Manager of Aero, Acoustics & FluidsLocation: Ottawa, Ontario
Full-time permanent role
We are looking for an experienced engineering leader who is passionate about both technical excellence and developing people. This role is ideal for someone who can combine strong technical expertise in aerodynamics, acoustics, and fluid systems with the ability to lead, inspire, and develop a team of engineers. Beyond managing projects and engineering deliverables, you will play a key role in building departmental capabilities, strengthening engineering practices, and creating an environment where people can grow, collaborate, and perform at their best.
What you'll be doingReporting to the Director of Engineering, the
Manager of Aero, Acoustics & Fluids will provide technical leadership and overall management of the department while serving as Engineer of Record for assigned projects. This role is responsible for developing departmental talent, maintaining engineering standards, optimizing resources, and ensuring the successful delivery of high-quality engineering solutions.
People Leadership & Department Management- Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing engineering team, fostering accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning.
- Oversee recruitment, onboarding, performance management, employee development, succession planning, and resource planning.
- Build a strong pipeline of technical talent and ensure the department has the skills and capacity to support current projects and future business needs.
- Empower team members to take ownership, make sound technical decisions, and grow into future engineering leaders.
Engineering Delivery, Planning & Commercial Accountability- Lead the department's engineering activities to ensure technical excellence, quality, schedule, and budget commitments are met.
- Establish clear project priorities, deliverables, milestones, and resource plans, monitoring progress and addressing potential delays or cost overruns proactively.
- Identify and manage technical, resource, schedule, and cost risks, developing practical solutions and communicating issues and recommendations to stakeholders.
- Support business development and proposal activities through technical concepts, scope definition, resource estimates, risk assessments, and engineering cost estimates.
- Collaborate with Project Management and other engineering teams to ensure a smooth transition from proposal development to project execution.
- Assess proposed design and scope changes, considering their impact on technical performance, cost, schedule, quality, and project integration.
Technical Leadership, Integration & Quality- Provide technical leadership and engineering oversight for aerodynamic, acoustic, and fluid-system design for gas turbine test facilities.
- Work closely with Systems Engineering, Mechanical Design, Instrumentation & Controls, Applications, Project Management, Manufacturing, and site teams to deliver integrated engineering solutions.
- Establish and maintain engineering methods, design standards, calculation procedures, and work instructions to ensure consistency and quality.
- Oversee design reviews, verification, and validation activities to ensure solutions meet project requirements and applicable codes and standards.
- Promote a strong engineering safety culture, sound technical judgment, thorough documentation, and effective management of technical risks.
- Lead the resolution of engineering nonconformances, audit findings, and quality issues, ensuring corrective actions address root causes and prevent recurrence.
Operational Excellence & Long-Term Capability- Identify and implement opportunities to improve engineering productivity, design quality, estimation accuracy, and project delivery.
- Promote standardization, reusable designs, automation, and effective engineering tools to improve efficiency and consistency.
- Strengthen knowledge sharing, technical documentation, and succession planning to build long-term departmental capability.
- Encourage innovation and the development of new engineering approaches that enhance MDS's technical capabilities and customer solutions.
- Foster collaboration across departments, promoting shared accountability for project success and customer satisfaction.
Customer & Stakeholder Engagement- Communicate engineering progress, technical risks, decisions, and mitigation plans clearly and proactively to management, customers, and project stakeholders.
- Support customer discussions, technical reviews, proposal development, and issue resolution, building confidence through practical engineering solutions and professional communication.
- Build strong working relationships across the organization and with external stakeholders to support successful project execution and long-term customer partnerships.
Skills & Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline.
- Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) designation, or eligibility for licensure, is preferred, depending on assigned responsibilities.
- Approximately 13+ years of relevant engineering experience, including significant experience with gas turbine test facilities or similarly complex aerospace or industrial fluid and aerodynamic systems.
- Strong technical expertise in areas such as gas turbine test-cell aerodynamic design, engine aerodynamics and thermodynamics, compressible flow, ducting, ejectors, fluid dynamics, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and flow measurement.
- Knowledge of acoustic engineering and noise-control principles for test facilities, including noise prediction, attenuation, and silencer design.
- Experience with facility utility and process systems, such as fuel supply and measurement, lubrication oil, hydraulic power, compressed air, engine-start and bleed-air systems, and cooling-water distribution. Broad exposure is an asset, with strong expertise in core aerodynamics, acoustics, or fluid systems essential.
- Demonstrated leadership experience, including developing engineering talent, managing competing priorities, and delivering complex multidisciplinary projects.
- Strong project planning, resource management, cost estimation, risk assessment, and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to diverse audiences and build effective cross-functional relationships.
- A continuous-improvement mindset, with experience enhancing engineering processes, design standards, technical quality, and delivery performance.
- Proficiency with relevant engineering analysis tools and standard business applications.
What's in it for you?- We believe in and encourage open and transparent communication across the organization so every year we invite our people to a bi-annual Town Hall Meeting.
- We are passionate about our people, business, customers and community so we demonstrate the utmost care, respect and accountability for everything we do.
- No matter who you are or where you're from, we welcome new ideas and fresh perspectives. We believe in teamwork. We're better, together.
On top of that, MDS offers the following:
Canada's Best Managed companies (Platinum member)
Employee bonus program
Defined Contribution Pension Plan
100% employer-paid annual sick leave, health and dental premiums, and life, accidental death, short-term disability insurance, Employee Assistance Program.
Health Spending Account (for some medical expenses that aren't covered under provincial plans or our standard insurance plan)
Lumino Virtual Health Care
Maternity and parental leave top-up
Fitness Membership Reimbursement
Positive and flexible work environment
Opportunity for career advancement
Inclusive workforce
Company events including family holiday party, employee events, executive - led coffee talks, team gatherings, and so much more
Candidates are remunerated based on their skills, experience, education or training, and the overall value they bring relative to the requirements of the position. The base salary range for this role is $120,000 to $160,000 per annum, with placement within the range determined by the candidate's qualifications and relevant experience. The role also includes additional variable bonus and comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, well-being, financial security, and work-life balance.
