Principal Engineering Manager

At Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company (EBAD), we believe that our strengths are built on our most important resource - our people. Join EBAD and you’ll be a part of a team who creates cutting edge technology that will blast us into the future. No other company can match the innovative energetic solutions that we provide. At EBAD you will actively contribute to successful missions putting men, women and satellites into space, and protecting our armed service men and women around the world.

If this is the culture and work environment you are seeking, then EBAD is the place for you!

At Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company (EBAD), our products perform in environments where technical rigor, reliability, and safety are essential. The Principal Engineering Manager leads EBAD’s Principal Engineering organization and strengthens technical capability across the broader Engineering function.

This senior engineering leader develops EBAD’s most experienced technical talent, builds the next generation of technical leaders, and improves how Engineering solves complex, high-consequence problems. The role ensures EBAD has the right expertise, methods, and technical discipline while building scalable organizational capability rather than dependence on a small number of individual experts.

• Lead, coach, and develop the Principal Engineering team, with clear expectations, development plans, mentoring responsibilities, succession strategies, and accountability for results.
• Build the technical‑leadership pipeline by enabling Principal Engineers to mentor and develop engineers across the organization and by identifying critical capability gaps.

• Build Engineering problem‑solving capability through effective use of EBAD’s structured problem‑solving methodology, ensuring significant technical problems are clearly defined, analyzed with data, resolved to root cause, and sustained.
• Strengthen product and process safety expertise and ensure appropriate technical rigor is integrated into design reviews, qualification activities, and critical program decisions.

• Identify and close systemic capability gaps across the product‑development lifecycle by improving engineering standards, methods, reviews, tools, and technical practices, with measurable reduction in development and qualification test failures, late discovery of technical issues, and recurring failure modes.
• Provide senior technical judgment on complex engineering challenges by challenging assumptions, evaluating risk, and ensuring the right multidisciplinary expertise is engaged.
• Use the EBAD Operating System (EBOS) to reinforce effective operating cadence, visual management, standard work, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement within Principal Engineering.

• Partner across Development Engineering, Systems Engineering, Chief Engineering, Program/IPT leadership, Operations, Quality, Technology, Business Development, and customers to align technical decisions with manufacturability, testability, reliability, safety, cost, schedule, and customer outcomes.
• Support critical technical reviews, failure investigations, program decisions, proposals, and customer engagements.
• Translate complex technical considerations into clear risks, recommendations, and business implications for senior leaders, customers, and cross‑functional partners.

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, or another relevant technical discipline. An advanced degree is preferred.
• At least 10 years of…