Senior Airspace Engineer

Electra•Manassas, VA

4d•$115,000 - $180,000

About The Position

Electra.aero is seeking an experienced Senior Airspace Engineer to develop methods, operational concepts, procedures, airspace solutions, and policies for safely integrating Ultra Short operations into the national airspace system, including major airports and novel distributed access points. The engineer will help translate the EL9 aircraft’s capabilities into safe, certifiable, and operationally useful flight-path infrastructure, accounting for aircraft performance, flight operations, airspace design, VFR/IFR procedures, PBN, RNAV/RNP operations, obstacle evaluation, navigation systems, regulations, and real-world operational constraints. The role will shape flight demonstrations, tabletop exercises, simulations, and data collection to inform Ultra Short policy, guidance, and standards development in the United States and Europe. It involves close collaboration with the FAA, NATCA, industry standards organizations, Electra teams, international civil aviation authorities, air navigation service providers, airport authorities, and local stakeholders. The engineer will work through Electra’s FAA Tech Center CRADA, the FAA eIPP program, the Virginia Smart Airspace Program, the International Test Arena in Norway, and company-led testing and procedure development. The successful candidate will understand airspace design and air traffic management tools and workflows in congested terminal and en route airspace, and will have led or contributed to research translating novel aircraft capabilities into operational procedures. Firsthand experience in procedure design, airspace design, or air traffic control is valuable; working familiarity with the FAA’s 8260-series Orders is expected.

Requirements

Master’s degree or PhD in aerospace engineering, aviation management, airport planning, or a related field.
At least 5 years of experience in airspace management research, policy and regulatory development, airspace or procedure design, or a related domain.
Strong working knowledge of FAA and/or EASA regulatory frameworks, including the AC 150 series, Part 135, Part 23, TERPS/PANS-OPS, 8260-series Orders, and relevant airport design standards.
Experience working with regulators, air navigation service providers, airport operators, and industry partners.
Strong technical writing and verbal communication skills.
Ability to thrive in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment with evolving requirements and limited precedent.
Deep understanding of how aircraft performance, flight operations, airspace design, VFR/IFR procedures, PBN, RNAV/RNP operations, obstacle evaluation, navigation systems, regulations, and operational constraints intersect.
Working familiarity with the FAA’s 8260-series Orders.

Nice To Haves

Experience leading or contributing to airspace integration research, including FAA, NASA, or MITRE airspace modernization initiatives.
Experience as an air traffic controller or with a non-FAA service provider specializing in instrument procedure design and development.
Private or commercial pilot experience.
Firsthand experience in procedure design, airspace design, or air traffic control.

Responsibilities

Translate EL9 performance characteristics into Ultra Short operational capabilities, including ground footprint, obstacle clearance, and maneuvering.
Collaborate with aircraft performance engineers to model EL9 capabilities under normal, degraded, and contingency conditions, incorporating system safety analysis to define feasible Ultra Short procedures.
Develop candidate procedures for novel urban access points and existing airports, considering EL2/EL9 Ultra Short performance, instrument procedure design criteria, airport traffic flows, and the obstacle environment.
Review FAA, EASA, ICAO, and national standards—including fixed-wing, heliport, and vertiport frameworks, FAA 8260-series Orders, and international equivalents—to identify regulatory and policy gaps affecting proposed procedures.
Evaluate candidate procedures with Electra’s product team, the FAA, airport operations teams, and local air traffic control to prepare for flight demonstrations, tabletop exercises, simulations, and future policy and standards development.
Define learning objectives and data collection requirements for flight demonstrations and simulations to validate operational concepts.
Synthesize flight test results, lessons learned, and operational insights to inform regulatory workstreams developing Ultra Short policy and standards.
Support Electra’s commercial and infrastructure partnerships teams in assessing the feasibility of candidate access points in urban settings and at airports.
Develop thought leadership materials explaining novel Ultra Short operational concepts to regulators, local stakeholders, and airport authorities.
Represent Electra in FAA, EASA, and ICAO working groups and industry standards development organizations to help shape standards, guidance, and policy for Ultra Short airspace integration and operations.