Principal Certification & Airworthiness Engineer

Mach Industries•Huntington Beach, CA

5d•$160,000 - $210,000

About The Position

The Principal Certification & Airworthiness Engineer serves as the independent technical authority responsible for ensuring the safety, regulatory compliance, and airworthiness of the company’s flight systems and munition payload integrations. This role owns the certification strategy, safety case, and release-to-flight authority, ensuring designs meet applicable military and civil airworthiness standards. This position will also advise on munitions safety and weapon system cybersecurity evaluation methods to ensure both test range accessibility and operational use are approved by the appropriate entities. You will act as a liaison between Mach Industries and the Department of War (DoW) for certification and developmental/risk reduction tests initiatives.

Requirements

15+ years of aerospace, defense, or national security flight systems experience, including significant experience in airworthiness certification or system safety.
Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related technical field (Master’s preferred).
Deep knowledge of MIL-HDBK-516 / MIL-STD-516 airworthiness criteria and MIL-STD-882 system safety.
Experience working with DoD airworthiness authorities and supporting Military Flight Release (MFR) processes.
Familiarity with munition or hazardous payload certification standards, including MIL-STD-2105 and MIL-STD-1316.
Experience supporting integrated ground and flight testing of complex aerospace systems.
Strong ability to communicate complex technical issues to executive leadership and external stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the independent airworthiness authority for flight systems and payload integrations.
Define certification strategies and compliance plans aligned with MIL-HDBK-516, FAA/EASA regulations, and relevant DoW airworthiness requirements.
Lead development and approval of airworthiness documentation including certification plans, compliance reports, and safety assessments.
Interface with government airworthiness authorities and mission partners to support Military Flight Release (MFR) and related certification approvals.
Lead system safety activities in accordance with MIL-STD-882E, including hazard analyses and safety risk assessments.
Oversee certification activities for aircraft systems, modifications, and repairs.
Provide independent approval for safety-critical design changes and configuration releases.
Maintain continuing airworthiness processes throughout the lifecycle of deployed systems.
Provide certification oversight for hazardous payload and weapons system integrations, including familiarity with MIL-STD-2105 (Insensitive Munitions), MIL-STD-1316 (Fuze Safety), and related safety standards.
Approve handling, integration, and operational procedures involving hazardous payload systems.
Provide airworthiness approval for ground and flight testing.
Review and approve test plans to ensure compliance with airworthiness and safety requirements.
Support test team in developing and refining comprehensive test strategies, test plans, and test cases based on Combatant Command CONOPS, airworthiness requirements, and system specifications.
Ensure compliance of testing activities with regulatory, security, and internal standards
Establish and lead certification governance processes including Airworthiness Review Boards and Safety Review Boards.
Develop internal airworthiness processes and mentor engineering teams on certification requirements.
Advise executive leadership on certification strategy, safety risks, and regulatory considerations.