Aircraft Certification Engineer
Location: Newport News, VA
Job Type: Contract
Starting Pay: $60.00/hour, with higher pay available based on experience
Position Overview
We are seeking an Aircraft Certification Engineer to support certification efforts for aircraft modifications, repairs, and aerospace programs. This position develops certification approaches, compliance plans, and technical documentation while coordinating engineering, testing, inspections, and approval activities throughout the project lifecycle.
The engineer will work across Engineering, Production, Quality, Program Management, and other technical groups to ensure aircraft modifications meet applicable regulatory, military, customer, and airworthiness requirements.
- Establish certification strategies, plans, and means of compliance for aircraft modifications and repairs.
- Identify applicable FAA, military, customer, and airworthiness requirements and track compliance throughout each project.
- Prepare and maintain compliance matrices, certification plans, engineering reports, Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA), and other certification documentation.
- Coordinate certification activities with Mechanical, Electrical, Design, Stress, Production, Quality, and Program Management teams.
- Support technical reviews, conformity inspections, regulatory approvals, and customer requirements.
- Review drawings, analyses, reports, test plans, specifications, and other technical data for certification compliance.
- Plan and coordinate ground testing, flight testing, conformity inspections, and compliance demonstrations .
- Support aircraft fabrication, installation, troubleshooting, modification, and testing activities.
- Participate in design reviews and advise on certification strategy, regulatory compliance, continued airworthiness, and project risks.
- Maintain certification records under configuration control and follow applicable engineering, quality, and regulatory procedures.
- Support continued operational safety, post-certification engineering activities, certification scheduling, process improvements, and lessons learned.
- Perform other duties as assigned by the Engineering Manager.
- Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering , or a related engineering discipline from an accredited college or university.
- Experience supporting aircraft certification, modifications, repairs, or aerospace product development .
- Working knowledge of FAA regulations, STC processes, FAA Form 337 major alteration processes, and Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA) .
- Experience creating or reviewing compliance matrices, engineering reports, test plans, conformity documentation, and certification artifacts.
- Ability to interpret engineering drawings, analyses, specifications, technical documentation, regulatory guidance, military airworthiness requirements, and industry standards.
- Strong analytical, organizational, written, verbal, and technical communication skills.
- Ability to coordinate effectively with Engineering, Production, Quality, Program Management, customers, suppliers, FAA representatives, DERs, ODA organizations, and military authorities.
- Ability to work in both office and aircraft hangar environments.
- U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Resident status.
- 5+ years supporting aircraft certification, STC programs, military airworthiness, or other regulated aerospace certification programs.
- Experience developing certification plans, means of compliance, and certification strategies.
- Familiarity with MIL-HDBK-516C and military aircraft modification programs.
- Experience coordinating FAA, DER, ODA, military, customer, and supplier activities involving conformity, ground testing, flight testing, and compliance demonstrations.
- Experience with engineering reports, compliance documentation, ICA , and certification support packages.
- Familiarity with aircraft systems, structures, avionics integration, and aircraft modification practices.
- Experience with configuration management, engineering release processes, and AS9100 quality systems.
- Background in continued operational safety, post-certification engineering, certification scheduling, and project risk management.
Success will be measured by the accuracy and completeness of certification documentation, timely completion of assigned deliverables, effective coordination of certification activities, successful regulatory reviews and compliance demonstrations, adherence to applicable requirements, and the ability to identify and resolve certification risks.
The role also contributes to improving certification processes, engineering standards, and lessons-learned practices.