Engineering Director Jobs in San Diego, CA
Engineering Director jobs in San Diego are concentrated in defense and aerospace, biotech and life sciences, and enterprise software, with hiring activity centered in Sorrento Valley, Torrey Pines, and the UTC/Miramar corridor. Employers posting right now include Qualcomm, Shield AI, and NV5. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
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Job Description:
We are seeking a Chief Engineer to lead all engineering efforts for V-BAT, an established Group 3 VTOL UAS program. This individual will be responsible for directing and sustaining a high-performing, multidisciplinary team that delivers flight software, autonomy, ground control systems, aircraft, and payloads for a vertical takeoff and landing autonomous aircraft that is currently deployed worldwide.
This is a foundational leadership role for an existing product line that is growing in system maturity and mission capability. The ideal candidate combines deep technical experience across complex aerospace and UAS systems (with the ability to dive deep across a broad spectrum of engineering disciplines), a background in innovative and disruptive companies, and a proven ability to build and scale organizations and collaborate across disciplines in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.
What you'll do:
- Build and lead the engineering and software team for the Group 3 UAS program, spanning flight software, autonomy, flight controls/GNC, ground systems, flight systems, flight sciences, avionics, payloads, and propulsion.
- Define the engineering vision, technical strategy, and system architecture in alignment with the program roadmap, product line strategy, and long-term technology investments.
- Serve as the senior technical leader for engineering within the program, making architectural decisions, managing technical and program risk, and driving execution across subsystems and suppliers.
- Lead organizational planning, workforce strategy, and capability roadmap to support multiple concurrent development, test, and sustainment efforts.
- Drive cross-functional collaboration across engineering, flight test, operations, program management, supply chain, quality, and production to enable predictable, high-quality product delivery.
- Establish and continuously improve engineering standards, technical governance, configuration management, documentation practices, and development processes (including CI/CD, automated testing, and modern DevOps practices).
- Drive engineering rigor through disciplined technical reviews, root cause analysis, lessons learned, and continuous improvement while maintaining the execution speed required in a fast-paced development environment.
- Ensure compliance with applicable aerospace standards, certification or airworthiness expectations, regulatory requirements, and company engineering policies.
- Attract, hire, and retain top-tier talent across engineering disciplines, building scalable organizations capable of supporting current and future platforms.
- Foster a culture of technical excellence, continuous learning, accountability, and high ownership.
- Mentor and grow Directors, engineering managers, and technical leads to support scaling and program longevity.
- Report regularly on progress, risks, and technical decisions to senior leadership, clearly articulating tradeoffs and investment recommendations.
- Interface with external partners, customers, and government stakeholders as needed to represent the engineering roadmap, technical strategy, and program status.
- Support business development and capture activities by defining technical approaches, architectures, and execution plans for new opportunities.
Required qualifications:
- Typically requires a minimum of 15 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
- Strong technical background in one or more of: aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and avionics, propulsion, or closely related disciplines.
- Experience building and leading multidisciplinary engineering teams and organizations (including direct managers and technical leaders) across hardware, software, and systems.
- Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to manage and inspire cross-functional teams; excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Proven track record of successfully shipping products, showcasing the ability to navigate development cycles, overcome obstacles, and deliver high-quality solutions to meet project deadlines and customer expectations in a fast-paced environment.
#LG
Full-time regular employee offer package:
Job Description:
We are seeking a Chief Engineer to lead all engineering efforts for V-BAT, an established Group 3 VTOL UAS program. This individual will be responsible for directing and sustaining a high-performing, multidisciplinary team that delivers flight software, autonomy, ground control systems, aircraft, and payloads for a vertical takeoff and landing autonomous aircraft that is currently deployed worldwide.
This is a foundational leadership role for an existing product line that is growing in system maturity and mission capability. The ideal candidate combines deep technical experience across complex aerospace and UAS systems (with the ability to dive deep across a broad spectrum of engineering disciplines), a background in innovative and disruptive companies, and a proven ability to build and scale organizations and collaborate across disciplines in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.
What you'll do:
- Build and lead the engineering and software team for the Group 3 UAS program, spanning flight software, autonomy, flight controls/GNC, ground systems, flight systems, flight sciences, avionics, payloads, and propulsion.
- Define the engineering vision, technical strategy, and system architecture in alignment with the program roadmap, product line strategy, and long-term technology investments.
- Serve as the senior technical leader for engineering within the program, making architectural decisions, managing technical and program risk, and driving execution across subsystems and suppliers.
- Lead organizational planning, workforce strategy, and capability roadmap to support multiple concurrent development, test, and sustainment efforts.
- Drive cross-functional collaboration across engineering, flight test, operations, program management, supply chain, quality, and production to enable predictable, high-quality product delivery.
- Establish and continuously improve engineering standards, technical governance, configuration management, documentation practices, and development processes (including CI/CD, automated testing, and modern DevOps practices).
- Drive engineering rigor through disciplined technical reviews, root cause analysis, lessons learned, and continuous improvement while maintaining the execution speed required in a fast-paced development environment.
- Ensure compliance with applicable aerospace standards, certification or airworthiness expectations, regulatory requirements, and company engineering policies.
- Attract, hire, and retain top-tier talent across engineering disciplines, building scalable organizations capable of supporting current and future platforms.
- Foster a culture of technical excellence, continuous learning, accountability, and high ownership.
- Mentor and grow Directors, engineering managers, and technical leads to support scaling and program longevity.
- Report regularly on progress, risks, and technical decisions to senior leadership, clearly articulating tradeoffs and investment recommendations.
- Interface with external partners, customers, and government stakeholders as needed to represent the engineering roadmap, technical strategy, and program status.
- Support business development and capture activities by defining technical approaches, architectures, and execution plans for new opportunities.
Required qualifications:
- Typically requires a minimum of 15 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
- Strong technical background in one or more of: aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and avionics, propulsion, or closely related disciplines.
- Experience building and leading multidisciplinary engineering teams and organizations (including direct managers and technical leaders) across hardware, software, and systems.
- Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to manage and inspire cross-functional teams; excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Proven track record of successfully shipping products, showcasing the ability to navigate development cycles, overcome obstacles, and deliver high-quality solutions to meet project deadlines and customer expectations in a fast-paced environment.
#LG
Full-time regular employee offer package:
See All 313+ Engineering Director Jobs in San Diego
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Find Engineering Director JobsEngineering Director Job Market in San Diego
Who's Hiring
- Qualcomm49
- Shield AI33
- NV516
- XiFin16
- Avantus16
Top Industries Hiring
- Telecommunications33
- Technology & Software33
- Electronics & Hardware33
- Construction & Real Estate33
- Consulting & Professional Services33
Engineering Director Jobs in San Diego: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a engineering director job in San Diego?
The clearest path in San Diego is building deep technical leadership experience within defense contracting, biotech, or enterprise software, the three sectors that drive the most engineering director hiring here. Employers in the Sorrento Valley and Torrey Pines corridors prioritize candidates who have managed cross-functional teams through product development cycles or hardware programs. Security clearance eligibility gives candidates a genuine edge with the many defense-adjacent firms clustered around Miramar and Kearny Mesa.
Which companies hire engineering directors in San Diego?
San Diego engineering director roles are posted by Qualcomm, Shield AI, and NV5 and others right now, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. The local market is shaped by a mix of large defense primes, mid-size biotech companies, and fast-growing enterprise software firms, many of which maintain substantial engineering organizations in the UTC and Sorrento Valley areas.
Are there remote engineering director jobs in San Diego?
Yes, though availability depends heavily on the sector, since hardware, defense, and lab-based biotech roles require on-site presence while software-focused director positions are far more remote-friendly. About 9% of engineering director openings tied to San Diego are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, with most flexibility concentrated in enterprise software and SaaS companies. Strategic planning, roadmap work, and stakeholder meetings are the functions most commonly handled remotely in these roles.
How can I get a engineering director job in San Diego with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is stepping into a senior engineer or engineering manager role at a mid-size San Diego biotech or defense contractor and building a record of leading multi-engineer teams through full delivery cycles. Smaller companies in the Sorrento Valley corridor and startup-stage software firms in the UTC area are more willing to promote from within than large primes. Gaining experience with government contract environments or GMP-regulated product development makes candidates significantly more competitive for director-level openings here.
Which industries hire the most engineering directors in San Diego?
The sectors hiring the most engineering directors in San Diego are Telecommunications, Technology & Software, and Electronics & Hardware, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. San Diego's concentration of Navy and Marine Corps installations, top-tier research universities, and a deep biotech cluster anchored around Torrey Pines drives consistent demand across all three sectors.
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