Job Title: Software Engineering Manager
Harleysville, PA, US, 19438
Position Summary
The Senior Software Engineering Manager leads the development, certification, and sustainment of flight‑critical embedded software for aircraft power systems and components. This role is accountable for managing DAL A–certified software in compliance with RTCA/DO‑178 (DAL A/B/C) standards and ensuring delivery of safe, robust, and compliant products for aerospace customers.
This leader will manage a direct team of software engineers in Harleysville, PA, with dotted‑line leadership of a global support team in India and collaboration across engineering groups in Wichita, KS; Bothell, WA; and Bangalore, India. Success in this role requires deep technical credibility in safety‑critical avionics software, strong people leadership, and disciplined execution in a regulated environment.
Key Responsibilities
Technical & Certification Leadership
- Provide technical and organizational leadership for DO‑178 DAL A–certified software, including planning, execution, reviews, and audits.
- Own software lifecycle compliance from concept through certification, release, and in‑service support.
- Ensure development artifacts meet certification needs, including:
- Software Development Plans (SDP), SVP, SCMP, SQAP
- High‑ and low‑level requirements
- Traceability, verification, and configuration baselines
- Serve as a technical authority during certification activities with FAA, DERs, and customer audit teams.
People & Team Leadership
- Lead, coach, and develop high‑performing software engineers, technical leads, and future managers.
- Foster a culture of quality, accountability, and engineering rigor, especially for safety‑critical systems.
- Provide functional leadership and work prioritization for a global, dotted‑line support team in India.
- Support hiring, onboarding, succession planning, and performance management across locations.
Program & Cross‑Functional Execution
- Partner closely with systems engineering, hardware, quality, manufacturing, and program management to deliver integrated power system solutions.
- Translate system‑level and certification requirements into executable software plans and schedules.
- Manage staffing, capacity, and technical risk across multiple concurrent programs.
- Escalate and resolve technical, schedule, or certification risks early and decisively.
Technology, Process, & Continuous Improvement
- Establish and maintain best practices for embedded and airborne software development, including coding standards, design reviews, and verification strategy.
- Drive continuous improvement in software development efficiency while maintaining certification integrity.
- Champion disciplined use of requirements management, change control, and defect management tools.
- Mentor teams in modern but cert‑appropriate development approaches (e.g., Agile within DO‑178 constraints).
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
- Typically 10+ years of progressive software engineering experience in embedded or real‑time systems.
- Significant engineering leadership experience, including people management.
- Demonstrated ownership of DO‑178 DAL A or DAL B software programs, from planning through certification including SAE ARP4754A / ARP4761 guidelines.
- Strong understanding of safety‑critical software architecture, verification independence, configuration management, and tool qualification considerations.
- Proven ability to lead multi‑site and global engineering teams.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree in a relevant technical discipline.
- Experience with aircraft electrical power systems, avionics, or flight‑critical control software.
- Prior interaction with FAA, DERs, or certification authorities.
- Familiarity with:
- DOORS or equivalent requirements management tools
- Cybersecurity elements relevant to avionics (e.g., secure boot, encryption, hashing)
- Embedded C/C++, real‑time operating systems (RTOS)
- Experience operating within matrixed or dotted‑line organizational structures.
Key Competencies & Attributes
- Safety‑first mindset with uncompromising attention to product quality.
- Strong technical judgment and ability to balance schedule, cost, and certification risk.
- Clear, concise communicator with engineers, executives, and external stakeholders.
- Comfortable making decisions in complex, regulated environments.
- Trusted leader who sets direction, removes obstacles, and develops talent.
Why AMETEK PDS
- Work on mission‑ and flight‑critical aerospace systems with real‑world impact.
- Lead highly specialized teams in a technically challenging, certification‑driven environment.
- Access to global expertise across AMETEK businesses while maintaining product ownership.
- Competitive compensation, benefits, and long‑term career growth.
Nearest Major Market: Philadelphia