Long Wall

Produces hypersonic testbeds and defense interceptors

Head of Vehicle Engineering

Engineering LeadershipConfirmed live in the last 24 hours

Full-timeLong Beach, CA, USA$165k - $245k /yr

About the Job

Requirements

A B.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, or a related engineering discipline from an accredited university is required.
Eight to twelve years of progressive industry experience in hardware design and development, including direct people-management responsibility for multiple engineers, disciplines, or sub-teams.
A proven track record taking flight or mission-critical hardware from concept through qualification and field operations in aerospace, defense, or similarly high-stakes environments is required.
Direct management of engineering teams with accountability for hiring, performance, and career development is required.
Ownership of a departmental roadmap and investment, with experience making cost, schedule, and risk trade-offs across multiple programs, is required.
Deep technical fluency in mechanical design, structural mechanics, fluid systems, manufacturing processes, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T), and design for manufacturing and assembly (DFM/DFA) principles is required.
A strong analytical foundation across hand calculations and finite element analysis (FEA) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools such as ANSYS, ABAQUS, and NASTRAN is required, including the ability to challenge analysis and red-team designs.
The ability to brief executive leadership, customers, and government stakeholders on technical scope, risk, and progress is required.
The ability to sit or stand for extended periods, use a computer to complete assignments, communicate with individuals and groups in person, by phone, and by telepresence, and lift up to 50 pounds is required.
The position requires access to information protected under U.S. export control laws; eligible U.S. person status is required.
Ability to travel between company sites as needed is required.

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end engineering delivery of hardware products, including structures, fluid systems, mechanisms, primary structure, and avionics enclosures, from concept through manufacturing, qualification, and field support.
Lead, hire, develop, and mentor a team of engineers; set the bar for technical excellence and ownership across the department.
Define and execute the Vehicle Engineering department's technical roadmap, balancing flight-ready execution with development of containerized, mass-producible product lines.
Own department headcount, schedule, and planning; allocate resources to maximize mission impact per dollar.
Drive design reviews, qualification plans, and risk-based decision-making; serve as the senior technical authority on hardware architecture and major trade studies.
Partner with propulsion, avionics, guidance, navigation and control (GNC), manufacturing, supply chain, and test/launch leadership to integrate hardware into flight-ready systems on aggressive schedules.
Represent the company's hardware capabilities to executive leadership, customers, program partners, the U.S. Government, and allied defense organizations.

Desired Qualifications

Prior experience as a Head, Director, or Senior Manager of hardware engineering at a launch, missile, satellite, or defense systems company is preferred.
Experience scaling a hardware engineering function from prototype to rate production, including introducing containerized or mass-producible designs, is preferred.
Familiarity with U.S. missile defense, hypersonics, or tactical/strategic deterrent programs and the associated customer environment, including MDA, DoD, and allied partners, is preferred.
Working knowledge of major computer-aided design (CAD) platforms such as NX, CATIA, and Creo/Pro-E, and product lifecycle management (PLM) systems such as Teamcenter and Windchill, is preferred.
Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity and shifting priorities on aggressive, mission-driven schedules is preferred.
Active or recent U.S. security clearance at Secret level or above is preferred.

Salary Range: 165000 to 245000 (Currency: USD) (Pay period: per-year-salary)

Long Wall Company was created in 2024 to accelerate missile defense technology for the U.S. and our allies. We specialize in ballistic missile defense and are developing Cyclops, a low-cost, mass-producible interceptor. We also produce containerized launchers and offer low-cost targets for threat replication. The future of global security depends on defensive technology that redefines cost, magazine depth, and distribution to deter and defend against evolving threats. Join us.

WHAT WE LOOK FOR

Mission-Driven Problem Solvers – The problems in missile defense demand ingenuity. We want engineers, technicians, and corporate professionals who approach challenges with curiosity, embrace failure as a learning opportunity, and stay focused on delivering the best solution for the mission.

Total Ownership – We seek those who take full responsibility for delivering flight-ready work while recognizing that no one succeeds alone. The best engineers, technicians, and corporate professionals make their teammates better, knowing that complementary skills create force multiplication and drive mission success.

Head of Vehicle Engineering

DESCRIPTION

Long Wall is hiring a Head of Vehicle to lead the multidisciplinary team responsible for taking missile defense hardware from concept through flight. This leader owns the engineering vision, technical execution, and hiring, across the flight hardware design disciplines (e.g., structures, fluid systems, mechanisms), and coaches a team of engineers. They drive technical decisions across product lines and partner closely with propulsion, avionics, manufacturing, and mission assurance leadership to ensure flight-ready delivery on aggressive timelines. The role is hands-on enough to maintain technical credibility, but the principal contribution is multiplying the output of the team in a fast-moving, evolving-priorities environment.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Own end-to-end engineering delivery of hardware products - structures, fluid systems, mechanisms, primary structure, avionics enclosures - from concept through manufacturing, qualification, and field support
Lead, hire, develop, and mentor a team of engineers; set the bar for technical excellence and total ownership across the department
Define and execute the technical roadmap for the Vehicle Engineering department, balancing flight-ready execution with the build-out of containerized, mass-producible product lines
Own department headcount, schedule and planning; allocate resources to maximize mission impact per dollar
Drive design reviews, qualification plans, and risk-based decision-making; serve as the senior technical authority on hardware architecture and major trade studies
Partner cross-functionally with propulsion, avionics, GNC, manufacturing, supply chain, and test/launch leadership to integrate hardware into flight-ready systems on aggressive schedules
Represent Long Wall hardware capabilities to executive leadership, customers, and program partners, including the U.S. Government and allied defense organizations

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Education: B.S. in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related engineering discipline from an accredited university
• Experience: 8–12 years of progressive industry experience in hardware design and development, including direct people-management responsibility for multiple engineers, disciplines, or sub-teams

REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

Proven track record taking flight or mission-critical hardware from concept through qualification and field operations in aerospace, defense, or similarly high-stakes environments
Direct management of engineering teams with accountability for hiring, performance, and career development
Ownership of departmental roadmap and investment, with experience making cost/schedule/risk trade-offs across multiple programs
Deep technical fluency in mechanical design, structural mechanics, fluid systems, manufacturing processes, GD&T, and DFM/DFA principles
Strong analytical foundation across hand calculations and FEA/CFD tools (e.g., ANSYS, ABAQUS, NASTRAN); able to challenge analysis and red-team designs
Excellent written and verbal communication; able to brief executive leadership, customers, and government stakeholders on technical scope, risk, and progress

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

Prior experience as a Head, Director, or Senior Manager of hardware engineering at a launch, missile, satellite, or defense systems company
Experience scaling a hardware engineering function from prototype to rate production, including the introduction of containerized or mass-producible designs
Familiarity with U.S. missile defense, hypersonics, or tactical/strategic deterrent programs and the associated customer environment (MDA, DoD, allied partners)
Working knowledge of major CAD platforms (NX, CATIA, CREO/Pro-E) and PLM systems (e.g., Teamcenter, Windchill)
Demonstrated ability to lead through ambiguity and shifting priorities on aggressive, mission-driven schedules
Active or recent U.S. security clearance (Secret or above)

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

Ability to sit or stand for extended periods of time

Ability to use a computer to complete assignments

Ability to communicate with individuals and groups in person, by phone and telepresence

Ability to lift up to 50 lbs

While performing the duties of this job, the employee will typically work in an office environment

Ability to travel between sites as needed by company

ITAR Requirement

This position requires access to information protected under US export control laws, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and/or the Export Administration Regulations. As such, US person status (including US citizens, U.S. permanent residents, individuals granted U.S. asylum status, or individuals admitted in U.S. refugee status) is a required qualification for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, genetics, or citizenship status (when otherwise legally authorized to work and access export-controlled data) and will not be discriminated against on the basis of such characteristics or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. We encourage applicants of all ages.

National Security Suitability
Depending on the position, Long Wall may require the successful completion of a national security suitability screening in addition to its standard background check. Where required, the screening is conducted by Long Wall’s Facility Security Officer following offer acceptance and may include verification of any current or prior U.S. government security clearances or public trust positions. Information provided during the screening is used solely to determine suitability for the role and is held in confidence by Security. For positions subject to this requirement, any offer of employment is contingent upon a favorable suitability determination.

About the Company

Long Wall

Produces hypersonic testbeds and defense interceptors

Long Wall repurposes its launch heritage to serve U.S. defense needs, building deployable space and missile-defense testing tools for the government. Its RSX is a hypersonic flight-test vehicle used as a test bed and threat-replication target, Ironwood is a containerized ground system for responsive launch, and Cyclops is a surface-launched interceptor designed to engage missiles in midflight. Unlike rivals pursuing commercial satellite launches, Long Wall focuses on U.S.-made defense hardware and offers an integrated set of launch/test and interception capabilities to shorten timelines and reduce costs. Its goal is to strengthen national security by providing ready-to-use, deployable defense testing and interception solutions for government customers.

Company size: 51-200
Company stage: Grant
Total funding: $659.9M
Headquarters: Long Beach, CA
Founded: 2025

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