Manager, Specialty Engineering - Space Technologies

AeroVironment•Albuquerque, NM

11d

About The Position

The Specialty Engineering Manager leads a team of specialty engineers supporting space electronics programs across EEE parts engineering, radiation effects, and reliability. The role combines technical leadership with direct people management. Approximately 50% of the manager’s time is spent applying technical expertise to support the division and its programs; the remaining 50% is focused on leading the team through coaching, performance management, workload allocation, regular 1:1 meetings, and monitoring the quality and timeliness of work outputs. The manager provides technical support in one or more relevant disciplines, helps program teams with technical assessments and decisions, reviews and approves engineering work, and serves as a subject matter expert and escalation point. The role also establishes and improves engineering methods, standards, tools, and lessons-learned practices, while maintaining awareness of applicable industry standards, customer requirements, mission assurance practices, and space hardware development processes. As a people leader, the manager develops and supports engineers, sets clear expectations, allocates capacity across programs and initiatives, monitors deliverables and risks, addresses competing priorities, and recruits and retains engineering talent. The position works collaboratively with systems engineering, design, manufacturing, quality, program management, supply chain, and mission assurance. The role requires access to ITAR/EAR-controlled information; applicants must meet applicable U.S. person or export-license requirements. Some positions may require current U.S. citizenship due to contract requirements.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, physics, materials science, reliability engineering, or a related technical field.
Significant professional experience supporting space electronics, aerospace hardware, defense systems, or another highly regulated technical environment.
Demonstrated technical experience in at least one of the following: EEE parts engineering and parts control; radiation effects, radiation hardness assurance, or radiation testing; or reliability engineering, reliability prediction, qualification, or failure analysis.
Experience leading technical work across multiple programs or functional organizations.
Ability to prioritize work, allocate resources, and manage competing program commitments.
Ability to make sound technical and personnel decisions using objective information and clear judgment.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Must meet applicable ITAR/EAR requirements as a U.S. person or be eligible for an export license; some positions require current U.S. citizenship due to contract requirements.
Must be willing to work on government contracts and have the ability to obtain a security clearance.

Nice To Haves

Graduate-level degree in a relevant engineering or scientific discipline.
Experience with spaceflight electronics, avionics, payloads, spacecraft, launch vehicles, or radiation environments.
Familiarity with applicable EEE parts, reliability, radiation effects, quality, and mission assurance standards.
Experience with supplier technical oversight, parts obsolescence, counterfeit parts prevention, or component qualification.
Experience supporting customer reviews, audits, nonconformances, failure investigations, and corrective actions.
Experience supervising, mentoring, or managing engineers.
Experience managing a team with multiple technical specialties.
Experience improving engineering processes, metrics, or organizational operating models.
Ability to obtain and maintain any required security clearance.

Responsibilities

Provide technical support in EEE parts selection and control, radiation effects analysis, reliability engineering, or related space electronics specialties.
Support program teams with technical assessments, risk identification, problem resolution, and design or qualification decisions.
Review and approve technical analyses, reports, processes, plans, and engineering recommendations.
Serve as a subject matter expert and escalation point for complex technical issues.
Establish and improve engineering methods, standards, tools, and lessons-learned practices.
Participate in design reviews, risk reviews, failure investigations, anomaly resolution, and customer or supplier technical discussions.
Maintain awareness of applicable industry standards, customer requirements, mission assurance practices, and space hardware development processes.
Identify technical capability gaps and help develop the team’s technical depth.
Directly manage, coach, and develop a team of specialty engineers.
Conduct regular 1:1 meetings focused on priorities, performance, development, support needs, and career growth.
Set expectations for quality, timeliness, technical rigor, communication, and professional conduct.
Allocate team members’ time across programs, projects, operational activities, and improvement initiatives based on priorities and capacity.
Monitor work progress and outputs to ensure commitments are understood, risks are visible, and deliverables meet expectations.
Balance team workload and address conflicts among competing priorities.
Provide timely feedback, recognize strong performance, and manage performance concerns using objective expectations and follow-up.
Establish development plans, mentoring opportunities, and training priorities for each team member.
Recruit, onboard, and retain high-performing engineering talent.
Represent the team in organizational planning, staffing discussions, and resource reviews.
Promote collaboration across systems engineering, design, manufacturing, quality, program management, supply chain, and mission assurance.