Hiring.Camp

Director of Engineering - Defense Electronics

Join the WRIGHT Team!

·

Jun 10, 2026

Salary
$200k – $230k
Location
US-CA-Santa Clarita, United States of America
Type
Full-time
Department
Engineering
Seniority
Director
Clearance
Required
Source
Workday

Description

Director, Engineering – Defense Electronics

We’re hiring a Director of Engineering to lead and grow a high-impact, agile engineering team responsible for delivering mission-critical systems for defense and aerospace customers.  You’ll drive technical execution across various products and program types – Delivering on time, on budget, and to exacting customer and industry standards.  This role is key to shaping our future as we grow and scale our business.

As a dynamic and agile Sr Leader, you will be responsible for design, development, test, qualification, and production of Aerospace & Defense Modular Open Standard Architecture (MOSA) based critical solutions for use in weapons systems, solving our government and prime contractors’ most difficult challenges.  Solutions range from single specialized card-level weapon controls to large and complex high performance processing systems for sensor management and complex signal processing systems.  Our customers expect our engineering team to be the experts in creating technology solutions with open standards to meet the toughest battlefield digital infrastructure challenges.

LOCATION: Santa Clarita, CA

SALARY: $200,000 - $230,000 plus bonus.

Please note that the salary range information provided is a general guideline only, reflecting a position. Criteria such as the candidate’s qualifications and relevant experience, the scope of the specific position, as well as market and business considerations will be evaluated when extending an offer.

BENEFITS:

We Take Care of Our People

Paid Time Off I 401K with Employer Match and Profit Sharing I Health and Wellness Benefits I Learning and Development Opportunities I Referral Program I Competitive Pay I Recognition I Employee Stock Purchase Plan I Inclusive & Supportive Culture *

Our Director of Engineering will:

  • foster the agility required to create rapid prototypes and proposals for business capture and technology risk mitigation

  • expect the system engineering thoroughness required to execute a development program in accordance with the contractual obligations, statement of work, required documentation, and detailed performance specification of firm-fixed or cost-plus defense programs

  • guide and mentor development teams in the detailed design of subassemblies, critical parts, and software

  • ensure methodical testing design and implementation

  • understand and meet the challenges of dynamic product support and debugging activities required for development and production deliveries

  • represent and advocate for the engineering team’s success while balancing challenging business constraints

  • speak with authority and knowledge of engineering activities, challenges, and progress to both internal and external stakeholders and customers

To be successful you will have a proven track record of developing an engineering organization that develops innovative products with very high quality, attracting and retaining talent, and successful staff development (mentoring, coaching, and training).

YOUR CHALLENGE:

·Oversee and management the five unique engineering teams: Prototyping, System Design & Integration, Hardware Design, Test Design, and Product Debug / Support

·Mentor, manage, and lead across multiple levels, including coaching engineers & managers

·Work with the Program Management Office and Operations teams to deliver documentation, systems, and test equipment on time, budget, and scope.

·Coordinate with engineering and technology leadership within Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions to deliver solutions to meet customer needs

·Manage existing and develop new partnerships with technology vendors

·Provide normal development scheduling, budgets, and workload management

·This is position expects some level of technical design knowledge and experience to best lead the engineering teams through difficult and challenging situations, hands-on when needed

·Ensure our processes are followed in accordance with AS9100 while continuing to foster an culture to seek optimizations and better ways to do our business

·Ensure technical design packages are complete and ready to transition to production

·Provide technical support to the factory of existing products in terms of problem identification/resolution, process improvement, and minor product improvements.

·Integrate closely and regularly with Director of Operations and Director of Program Management to balance priorities, schedules, and budgets across multiple efforts

·Champion and lead (when necessary) Root Cause and Correct Action (RCCA) activities

·Provide technical insight and guidance as background and skills allow.

·Other duties as assigned

WHAT YOU BRING:

  • 5+ years’ experience in a Director level position with demonstrated track record of success

  • 15+ years’ experience in a solution design organization of a Defense Electronics technology company with increasing responsibility

  • Technical degree is required

  • Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) solutions

  • This position requires moderate and broad technical skills

    • experience and knowledge of electrical design fundamentals from Schematic to Board Fabrication.

    • experience and knowledge of mechanical design fundamentals for an environmentally rugged environment, including thermal design.

    • experience and knowledge in general software architectures

    • experience and knowledge in environmental and electromagnetic qualification testing

    • experience in a low to moderate volume, final assembly, manufacturing environment.

  • Ability to collaborate with vendors/suppliers

  • Ability to direct/work with/motivate a highly technical staff, achieving outstanding performance

  • Ability to crisply and quickly communicate (verbal and written) technical concepts, status, and capabilities to both technical and non-technical audiences

  • This position requires balancing multiple priorities, while maintaining consistent task direction to the organizations staff so they can be effective in execution.

  • Established track record of leadership of a technical organization.

  • Accuracy and attention to detail is a must

  • Must be able to self-organize workloads and manage all deadlines

  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a DOD security clearance of Secret level

WHO WE ARE:

Our Values

Environmental, Social and Governance

Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions is the leading provider of Digital Infrastructure to the battlefield.  Our facility in Santa Clarita, California is part of our C5ISR System group, designing Modular Open Standard Architecture (MOSA) solutions for challenging battlefield computing, networking, and control needs. We architect, design, integrate, and test electronic and electromechanical systems which provide the core digital infrastructure of air, ground, and naval weapon systems.  We seek creative and innovative team members who can push the envelope of capabilities and deploy our mission critical solutions to the warfighter with the highest levels of quality and speed. In return, we offer a rewarding environment in which our employees can thrive.

For more information visit https://www.curtisswrightds.com/company/locations-santa-clarita.html

#LI-AC1

No unsolicited agency submittals please.  Agency partners must be invited to participate in a search by our Talent Acquisition Team and have signed terms in place prior to any submittal.  Resumes submitted directly to any Curtiss-Wright employee or affiliate will not qualify for fee payment, and therefore become the property of Curtiss-Wright.  

Compliance Statement

This position may require exposure to export-controlled information and subject to additional security screening.  In the event information provided during the security screening reveals ineligibility to access export-controlled information, any offer of employment may be reconsidered or withdrawn. 

Curtiss-Wright is an equal opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental disability, age, ancestry, legally protected medical condition, family care status, marital status, religion, veteran status, national origin, or any other legally protected status. If you require accommodation during the recruitment process, please contact Talent Acquisition.

For US Applicants: EEO is The Law – click here for more information.

If you require accommodation due to a disability at any time during the recruitment and/or assessment process, please contact Talent Acquisition and we will make all reasonable efforts to accommodate your request.

Skills

PrototypingComplianceProgram Management

Similar Jobs

30

Director of Engineering

Openings - Dashiell · Raleigh, NC

Yesterday

Director of Engineering

Sheraton Bloomington Hotel · Bloomington, MN

Yesterday

Director of Engineering

RFS Group · San Francisco, New York, CA, New York · Remote

Yesterday

Director of Engineering

Koppers · Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America · Hybrid

2 days ago

Director of Engineering

ACCOR · Lagoi, Kepulauan Riau, Indonesia

4 days ago

Director of Engineering

Sdl · Remote (United States) · Remote

4 days ago

Director of Engineering

Lendingtree · Charlotte, NC, United States · Remote, Hybrid, Onsite

5 days ago

Director of Engineering

Benchmark · The Midland Hotel Chicago, United States of America

6 days ago

Director of Engineering

Fourseasons · Four Seasons Jacksonville, United States of America

6 days ago

Director of Engineering

Concord Hospitality Enterprises Company · Charlotte, NC

6 days ago

Director of Engineering

Allia Health Group · PT

1 week ago

Director of Engineering

Buildout · Remote · Remote

1 week ago

Director of Engineering

Lazer · Canada +1 · Remote

1 week ago

Director of Engineering

Universal Avionics · Tucson, AZ

1 week ago

Director of Engineering

ACCOR · Cairo, Cairo Governorate, Egypt

1 week ago

Director of Engineering

Heihotels · The Sun Rose - West Hollywood, CA, United States of America · Onsite

1 week ago

Director of Engineering

Tsc · Huntsville, AL, United States of America

1 week ago

Director of Engineering

Incident · London · Hybrid

1 week ago

Director of Engineering

NSF International · Ann Arbor, MI, United States, US

1 week ago

Director of Engineering

Marriott Hotels & Resorts · Egypt, Egypt

1 week ago

Director of Engineering

Crescent Hotels & Resorts · Denver, CO

1 week ago

Director of Engineering

Marriott Hotels & Resorts · Seattle, WA, United States, US

1 week ago

Director of Engineering

HiddenLayer · Remote · Remote

1 week ago

Director of Engineering

Marriott Hotels & Resorts · Thailand

1 week ago

Director of Engineering

Endeavour. Inspired Infrastructure. · Syracuse, NY +1

1 week ago

Director of Engineering

Marriott Hotels & Resorts · Hong Kong, HK

2 weeks ago

Director of Engineering

Sagehospitality · Charlotte, NC, US

2 weeks ago

Director of Engineering

Sp Sagehospitality · Charlotte, NC, US

2 weeks ago

Director of Engineering

Town of Matthews · Matthews, NC

2 weeks ago

Director of Engineering

Trailborn Hotel Management · Remote · Remote

2 weeks ago