Certification Manager

Company Overview

Metrea delivers effects-as-a-service to national security partners across five domains and more than a dozen mission areas. These include airborne ISR, electronic warfare, secure communications, aerial refueling, special air missions, aerial firefighting, and advanced simulation. We own the whole stack: designing, building, and operating turnkey capabilities that give our partners decisive, asymmetric advantage against rapidly evolving threats.

Our operating model is built around three interlocking pillars. The Support Groups provide a global shared-service – spanning people, finance, platform, operations, legal, and engagement. This frees up our Core Groups, who develop and own mission capabilities end-to-end, to focus entirely on delivery. The Market Groups apply a regional lens, ensuring that our agile and adaptable capabilities remain aligned to the wicked problems that matter most to our partners across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific.

At the heart of our model is a simple but powerful idea: be a true partner with skin in the game. Our partners need effects, not just equipment. By owning the full stack – from the lab to the field – we are able to drive a continuous cycle of innovation that keeps our partners ahead. It's a fast-moving, intellectually demanding environment where talented people are given real responsibility, work on problems that matter, and contribute to an enterprise that is growing quickly and deliberately.

Headquartered in Washington, DC, with facilities across the United States, the United Kingdom, as well as Continental Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Aerospace Engineering Group (AERO) provides an integrated, end-to-end capability for the rapid modification and fielding of mission-specific aircraft. The Airborne Asset Adaptation (A3) Cell acts as the central command and coordination hub, managing requirements and external interfaces from inception to operational delivery. Specialized technical execution is delivered by the Aircraft Integration Centre (AIC), a Part 145 facility focused on airframe modification, and Aerospace Design (ASD), which provides organic design engineering and FAA-authorized certification. Collectively, these elements bridge the gap between initial requirements and the deployment of flight-certified, mission-ready assets.

Position Summary  

Reporting to the Head of MASD, the Certification Manager manages FAA certification projects through all phases of project activity. Leads a multi‑disciplinary certification engineering organization, including section leads and a team of approximately 12 engineers responsible for design, substantiation, and FAA compliance. This individual demonstrates expertise in addressing FAA regulatory concerns regarding aircraft modifications. The Certification Manager owns certification strategy across programs, including means of compliance selection, regulatory interpretation, and FAA/ODA negotiation on novel or contentious topics. This individual oversees continuous coordination with customer, FAA, and ODA personnel including project status reports, discussion and resolution of open issues, and reviewing and approving engineering analysis, substantiation and test documents that detail technical aspects of an aircraft system installation.   

What You’ll Do
Certification Management

• Assume primary responsibility for the development, review and submittal of Project Specific Certification Plans, addressing all aspects of the certification plan and how it will meet regulatory requirements.
• Oversee execution of the plan, including development of the necessary drawings, documents and reports necessary, and coordination with the FAA and customers to manage program schedules, complex certification challenges, and change requests, and manage overall certification team communication and performance.
• Provides direct leadership, performance management, and career development for section leads and certification engineers.
• Defines and maintains certification documentation standards, engineering substantiation methodologies, and integration processes used across MASD.
• Ensures all certification activities comply with ODA procedures, FAA Orders, and ASD internal processes.
• Identifies certification risks early and develops mitigation strategies across engineering, manufacturing, and program teams.
• Balances workload across certification teams, prioritizes tasks across multiple programs, and ensures resources align with program needs.
• Continuously improves certification processes, substantiation methodologies, and compliance workflows to increase efficiency and reduce FAA rework cycles.
• Owns certification schedules, deliverables, and resource planning across multiple concurrent aircraft modification programs.
• Drives cross-functional alignment across A3, AIC, ASD, Quality, and Manufacturing to ensure integrated certification and design execution.
• Represents Metrea in FAA/ODA technical discussions, industry working groups, and customer certification strategy engagements.
• Success in this role is measured by on-time certification deliverables, quality of substantiation packages, FAA/ODA feedback, and audit performance.
• Additional duties include coordinating inspection and test activities, providing review and input for new business proposals, represent the organization at trade shows and industry events, provide subject matter expertise to customers with unique certification challenges, recruit, train and coach new certification engineers, issuance PMA assistance letters, management of STC foreign validation applications, and assisting the ODA Lead Administrator in FAA OMT audits.
• Manage various engineering, manufacturing, and product support teams to complete designs.
• Manage design reviews.
• Prepare engineering reports and presentations.
• Maintain a regular and predictable work schedule.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships within the department and the AERO Group Capability Units.
• Interact appropriately with others in order to maintain a positive and productive work environment.
• Perform other duties as necessary.

What You’ll bring 

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering or related technical discipline

Experience:

• 10+ years of experience in aircraft certification, regulatory compliance, or ODA-related functions.
• Demonstrated experience in FAA Part 23 and Part 25 regulations, policy, and guidance.
• Experience coordinating with FAA personnel, DERs/UMs, or ODA organizations preferred.

Skills:

• Demonstrated ability to mentor Senior/Lead Engineers, resolve high-risk certification issues, and provide systems-level engineering judgment.
• Eligible to serve as an ODA Unit Member; experience acting as a UM or DER is strongly preferred.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced and dynamic environment
• Demonstrate success working in a highly collaborative multi-function environment.
• Must be results-oriented and demonstrate flexibility in dealing with changing and ambiguous situations.
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships with staff.
• Must possess excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Highly developed sense of judgment and maturity.
• Strong organizational skills and discipline, with strong attention to detail.
• Demonstrated intellectual humility, high levels of emotional intelligence, and an innate ability to challenge own thinking and adjust to others.
• Must be able to accomplish all duties with little or no assistance.
• Must have good command of the English language, oral and written.

Certifications:

• Valid Driver’s License

Computer Skills:

• Microsoft Office Suite. 

Our Firmware  

At Metrea, our single core value, Rooted in Humility, and our four cornerstone attributes—Entrepreneurial, Systematic, Discerning, and Over-Deliver. These form what we call our Teammate Firmware. Just like technical firmware connects software and hardware, our Firmware is the constant interface between our mission and our people. It defines how we show up, how we work together, and how we solve complex problems.

Our team Firmware creates a web-like, hyper-collaborative, dynamically hierarchical way of working that helps us adapt quickly, communicate openly, and distribute decision-making to where expertise actually lives. It enables groups to self-organize around hard problems, shift fluidly as priorities evolve, and operate with the trust, curiosity, and discipline required in a complex mission space. This foundation allows us to deliver elegant, effective solutions and uphold our purpose: protecting our precious inheritance.

Benefits  

Comprehensive medical plan options

HSA/FSA accounts

Dental and vision coverage

6% employer 401(k) match

Fully paid parental leave for all new parents

Generous PTO

Life and disability insurance
Long-term and Short-term disability coverage

AD&D Coverage

Pet Insurance

Employee Assistance Program

Subsided gym membership / plans through Wellhub    

Work Authorization / Security Clearance  

 Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
Must be a U.S. citizen. No security clearance required.

AAP/EEO Statement  

This Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. 

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work  

This is a full-time exempt position with typical working hours of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Hours and work shifts may change in accordance with department and business needs. Exempt Employees must have the ability to be on-call and available, as business needs require. 

Work Location  

Englewood, CO  

Work Environment  

This job operates in an office setting  

Travel  

Travel requirements are less than 20%. 

Base Pay Range

The compensation range shown below is a good faith estimate and reflects the expected base pay for this position upon hire. This is just one component of Metrea's overall approach to total rewards and final compensation decisions, including the ultimate salary or hourly rate agreed upon, may vary depending on factors such as job location, job-specific knowledge, skills, experience, and the overall negotiated compensation package. Eligible full-time employees also receive a comprehensive benefits package designed to support their health, wellbeing, and long-term success.

Pay Range$150,000—$180,000 USD

Our Firmware

At Metrea, our single core value is Rooted in Humility, and our four cornerstone attributes are Entrepreneurial, Systematic, Discerning, and Over-Deliver. These form what we call our Teammate Firmware. Just like technical firmware connects software and hardware, our Firmware is the constant interface between our mission and our people. It defines how we show up, how we work together, and how we solve complex problems.

Our team Firmware creates a web-like, hyper-collaborative, dynamically hierarchical way of working that helps us adapt quickly, communicate openly, and distribute decision-making to where expertise actually lives. It enables groups to self-organize around hard problems, shift fluidly as priorities evolve, and operate with the trust, curiosity, and discipline required in a complex mission space. This foundation allows us to deliver elegant, effective solutions and uphold our purpose: protecting our precious inheritance.