AD&D Engineer Principal - A&E Systems
$150,048–$225,072 year
On-site · Duluth, Minnesota, United States
Job Summary
The AD&D Principal Engineer - Avionics and Electrical leads early-stage development of innovative aircraft and systems projects, focusing on ideation, hypothesis generation, stakeholder engagement, technology maturation, and conceptual design. Requires a Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, or Systems Engineering, and 10+ years in aviation or aerospace. Key skills include leading development from concept to prototype, strong understanding of avionics and electrical systems, hands-on prototyping, and effective communication with diverse stakeholders. Must demonstrate a track record of successful product development and management of small technical teams.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, or Systems Engineering (or related STEM discipline).
- 10+ years of experience in aviation, aerospace, or advanced product development.
- Broad technical skillset related to aircraft, with strong understanding of avionics and electrical systems.
- Previous early product development experience – from a clean sheet to working prototypes.
- Proven track record of producing results when developing new designs or products.
- Intrinsic motivation to drive progress - to explore, challenge, and innovate – and to minimize administrative overhead.
- Experienced in iterative development cycles, with a strong ability to identify non-viable solutions early and reorient technical strategy quickly.
- Strong hands-on skills in prototyping, simulation, and testing.
- Comfortable operating under tight deadlines with minimal direction and in a shop or lab environment.
- Proficient in creating engineering design definition - 3D models, 2D drawings, sketches, schematics, BOMs.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Familiarity with system development standards (e.g., ARP4754A, ARP4761)
Desired Qualifications
- Master's degree in related discipline.
- Previous experience in aircraft program development; leading integrated product teams, or similar technical teams.
- Private Pilot Certificate or personal aviation experience.
- Familiarity with PTC products (e.g. CREO, Windchill), Mathworks products (e.g. Matlab, Simulink), Atlassian products (e.g. Jira, Confluence).
- Proficient in at least one coding language.
- Experience with FAA certification processes and standards (e.g. Part 23, Part 27, Advisory Circulars, Industry Consensus Standards)
Additional Requirements
- Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, national origin, color, age, disability, religion, pregnancy, veteran status, marital and family status, sexual orientation, receipt of public assistance, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.
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