Aircraft Certification Design Engineer

Daher

$115K — $140K *
Aerospace & Defense
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, or related Engineering discipline
  • Minimum of 10 years aerospace experience, with 3 years directly involved in certification activities
  • Familiarity with 14 CFR Part 23, Amdt 23-63 and earlier versions
  • Basic knowledge of 14 CFR Part 21D and FAA Order 8110.4
  • Experience with minor change requirements and Minor Change Agreement
  • Excellent relationship-building skills with the FAA
  • Familiarity with foreign validation processes

Responsibilities

  • Serve as primary certification coordinator with the FAA
  • Review type design changes for technical and regulatory compliance
  • Classify changes as major or minor according to MCA
  • Ensure adherence to applicable regulations during change substantiation
  • Manage updates and submissions to DERs as required
  • Maintain constructive relationships with FAA program managers
  • Develop strategic plans to adapt to evolving FAA policies

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans
  • 401(k) retirement savings plan
  • Life insurance options
  • Short- and long-term disability coverage
  • Generous vacation time and paid holidays
Full Job Description

Job Title

Aircraft Certification Design Engineer

Daher's Idaho site, located in Sandpoint Idaho, a small outdoor community located between Lake Pend Oreille and Schweitzer Mountain, is home to Kodiak, a rugged mission ready 10-seat short takeoff and landing turboprop. The facility supports design, manufacturing, development, maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) activities for the Kodiak 100 and Kodiak 900, serving customers worldwide. The team of approximately 300 employees builds airplanes starting largely from raw materials, all the way through painting, to final assembly, defining built by hand in Sandpoint Idaho. Beyond final assembly is comprehensive customer service, aircraft maintenance, technical support, and quality oversight, while continuing to engineer the next generation of Kodiak capability.


KodiakAircraft Company is seekingaCertificationEngineer to act asa primary certification coordinator,serving as a focal fortheKodiaks relationship with theFAA.This role provides technical and regulatory guidance on type design changes, manages major and minor change classifications, and ensures compliance with 14 CFR Part 23 and Part 21 requirements.

The position involves close coordination with the FAA West Certification Branch(WCB), support for foreign validations, and strategic navigation of evolving regulatory policies.Additionalresponsibilities include preparing certification plans and compliance documentation,maintainingconformity oversight, and supporting continued operational safety activities such as Service Bulletin and Airworthiness Directive management, 21.3 reporting, and root cause analysis to uphold airworthiness and fleet safety standards.

Core Duties and Responsibilities(other duties may be assigned):

  • Review of all type design changesto:
  • Providetechnical and regulatory input to cross-functional teams
  • Classify each change as either a minor or major changein accordance withthe approved Minor Change Agreement (MCA)
  • Confirmall relevant regulations are addressed in the change substantiation
  • Ensurethat changes aresubmittedto each applicable DERin accordance withMCA requirements
  • Maintain astrong, constructive relationship with the FAA WCB programmanager
  • Facilitateroutine discussions with the FAA to securetimelysupport for certification programs and design changes that require coordination with the FAA
  • Activelymonitorand develop strategic plans to navigate the ever-changing FAA policies,andpersonnel changes
  • Support development and completeness of compliance checklists (CCL) as needed in support of Major Change programs and helpmaintainCCLsthroughout the course of major certification programs
  • Support certification activities, including preparation of compliance documentation and test plans
  • Support foreign validation efforts andnavigate various complex sovereign authority agreements
  • Supportfleetcontinued operational safety (COS)activities

What you need to have: (This is where you would put the requirements for the job)

  • Bachelor9s degree inAerospace,Mechanical,Electrical, or related Engineering discipline
  • Minimum10aerospace experience (3 yearswith direct involvement incertification activities, including certification plans, FAAcoordination, DER collaboration)
  • Well-versed in 14 CFR Part 23,Amdt23-63 and prior
  • Working knowledge of 14 CFR Part 21D certification and FAA Order 8110.4.
  • Knowledge of relationship between regulations, Orders, and Advisory Circulars.
  • Understands minor changerequirements,experience working with a Minor Change Agreement.
  • Able to cultivate excellent workingrelationshipwith the FAA.
  • Experience and/or familiarity with foreign validation processes and concepts.
  • Able to learn the Kodiak airplane models9 structures and systems in support of minor change agreement
  • Able to manage certification plans, compliance checklists, compliance documents, conformity inspections, etc. for a certification project.
  • Familiarity with system safety concepts and processes including FHA, SSA, and FMEA as used in general aviation.

Additional Qualifications (preferred):

  • Pilot9s license or operational knowledge of general aviationaircraft
  • Broad-level knowledge ofaircraftsystems architecture
  • Understanding of aerodynamics,aircraftperformance, stability and control, and flight systems
  • Familiarity with DO-160 environmental requirements and testing
  • Experience managing continued operational safety for fieldedaircraft, including:
  • Development, issuance, and compliance tracking of Service Bulletins (SBs), Mandatory SBs, and Airworthiness Directives (ADs).
  • Execution of 21.3 reporting and regulatory notificationsin accordance withFAA/EASA requirements.
  • Coordination with regulatory authorities and operators to ensure timely resolution of safety issues.
  • Root cause analysis and corrective action planning for in-service events.
  • Familiarity with Safety Management Systems (SMS) and risk assessment methodologies.
  • Ability to interpret and apply Part 21, Part 39, and other applicable airworthiness regulations.
  • Proficiencyin continued airworthiness data analysis, trend monitoring, and reliability programs.
  • Strong understanding of configuration management and technical publication processes related to fieldedaircraft.

Information related to the position: (Required for all positions)

  • The compensation range is $115,000 to $140,000 in base salary plus an annual target bonus.
  • The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Daher considers a number of factors when determining salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate9s experience, skills, and current market conditions.
  • At Daher, your total rewards package is more than just your base salary as we offer a full benefit package including Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), Life insurance, Short- and Long-Term Disability, Paid Time Off, Paid Holidays and more.

Your next opportunity starts here 6 here are the next steps:

  • Review of your application
  • An initial conversation with a recruiter
  • One or more interviews depending on the position, with the relevant team members and manager(s)
  • After the interviews, constructive feedback regardless of the outcome

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