merlinlabs - Merlin Labs - Senior Airworthiness & Certification Engineer

Remote - Boston or Remote3w ago

Remote Senior NA Airlines Transportation QA Engineer Aerospace Engineer ARPU Documentation EMEA

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field. • 6-9 years of aerospace certification experience, including direct interface with airworthiness or certification authorities. • Proven ability to work both independently and embedded within cross-functional engineering teams. • Direct, hands-on experience taking military airworthiness or civil certification programs from certification basis development through closure. • Strong written and verbal communication skills and project management capability. • Working knowledge of 14 CFR Part 21, 23, 25, and applicable advisory circulars, sufficient to support civil certification activities. • Demonstrated ability to interface with military airworthiness authorities (e.g., USAF, U.S. Army Aviation, NAVAIR, MAA) and to conduct meetings with regulatory agencies. • U.S. citizenship, and an active Secret clearance or a clear path to one (as required by program assignment). • Working knowledge of military airworthiness standards (MIL-SPECs, MIL-STDs, DEF STANs) sufficient to lead an existing program independently. • Deep civil certification/validation experience with FAA (Part 23/25) and/or EASA (CS-23/25) programs. • Knowledge of systems engineering principles — requirements decomposition, V&V planning, and configuration management. • Working familiarity in software and hardware assurance standards (DO-178C, DO-254, MIL-STD-882). • Working knowledge of safety assessment methodologies: FHA, FMEA/FMECA, FTA, and common cause analysis. • Working knowledge of emerging aerospace technologies such as electric propulsion, UAVs, or advanced air mobility is highly desirable. • Working knowledge of FAA military certification processes and interaction with FAA Military Certification Branch (MCB, formerly Military Certification Office (MCO)). • Merlin Labs offers an innovative, entrepreneurial, and team-focused startup environment. We also offer a top-notch benefits package (health, dental, life, flexible paid time off, and 401k with match) and work/life integration. Being part of the Merlin team allows you to become part of a small team that supports professional development while working together to achieve our mission.

Responsibilities

• Execute the certification strategy and technical approach for a major program or product line. • Contribute to planning, developing, and coordinating important engineering projects. • Lead certification documentation and compliance activities for complex technical areas (structures, systems, avionics, or flight controls). • Develop and apply cross-functional competency in military and industry airworthiness standards — MIL-SPECs, MIL-STDs, DEF STANs, JSSG-2001, and MIL-HDBK-516 — and guide engineering teams in developing compliant designs. • Author and manage Issue Papers (IPs), Certification Review Items (CRIs), and Military Certification Review Items (MCRIs), and drive them to closure. • Interface directly with regulatory representatives, airworthiness authorities and sponsoring offices (e.g., USAF, U.S. Army Aviation, NAVAIR, FAA, EASA) on assigned certification topics. • Drive certification program schedules, identifying compliance risks and implementing mitigation strategies to ensure timely approvals. • Support civil certification programs and activities as needed, applying 14 CFR Part 21/23/25 and applicable advisory circulars alongside civil certification authorities. • Manage regulatory audits, conformity inspections, and test witnessing activities. • Contribute to standardizing and scaling Merlin's airworthiness and certification processes and provide technical assistance to certification engineers across departments. • Manage Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) prerequisites, draft TIAs, and secure approvals across programs. • Manage the designee program including appointment and oversight; maintain an internal registry of available designee resources.