Airworthiness Engineer

Airworthiness Engineer

R&K Enterprise Solutions, Inc. (R&K) is a Certified Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business with an earned reputation for delivering best-value services in Information Technology, Program Security, Information Assurance, Cyber Security, Project and Program Management, Exercise Support and a variety of administrative services to Government agencies. 

The United States Coast Guard (USCG), Aviation Logistics Center (ALC) provides centralized logistics support for all USCG aviation missions. As the sole industrial complex for USCG aviation, ALC provides depot level maintenance, engineering, supply, procurement, acquisition and information services. ALC's mission supports twenty-five (25) USCG aviation units that operate approximately two hundred (200) aircraft and support equipment. These air stations are located throughout the continental United States (U.S.), Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. ALC also provides depot-level maintenance to other Government aircraft.  

As part of R&K’s support to USCG ALC, we are providing highly qualified, trained and experienced personnel to provide Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM), engineering, and configuration management, and technical services to support the mission of ALC. Selected candidate will be responsible for the duties listed below.  

Note: This position is contingent upon contract award. 

Title: Airworthiness Engineer 

Location: Elizabeth City, NC  

Duration: Permanent/Full-Time 

Clearance: Completed/initiated background investigation of at least a Tier 1 

Start Date:  Anticipated Start Date 10 July 2025 Contingent upon Award  

Duties: The Airworthiness Engineer services provide airworthiness engineering to assure aircrew safety and air vehicle safety. Airworthiness as the USCG defines it is the ability of an aircraft, when viewed holistically as an integrated system of systems, to safely attain, sustain & terminate flight without exposing any personnel, other aircraft or other parties to significant or increased risk to life or property. The Airworthiness Engineer works to ensure that Government aircraft comply with all relevant airworthiness regulations. The Airworthiness Engineer approaches airworthiness by considering the technical, operational, safety, environmental, policy and human factor elements of airworthiness. The Airworthiness Engineer works to ensure an acceptable level of safety for aeronautical products by engineering those aspects of aviation activities that include design, manufacturing, maintenance, health monitoring, testing, inspections, evaluation, data analysis and material support. The Airworthiness Engineer makes recommendations to the USCG to improve organizational responsibilities, authority, goals, certifications and qualification criteria as it pertains to airworthiness. The primary tasking of this position shall be to provide airworthiness engineering expertise in support of structural integrity, crew safety, air vehicle safety and the technical airworthiness elements of the aeronautical engineering program as promulgated in Aeronautical Engineering Maintenance Management Manual, Commandant Instruction M13020.1 (series) and Aeronautical Engineering Maintenance Management Process Guide, PG-85-00-110-A. This includes, but is not limited, to the following tasks. 

• Ensure a comprehensive approach to airworthiness and structural integrity that considers design, manufacturing, maintenance, health monitoring, testing, inspections, evaluation, data analysis, materials, corrosion, non-destructive inspection, vibration, wiring, reliability, software and policy. 

• Create, promulgate and assist in the development of airworthiness policy. Define details for an airworthiness program. Develop and provide a disciplined approach to address the acquisition of new airframes, modifications to existing aircraft and certification for damaged aircraft to be returned to service. Suggest appropriate consideration of inclusion or change to existing airworthiness directives. 

• Select standards and define conditions to constitute the airworthiness of an aircraft. Introduce airworthiness policy and technical documents that provide operating limitations and restrictions necessary for safe flight of a new, modified or damaged air vehicle. Develop interim statement of airworthiness qualifications that establish provisional qualification status that lead to an airworthiness release when an aircraft and/or its subsystems must be used before completing the full qualification process. Establish full qualification status and airworthiness release qualifications to permit the issuance of the initial air vehicle and full airworthiness qualification statement for individual aircraft. Examine evidence, design certificates, drawings and test reports to certify an aircraft for its intended use, imposing any necessary limitations. Apply certification criteria in accordance to Airworthiness Certification Criteria, MIL-HDBK-516 (series). 

• Design and perform tests. Serve as the resident test and evaluation technical subject matter expert. Provide expertise to the ACCB with regard to the understanding of the tests, checkouts, readiness of new aircraft systems and new aviation assets to the fleet. Provide test and evaluation expertise and airworthiness guidance to acquisition managers, program managers or air vehicle managers of aircraft, aircraft systems and aircraft components. Review, evaluate, analyze, provide summary analysis and draw conclusions from test data. 

• Provide airworthiness engineering expertise in the process, design and fabrication of aerospace components manufactured by the USCG. Ensure manufacturing and quality processes result in airworthy aircraft components and airworthy aircraft structure. Validate the airworthiness of aerospace components manufactured by the USCG. 

• Furnish engineering expertise in the airworthiness of structural repairs. Monitoring and measure aircraft structural inspection programs to ensure airworthiness compliance. Validate the airworthiness of the design and implementation of an aircraft structural or aircraft sub-system repair. 

• Produce airworthiness certification packages for submission to the ACCB. 

• Contribute airworthiness engineering expertise to individual aircraft tracking systems, structural data recorders, health and usage monitoring systems and strain gauges. Perform health monitoring and strain gauge studies. Review, evaluate, analyze, provide summary analysis and draw conclusions from aircraft structural integrity data, monitoring data, maintenance data, materials data, corrosion data, non-destructive inspection data, vibration data, wiring data, reliability data, published data, original equipment manufacturer data and other databases as it relates to airworthiness. 

• Assist the Government in providing airworthiness engineering and structural integrity expertise in contract and procurement requirements of aircraft, aircraft parts, aircraft systems, aircraft maintenance, aircraft modifications and aircraft repair schemes. Coordinate and provide guidance to acquisition program managers. 

• Coordinate, participate and conduct teardown analyses of airframes for the purpose of validating aircraft structural integrity inspections and thresholds.  

• Undertake studies for the purpose of projecting remaining service life of aircraft and aircraft components. Provide economic service life estimations.  

• Determine the proper airworthiness threshold for inspections.  

• Resolve technical issues, mechanical failures, performance deficiencies, design faults, system shortcomings, human factor interaction, environmental influences and software issues as related to airworthiness.  

• Support root cause failure analysis. Provide airworthiness engineering expertise in failure analyses and in support of mishap investigations.  

• Provide airworthiness engineering expertise to Aviation Mishap Analysis Boards, USCG Air Stations, Corrosion Preventive Advocates (CPAs), and ALC product lines as required.  

• Perform field investigations and inspections related to airworthiness. Perform office 

and field airworthiness engineering duties associated with the designs, specifications, 

manufacturing, fit, form and function of aerospace components. 

• Research cost estimates and written proposals for airworthiness engineering related 

efforts. 

• Establish annual and long-term airworthiness goals and monitoring their progress. 

• Participate in meetings and working groups. Interact with members involved in structural integrity and airworthiness. Liaise with USCG, DoD, industry and airworthiness authorities. 

• Provide training to a variety of audiences on airworthiness and aviation ethics. 

• Provide written reports when requested for any of the task above related to Airworthiness Engineering Services. 

• Perform other engineering duties as required. The Airworthiness Engineer may also be required to assist other positions within ASB. 

• The Airworthiness Engineer shall be the Contractors' onsite POC for AES team. 

Requirements, Relevant Knowledge and/or Skills Required:  
 

• Master of Science degree in Airworthiness Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Astronautics, Aeronautical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Structural Engineering, or Vehicle Engineering. The degree shall be from one of the six (6) regional accreditation boards recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation: 

• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) 

• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA) 

• New England Associations of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) 

• North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) 

• Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) 

• Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) 

• Minimum of five (5) years’ experience involved in the field of airworthiness. 

• Minimum of two (2) years experienced involved in the field of test and evaluation. 

• Experienced in the functionality and design of aircraft systems and sub-systems, aerodynamics and control. 

• Knowledgeable of U.S., DoD, and military aviation regulatory agencies’ certification policies and processes for aircraft components and structures. 

• Skilled in the use of standard and specialized tools and the equipment of the discipline. 

• Knowledgeable of equipment and tools used in the aerospace industry. 

• Ability to work in and around aircraft, to include the top of wings. 

• Clearance: Completed/initiated background investigation of at least a Tier 1. 

R&K Enterprise Solutions, Inc. is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer committed to cultural diversity and compliance. All qualified women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply for R&K job vacancies. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.