Principal Airframe Engineer - IPT Lead AERO

We are seeking an experienced Principal Airframe Engineer to lead airframe structural design and development for a Massed Modular Aircraft (MMA) program, supporting a platform architecture designed for low-cost, high-rate, distributed production. This role owns the airframe structural design approach from concept through qualification and production transition, with particular emphasis on modularity, producibility, and design-for-mass-manufacture principles that enable rapid, scalable build rates across multiple production sites or partners.

The ideal candidate brings deep aircraft structures expertise combined with a strong producibility/manufacturing mindset suited to attritable, low-cost, or distributed-production aircraft concepts, rather than traditional low-rate, highly customized airframe programs.

• Lead the structural design and architecture of a modular airframe system, including primary and secondary structure, load paths, and major structural interfaces between modules/sections.
• Define and enforce a modular design architecture that supports interchangeable sections/subassemblies, common interfaces, and scalable configuration variants across the platform family.
• Own structural trade studies (material selection, joining methods, load path optimization) balancing performance, weight, cost, and producibility at scale.
• Ensure structural design integrates cleanly with propulsion, avionics, payload, and subsystem installations across modular interface boundaries.
• Apply design-for-manufacture and design-for-assembly (DFM/DFA) principles throughout the structural design process to enable high-rate, low-touch-labor production.
• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering to define producible joint designs, tooling concepts, and assembly sequences compatible with distributed or multi-site production.
• Drive design decisions that reduce part count, fastener count, and non-recurring tooling complexity without compromising structural integrity or certification/airworthiness requirements.
• Support make/buy and sourcing strategy discussions with Supply Chain to ensure structural designs are compatible with available/scalable material and fabrication sources.
• Lead or oversee structural analysis (static strength, fatigue/damage tolerance, dynamic loads) supporting design maturity and airworthiness substantiation.
• Define and execute the structural test program (coupon, element, component, and full-scale static/fatigue testing) required to substantiate the design.
• Support airworthiness qualification activities in accordance with applicable military airworthiness criteria (e.g., MIL-HDBK-516) and/or civil-derivative standards as applicable to the program's certification basis.
• Maintain structural analysis and substantiation documentation to support government and internal design reviews.
• Serve as the senior technical authority for airframe structures on the program, representing structures at Preliminary Design Review (PDR), Critical Design Review (CDR), and government technical interchange meetings.
• Partner with Systems Engineering, Program Management, Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain to align structural design maturity with program schedule and cost targets.
• Identify and manage structural/technical risks, including material supply risk, fatigue/damage tolerance uncertainty, and producibility risk at scale.
• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline; advanced degree preferred.
• 15+ years of aircraft structural/airframe design experience, including demonstrated ownership of structural design from concept through qualification/production.
• Strong background in structural analysis methods (static strength, fatigue, damage tolerance) and associated analysis tools (e.g., NASTRAN, FEMAP, or equivalent FEA tools).
• Demonstrated experience applying design-for-manufacture/design-for-assembly principles to reduce production cost and complexity at scale.
• Experience with composite and/or advanced joining methods (e.g., bonding, friction stir welding) suited to high-rate production.
• Experience supporting structural substantiation for military and/or civil airworthiness requirements.
• Familiarity with MIL-HDBK-516 (Airworthiness Certification Criteria) or equivalent military airworthiness processes.

• Direct experience with modular, attritable, low-cost, or mass-producible aircraft/unmanned aircraft system (UAS) programs.
• Ability to obtain/maintain Secret/Top Secret/SCI…