Deputy Chief Engineer

Electra Aero • Manassas, VA

6d • Onsite

About The Position

Electra is building the future of sustainable aviation through cutting-edge hybrid-electric aircraft designed for safe, quiet, efficient regional mobility. We are a mission-driven aerospace team developing breakthrough technology that unlocks new transportation possibilities while reducing environmental impact. Join us at a pivotal moment in our growth as we scale from development to certification and production. Position Summary Electra seeks a highly experienced Deputy Chief Engineer to support the Chief Engineer in overseeing the technical execution on Electra's flagship nine-passenger EL9 aircraft. This role will serve as a senior technical integrator, with primary emphasis on design maturity, requirements fidelity, cross‑disciplinary integration, and readiness for program gate reviews.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering or related discipline; advanced degree preferred.
• 12+ years of aircraft development experience, including direct involvement in FAA certification programs.
• Experience following formal development processes (e.g. ARP4754B) to ensure design and verification rigor.
• Demonstrated capability to review complex designs and assess integration risks across multiple systems.
• Experience conducting and reviewing trade studies and preparing teams for design reviews.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to deliver precise and constructive technical feedback.

Nice To Haves

• Pilot certificate preferred but not required.
• Experience with hybrid‑electric or electric propulsion architectures.
• Familiarity with development and test planning for ground and flight activities.
• Demonstrated experience supporting or leading certification activities, including means of compliance development, FAA interaction, and regulatory issue resolution.
• Demonstrated mentorship of senior engineers and IPT leads.

Responsibilities

• Technical Integration and Design Maturity Provide day‑to-day senior engineering oversight across Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) to ensure alignment with program objectives.
• Evaluate system architectures and interfaces for completeness and integration risk, and recommend corrective actions.
• Conduct independent technical reviews of engineering artifacts and issue formal, actionable feedback.
• Requirements Quality and Traceability Support Assist IPTs in identifying and resolving requirements gaps, ambiguities, and conflicts during design activities.
• Collaborate with the Systems Engineering Manager to ensure sound requirements flowdown and traceability.
• Assess verification approaches to confirm practicality and alignment with program objectives.
• Trade Studies and Decision Rigor Guide IPTs in closing open trade studies, validating analyses, and confirming balanced decision‑making across performance and lifecycle considerations.
• Ensure trade study rationale and outcomes are fully documented for internal and external review.
• Gate Review Readiness Prepare teams for gate reviews by assessing artifact completeness, technical maturity, and providing feedback.
• Lead or participate in readiness assessments and provide recommendations to program leadership.
• Issue Identification and Resolution Identify cross‑disciplinary technical disconnects and lead targeted problem-solving.
• Track technical actions, risks, and decisions; communicate status to the Chief Engineer and leadership.
• Certification, FAA Engagement and Supplier Evaluation Support the Certification Team in managing the technical interface with the FAA, including technical familiarization meetings, issue resolution, and formal reviews.
• Participate in the development, review, and execution of certification artifacts (e.g., Means / Methods of Compliance, Functional Certification Plans, Test Plans / Reports).
• Ensure alignment between design intent, certification basis, means of compliance, and regulatory guidance material.
• Provide senior technical judgment on certification risks, and tradeoffs impacting schedule, cost, and technical maturity.
• Ensure engineering decisions and trade studies are documented with sufficient rigor to support findings of compliance.
• Support technical evaluations of suppliers, ensuring their ability to support the EL9 Type Certification project.

Benefits

• Electra offers employees a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, STD, LTD, and life insurance, generous PTO and sick leave, company holidays, paid winter break, and a 401(k) plan with immediate vesting.
• Life at Electra includes a variety of perks, such as free catered lunches, amazing coffee, snacks, drinks, fruit, free parking, and opportunities for much more.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 11-50 employees