Prior leadership experience in Field Applications Engineering organizations.
Deep technical knowledge of real-time operating systems (RTOS) and embedded software development.
Proven experience with U.S. defense programs or regulated environments.
Strong customer-facing communication skills for interfacing with senior stakeholders.
Willingness to travel 50% or more domestically.
Responsibilities
Collaborate with FAE teams to expand the sales pipeline and identify customer needs.
Provide leadership and strategic direction for the FAE organization, focusing on people management and technical mentorship.
Engage with defense customers and internal teams to define requirements and ensure mission success.
Translate complex technical needs into actionable engineering plans and solutions.
Build and scale FAE processes, including support workflows and technical documentation standards.
Collaborate with product management and R&D to influence roadmaps based on customer feedback.
Ensure compliance with U.S. defense regulations in a FOCI-mitigated environment.
Benefits
Opportunity to lead a high-performing technical team.
Engagement with U.S. defense customers and prime contractors.
Involvement in shaping engineering strategy and solution architecture.
Potential for professional growth in a mission-critical sector.
Participation in industry events and technical reviews.
Full Job Description
YOUR ROLE
The Senior Field Applications Engineering (FAE) Director will lead a high-performing technical team supporting U.S. defense customers. This leader will oversee customer-facing engineering strategy, guide solution architecture, and ensure technical success across programs involving embedded systems, real-time operating environments, and enterprise software integrations.
Responsibilities:
Collaborate closely with FAE's to expand sales pipeline, uncover customer needs, and drive new business opportunities.
Provide leadership and strategic direction for the WRX FAE organization, including people management, technical mentorship, and operational execution.
Engage directly with defense customers, prime contractors, and internal engineering teams to define requirements, guide system integration, and ensure mission success.
Translate complex embedded, real-time, and enterprise software needs into actionable engineering plans and customer solutions.
Build and scale FAE processes, including field support workflows, escalation paths, product feedback loops, and technical documentation standards.
Collaborate with product management and R&D to influence roadmaps based on customer feedback, emerging threats, and market requirements.
Ensure compliance with U.S. defense regulations, including operating effectively within a FOCI-mitigated environment.
Represent leadership of the company at customer sites, industry events, technical reviews, and program milestone meetings
Required Qualifications
US Citizenship (mandatory).
Ability to obtain and maintain SECRET clearance.
Prior leadership experience managing or directing Field Applications Engineering organizations.
Deep technical knowledge of real-time operating systems (RTOS), embedded software development, enterprise software architectures.
Proven experience supporting or delivering solutions for U.S. defense programs or regulated environments.
Strong customer-facing communication skills, including the ability to interface with senior technical and program stakeholders.
Ability to travel 50% or more domestically with minimal/if any international travel.
Preferred Qualifications
Familiarity with program lifecycle management within DoD acquisition environments.
Demonstrated success scaling technical teams in high-growth or mission-critical sectors.
Experience in systems engineering, secure embedded platforms, or similar high-assurance domains.
About Aptiv PLC
Aptiv PLC is a global technology company that designs and manufactures vehicle components and provides electrical and electronic and active safety technology solutions to the global automotive and commercial vehicle markets. The company's products include advanced safety systems, electrical and electronic distribution systems, and software and controls. Aptiv's largest customers are automotive manufacturers, and the company has a significant presence in Europe, Asia, and North America. The company was formerly known as Delphi Automotive PLC and changed its name to Aptiv PLC in December 2017.
