Senior Manager, Airworthiness and Certification

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Assist with ongoing New Zealand CAANZ certification initiatives related to U.S. operations and spearhead Merlin's civil certification strategy in coordination with the FAA and other international authorities.

• Act as the main technical authority and point of contact for regulatory bodies regarding U.S. certifications.

• Oversee new civil certification projects, which include standardizing processes, conducting initial assessments, formulating compliance strategies and plans, preparing issue papers, performing risk assessments, and ensuring final compliance.

• Lead and expand the Military Airworthiness and Cyber Certification teams through prioritization, process standardization, mentoring, and technical evaluations.

• Manage the military airworthiness certification strategy for defense programs while addressing technical, resource, and capability risks.

• Supervise the resolution of MCRIs, Issue Papers, and airworthiness documentation.

• Direct the cyber security certification strategy across both civil and military programs, integrating airborne cyber security assurance with safety and development assurance processes.

• Collaborate with process assurance and engineering discipline leaders to align certification processes with process assurance and configuration management.

• Promote continuous improvement based on audits, lessons learned, and changing regulatory and DoD guidelines.

• Provide updates on program health and process improvement plans to the VP of Airworthiness & Certification.

• Develop scalable frameworks for certification, military airworthiness, and cyber security for Merlin's civil and defense programs.

⛳️ Requirements

• Direct, hands-on experience in obtaining FAA Part 23 and/or Part 25 type certificates, amendments, or Supplemental Type Certificates.

• Experience with EASA CS-23/CS-25 or other foreign validation processes.

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, or a related discipline.

• At least 12+ years of experience in aerospace certification.

• Significant familiarity with FAA and international certification processes.

• 5+ years of experience in leading or managing engineering teams, including hiring, mentoring, and performance evaluation across technical areas.

• Capability to lead certification efforts for complex or innovative aircraft technologies.

• Experience in direct interaction with regulatory authorities and managing certification projects to completion or airworthiness approval.

• Strong leadership and project management skills in cross-functional settings.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to produce high-quality certification documentation.

• Experience with designee appointment and management processes as well as ODA management.

• In-depth knowledge of 14 CFR Parts 21, 23, 25, and 183.

• Familiarity with 14 CFR Parts 43 and 145 procedures and Parts 91 and 135 operations.

• Proficient understanding of systems engineering, requirements analysis, V&V planning, and configuration management.

• Knowledgeable in DO-178C, DO-254, and MIL-STD-882 software and hardware assurance standards.

• Acquainted with FHA, FMEA/FMECA, FTA, and common-cause analysis methodologies.

• Knowledge of MIL-SPECs, MIL-STDs, JSSG-2001, and MIL-HDBK-516 airworthiness standards.

• Familiar with DoD cybersecurity and information assurance frameworks, including RMF, NIST SP 800-53, and CMMC.

• Knowledge of DO-326A/ED-202A and DO-356A/ED-203A airborne cybersecurity assurance standards.

• Understanding of integrating cybersecurity risk assessments with ARP4754A/ARP4761A safety processes.

• Awareness of emerging aerospace technologies, such as UAVs or advanced air mobility.

• Must have authorization to work in the United States without visa sponsorship at present or in the future.

• Preferred qualifications: master's degree, ASTM F3230/F3061, experience with autonomous or unmanned aviation systems, military operational environments, machine-learning software assurance, scaling certification functions, and AI applications for process standardization.

🏝️ Benefits

• Health insurance

• Dental insurance

• Life insurance

• Unlimited vacation

• 401k with match

• Work/life integration

• Professional development support

• Highly competitive equity grants

• Top-tier benefits for full-time employees