Your Job
We are seeking an experienced and innovative Design Engineering Manager to lead the engineering team in the design, development, and testing of new and existing products. This leadership role is responsible for ensuring engineering excellence, technical accuracy, and cross-functional collaboration across design, manufacturing, and testing functions.
Our Team
You’ll lead a multidisciplinary engineering team based in Addison, focused on delivering high-performance, high-reliability products for the aerospace and defense industry. We operate at the intersection of creativity, precision, and customer focus, driving innovation from concept through production.
What You Will Do
- Direct the design and development of new products and improvements to existing systems
- Oversee prototype development, design validation, and transition to manufacturing
- Collaborate with management, production, and marketing to ensure product feasibility, performance, and customer alignment
- Review designs for compliance with engineering standards, specifications, and contractual requirements
- Lead resolution of design and testing challenges, guiding the team through complex technical issues
- Ensure controlled release and accuracy of engineering documents, BOMs, and change processes
- Provide leadership, mentoring, and performance oversight to engineering staff
- Drive cross-functional collaboration to meet schedules, budgets, and technical targets
Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related technical field
- 7–10 years of engineering experience, with leadership responsibilities
- Strong understanding of product design principles, manufacturing methods, and testing procedures
- Experience interpreting technical standards, specifications, and compliance requirements
- Demonstrated ability to lead teams and communicate effectively across all levels of the organization
What Will Put You Ahead
- Prior experience managing engineering design teams in the aerospace or defense industry
- Proficiency with CAD and PLM tools for document control and product lifecycle management
- Familiarity with configuration management and document release processes
- Strong analytical skills with a background in root cause analysis and continuous improvement
- Experience working directly with customers on technical requirements and issue resolution
At Koch companies, we are entrepreneurs. This means we openly challenge the status quo, find new ways to create value and get rewarded for our individual contributions. Any compensation range provided for a role is an estimate determined by available market data. The actual amount may be higher or lower than the range provided considering each candidate's knowledge, skills, abilities, and geographic location. If you have questions, please speak to your recruiter about the flexibility and detail of our compensation philosophy.
Hiring Philosophy
All Koch companies value diversity of thought, perspectives, aptitudes, experiences, and backgrounds. We are Military Ready and Second Chance employers. Learn more about our hiring philosophy here.
Who We Are
As a leader in aerospace and defense electronics, AirBorn, a Molex company, is a leader committed to engineering and manufacturing excellence.
With a legacy of over six decades, we take pride in our team of passionate and skilled professionals who play a pivotal role in developing and manufacturing mission-critical products. Our cutting-edge solutions are not only found on Mars, in fighter jets, submarines, and in the far reaches of space. We understand the mission critical environments in which our products operate, and our commitment to excellence drives us to ensure their unwavering reliability. Whether you are a seasoned industry expert or have fresh talent seeking to soar in your career, we invite you to embark on a journey of creativity, growth, and achievement with us.
Discover how your talents can take flight and make an impactful contribution to our mission-critical endeavors at AirBorn!
At Koch, employees are empowered to do what they do best to make life better. Learn how our business philosophy helps employees unleash their potential while creating value for themselves and the company.
Our Benefits
Our goal is for each employee, and their families, to live fulfilling and healthy lives. We provide essential resources and support to build and maintain physical, financial, and emotional strength - focusing on overall wellbeing so you can focus on what matters most. Our benefits plan includes - medical, dental, vision, flexible spending and health savings accounts, life insurance, ADD, disability, retirement, paid vacation/time off, educational assistance, and may also include infertility assistance, paid parental leave and adoption assistance. Specific eligibility criteria is set by the applicable Summary Plan Description, policy or guideline and benefits may vary by geographic region. If you have questions on what benefits apply to you, please speak to your recruiter.
Additionally, everyone has individual work and personal needs. We seek to enable the best work environment that helps you and the business work together to produce superior results.
Equal Opportunities
Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status. Except where prohibited by state law, some offers of employment are conditioned upon successfully passing a drug test. This employer uses E-Verify. Please click here for additional information. (For Illinois E-Verify information click here, aquí, or tu).