Head of Engineering Design
MetreaAbout the role
Company Overview
Metrea delivers effects-as-a-service to national security partners across five domains and more than a dozen mission areas. These include airborne ISR, electronic warfare, secure communications, aerial refueling, special air missions, aerial firefighting, and advanced simulation. We own the whole stack: designing, building, and operating turnkey capabilities that give our partners decisive, asymmetric advantage against rapidly evolving threats.
Our operating model is built around three interlocking pillars. The Support Groups provide a global shared-service – spanning people, finance, platform, operations, legal, and engagement. This frees up our Core Groups, who develop and own mission capabilities end-to-end, to focus entirely on delivery. The Market Groups apply a regional lens, ensuring that our agile and adaptable capabilities remain aligned to the wicked problems that matter most to our partners across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific.
At the heart of our model is a simple but powerful idea: be a true partner with skin in the game. Our partners need effects, not just equipment. By owning the full stack – from the lab to the field – we are able to drive a continuous cycle of innovation that keeps our partners ahead. It's a fast-moving, intellectually demanding environment where talented people are given real responsibility, work on problems that matter, and contribute to an enterprise that is growing quickly and deliberately.
Headquartered in Washington, DC, with facilities across the United States, the United Kingdom, as well as Continental Europe and Asia-Pacific.
Position Summary
The Head of Engineering Design leads the engineering organization responsible for the design, development and integration of aircraft modifications across a mixed portfolio of aircraft platforms from twin engine turboprops to large jet aircraft. This position provides technical and organizational leadership for multidisciplinary engineering teams delivering complex aircraft modification programs, including (but not limited too) structural, mechanical, electrical, avionics, mission systems and cabins for special-mission integrations. These integrations support operations around the globe in various regulatory environments. The Head of Engineering Design is accountable for engineering design quality, technical execution, resource planning, schedule performance, regulatory compliance, and alignment with business and customer objectives.
The Head of Engineering Design will bring substantial aircraft modification experience, strong engineering judgment, and a demonstrated ability to lead teams through technically complex, safety-critical, and highly regulated programs.
What You'll Do
Engineering Leadership
- Lead, develop, and manage multidisciplinary aircraft modification engineering teams across structural, mechanical, electrical, avionics, systems, and related technical disciplines
- Establish clear organizational priorities, accountabilities, performance expectations, and development plans for engineering leaders and individual contributors
- Build engineering capability through workforce planning, succession planning, technical mentoring, targeted hiring, and professional development
- Promote a culture of technical rigor, ownership, collaboration, continuous improvement, and operational accountability
- Ensure engineering teams are appropriately staffed and organized to support current programs, new business opportunities, and long-term strategic objectives
Aircraft Modification Execution
- Provide executive-level oversight of aircraft modification programs from concept development through design, certification, installation, testing, delivery, and continued operational support
- Ensure modification designs meet customer requirements, airworthiness standards, internal engineering requirements, and applicable regulatory obligations
- Oversee engineering work related to aircraft structures, systems integration, avionics, electrical systems, mechanical systems, interiors, mission equipment, and special-purpose modifications
- Review program status, technical risks, resource requirements, design maturity, and engineering deliverables and develop mitigations as appropriate to ensure on time, budget and performance delivery
- Ensure aircraft modification designs are aligned with Metrea’s broader objectives in developing APUS compliant scalable solutions
- Establish effective engineering planning, design review, verification, validation, and technical approval processes
- Partner with Program Management and Operations to resolve technical issues affecting schedule, cost, installation, testing, or aircraft delivery
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