Principal Engineer, Digital Manufacturing
About The Position
About Electra At Electra, we're building the EL9 - a nine-passenger, hybrid-electric aircraft that takes off and lands in 150 feet. Our Ultra Short technology unlocks thousands of new operating locations and enables what we call Direct Aviation: quiet, point-to-point regional travel that gets people from where they are to where they want to go, without the congestion of major airports or the noise of conventional aviation. A global company, headquartered in Manassas, VA, Electra is backed by Lockheed Martin, Honeywell, and Safran, has filed for FAA Part 23 type certification, and carries 2,000+ intent to purchase from operators worldwide. We're a team of ~100 people moving fast toward first EL9 test flights in 2027 and certification by late 2029 or 2030. Every hire matters at this stage - and this role is no exception. The Role As our Principal Engineer, Digital Manufacturing, you'll serve as the technical authority for the architecture, integration, and deployment of Electra's manufacturing digital systems - connecting Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), and the platforms that tie them together. You'll report into Industrialization, with a dotted line to Enterprise PMO on the ERP and production systems side. This is a high-visibility role at a pivotal moment for Electra: as we transition from prototype to serial production, you'll be the master key user connecting engineering, quality, and production to a shared digital backbone, and a direct participant in ERP selection. In your first 90 days, you'll support the ERP definition effort, assess how the current PLM environment maps to what production actually needs, and build the roadmap for integrating PLM into production.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical discipline
- 10+ years of experience in Digital Manufacturing, Manufacturing Systems, Manufacturing IT, or Enterprise Systems roles within the aerospace industry
- Demonstrated experience as a key user, solution owner, architect, or implementation leader for ERP and MES systems
- Proven experience integrating PLM, ERP, and MES systems, along with quality and manufacturing support applications
- Strong understanding of aerospace manufacturing processes, production operations, and enterprise business architecture principles
- Experience leading software implementation projects from requirements definition through deployment and go-live
- Strong communication skills, with the ability to translate business requirements into technical solutions and technical concepts into business outcomes
Nice To Haves
- Master's degree in Engineering, Information Technology, Manufacturing Systems, or a related field
- Experience in an aerospace startup or high-production-rate manufacturing environment
- Experience supporting aircraft industrialization and production ramp-up programs
- Knowledge of cloud-based manufacturing platforms, data lake architecture, and manufacturing analytics
- Familiarity with Digital Thread, Model-Based Enterprise (MBE), and Industry 4.0 concepts
- Experience supporting regulated aerospace manufacturing environments and quality management systems
Responsibilities
- Participate in and help shape Electra's Digital Manufacturing strategy across engineering, industrialization, quality, supply chain, and production
- Serve as the master key user for manufacturing systems architecture, defining integration standards across PLM, ERP, MES, production simulation tools, and quality systems
- Lead integration of PLM, ERP, and MES into the production environment, ensuring bills of material, process plans, work instructions, routings, and production execution data stay synchronized
- Participate directly in ERP selection and implementation alongside the production systems team
- Partner with the Automation & Robotics lead once the automation roadmap is defined, bringing equipment and implementation together with PLM/MES/ERP integration
- Support configuration management, data governance, and traceability (As-Built vs. As-Designed) across manufacturing and engineering systems
- Develop deployment roadmaps, testing plans, and adoption strategies for production and logistics systems, from requirements definition through go-live
- Act as a trusted advisor to Engineering, Operations, Industrialization, Quality, Supply Chain, and IT, translating business needs into system architecture and functional specifications
- Mentor engineers and technical leaders in digital manufacturing methodologies and best practices
Benefits
- Competitive salary and equity
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance; STD, LTD, and life insurance
- Generous PTO, sick leave, and company holidays
- Paid winter break
- 401(k) with immediate vesting
- Free catered lunches, coffee, snacks, and drinks at our Manassas headquarters
- Free on-site parking
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Principal
