.
• Minimum 5 years of engineering management experience, leading teams and programs.

• Experience in aerospace, defense, aviation, and/or highly regulated manufacturing environments preferred.

• Experience managing multidisciplinary engineering organizations.
• Strong understanding of aerospace product development and engineering lifecycle processes.
• Experience supporting manufacturing and production environments.
• Knowledge of configuration management and engineering change control processes.
• Demonstrated success delivering complex technical programs on schedule and within budget.

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work proficiently with remotely located employees as well as in a team environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite of programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Must be U.S. citizen
• Must currently possess (or be able to obtain) a DoD security clearance (Secret level minimum)

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Engineering, Business Administration (MBA), or related technical discipline.
• Experience with military, defense, FAA, NASA, or commercial aerospace programs.
• Experience with aerospace structures, aircraft modifications, avionics integration, propulsion systems, or advanced manufacturing technologies.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, or equivalent certification.
• Experience supporting AS9100-certified operations.

• DoD or Military background is a plus

Technical Competencies

• Aerospace design and development
• Systems engineering
• Manufacturing engineering
• Product lifecycle management (PLM)
• CAD and engineering tools
• Root cause and corrective action (RCCA)
• Failure analysis and risk management
• Configuration management
• AS9100 quality systems
• Program and project management
• Engineering change management
• Earned Value Management (EVM) concepts
• Continuous improvement methodologies

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic thinking
• Team development and mentorship
• Executive communication
• Decision-making under pressure
• Cross-functional leadership
• Customer relationship management
• Change management
• Financial and business acumen
• Conflict resolution
• Results-oriented execution

Work Environment

This position operates in both office and manufacturing environments and may require regular interaction with production personnel, engineering teams, suppliers, and customers. Occasional travel to customer, supplier, and program locations. Ability to access production facilities, test sites, and engineering laboratories.

Benefits and Perks: 

• Industry-competitive compensation package
• Company performance-based bonus plan
• Equity stock-based compensation package
• Employer-funded comprehensive health, vision, and dental insurance for employees and dependents
• 401k with company match
• PTO & holiday pay
• Employer-funded life and disability insurance coverages

Company Profile

Founded in 2013, FMS is a growing, flexible, customer-driven aircraft structural engineering and flight test company with manufacturing capability.  We have many opportunities with a variety of types of projects with both foreign and domestic governments and commercial customers across many types of aircraft.  Our parent company, Bridger Aerospace is an aerial firefighting and critical infrastructure support company based in Belgrade, Montana. It was founded in 2014 to support front-line firefighters with world-leading technology and aerial fire suppression systems. Bridger Aerospace has grown from operating a single plane to commanding a significant Air Attack fleet, Special Missions Sensor Equipped Aircraft, and the largest privately operated Super Scooper fleet in the world. 

This position is subject to pre-employment background check.

Bridger Aerospace Group Holdings and its family of companies does not discriminate or permit discrimination by any member of its community against any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, parental status, marital status, age, disability, citizenship status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other classification protected by federal or state law in matters of employment, promotion, services or activities it operates.