Director of Engineering

Position Summary

Aereos, Inc. is seeking a Director of Engineering to build and lead the engineering function supporting the company's full scope of work — precision, build-to-print manufacturing of engineered critical components; MRO services and spares, including repair and reverse-engineering support for legacy and obsolete parts; and engineered components supporting Department of War (DoD) program requirements, including applicable export control, technical data rights, and CUI-handling obligations. This is a hands-on leadership role — the Director will stand up the engineering organization's structure, standards, and talent, including hiring the managers, leads, and engineers who will report into this position. The ideal candidate combines strong technical aerospace/defense manufacturing expertise, fluency in build-to-print production, and the ability to build a function from the ground up in a growing, multi-division company.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior engineering leader across all three divisions, setting technical direction, priorities, and standards consistent with company strategy and customer/contractual requirements.
• Design the engineering organizational structure and build out the team — define roles, write job descriptions, and lead hiring for Engineering Managers, Design/Manufacturing Engineers, and support staff within each division.
• Own engineering processes across the product lifecycle: design, drawing/spec control, engineering change management, first article inspection support, and production sustaining engineering.
• Oversee build-to-print manufacturing engineering, ensuring full conformance to customer-furnished drawings, specifications, and GD&T requirements without deviation from the customer's design intent.
• Ensure engineering deliverables meet AS9100, customer, and applicable DoD/government contract requirements, including drawing packages, technical data packages, and configuration management.
• Partner with Program Management, Quality, and Operations to resolve technical issues, support new program launches, and drive root-cause/corrective action for engineering-related nonconformances.
• Lead engineering support for MRO/spares work, including reverse engineering, obsolescence management, and repair/overhaul technical documentation.
• Support engineering scope for DOW-related programs, ensuring compliance with applicable technical data rights, export control (ITAR/EAR), and CUI-handling requirements.
• Develop and manage the engineering budget, staffing plan, and capital equipment/tooling requests in coordination with executive leadership.
• Establish engineering KPIs (e.g., on-time technical deliverables, ECR/ECN cycle time, first-pass yield) and report progress to executive leadership.
• Mentor and develop engineering staff as the team scales, building a culture of technical rigor, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Represent engineering in customer, supplier, and audit interactions, including CMMC/NIST 800-171 and AS9100 assessments as applicable.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering (or equivalent experience); advanced degree a plus.
• 10+ years of progressive engineering experience in aerospace or defense manufacturing, with at least 3–5 years in an engineering leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience building or scaling an engineering team/function, including hiring and organizational design.
• Strong working knowledge of precision manufacturing processes (machining, tolerancing, GD&T) and quality systems (AS9100).
• Proven experience in build-to-print manufacturing environments, with strong drawing interpretation skills and discipline in conforming to customer specifications.
• Experience with engineering change control, drawing/specification management, and technical data packages in a regulated manufacturing environment.
• Familiarity with export control requirements (ITAR/EAR) and handling of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) in a DoD supplier environment.
• S. Citizenship required due to access to export-controlled technical data and DOW program requirements.
• Strong cross-functional leadership skills, with the ability to partner effectively with Quality, Program Management, Operations, and executive leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting MRO/spares programs, including reverse engineering and obsolescence management.
• Familiarity with CMMC Level 2 / NIST SP 800-171 requirements as they relate to engineering data and systems.
• Experience in a multi-division or multi-site manufacturing environment.
• PMP, Six Sigma, or equivalent process-improvement certification.

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

This role is based on-site at Aereos' facility in Euless, TX, with regular presence on the shop floor as well as in an office setting. Some travel may be required to support customer, supplier, or program needs.

Aereos, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This position requires access to export-controlled technical data; employment is contingent on verification of U.S. citizenship.