Director of Software Engineering-Aerospace

The Ranger Group, a nationally recognized Engineering Solutions firm supporting industry-leading organizations in Aerospace & Defense, Medical Devices, Electronics, and Advanced Industrial Manufacturing, has been engaged to identify a Director of Software Engineering for a major Aerospace OEM in the Greater Chicago Area.

This is a high-impact leadership role responsible for overseeing certification-driven software development for flight-critical systems. The position is hybrid onsite, and relocation to the Chicago region is required.

• Deep DO-178C expertise, including leadership of programs up to DAL-A certification.

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience, including recent responsibility at the Director (or higher) level managing large, multi-disciplinary teams of 50+ engineers.

• Proven track record guiding embedded, real-time, flight-critical, safety-critical, or mission-critical software development programs.

• Strong technical foundation: Electrical Engineering with CS minor, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science with embedded systems focus.

• Demonstrated success partnering cross-functionally across Systems, Hardware, Test, Quality, and Program Management.

• Experience operating in a highly regulated, certification-driven engineering environment.

The Director will own the strategic and operational leadership of software engineering across multiple programs, ensuring technical excellence, certification readiness, team performance, and delivery against safety-critical requirements. This leader will serve as a key interface with the FAA, DERs, systems teams, and executive program leadership.