Surlamer Investments · 2 weeks ago
Vice President of Engineering
El Segundo, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
8+ years expSurlamer Investments is a venture-backed aerospace and defense technology company seeking a Vice President of Engineering. This role involves leading engineering strategy and execution for UAV systems, ensuring high reliability in design and delivery while engaging with customers and stakeholders.
Financial ServicesReal Estate InvestmentWealth Management
Responsibilities
Set and execute engineering vision, structure, and strategy across mechanical, electrical, embedded, and flight software
Design and communicate the long-term engineering roadmap to executive leadership and the Board
Build and lead high-performing teams with clear accountability and technical standards
Oversee end-to-end engineering program execution, including planning, resourcing, scheduling, and milestone delivery
Establish and track engineering KPIs for team and program performance
Own configuration management, design reviews, change control, and engineering documentation
Provide senior technical direction across UAV structures, propulsion, sensors, avionics, and embedded and flight software
Operate hands-on as needed in CAD, PCB design, and PX4 flight control environments
Lead system integration, RAMS (FMEA, fault tree, reliability), sensor and payload integration, and test, validation, and certification readiness
Serve as the primary technical representative with customers, partners, and the Board
Communicate technical strategy, status, risks, and tradeoffs and lead resolution of technical issues and evolving requirements
Qualification
Required
Advanced degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, or a closely related field
8+ years of engineering experience in aerospace, defense, robotics, or high-reliability autonomous systems
5+ years of direct engineering leadership experience managing multidisciplinary teams and programs from design through deployment
Strong communication skills and experience interfacing with customers and Boards in high-stakes environments
UAV systems including mechanical structures, propulsion, and sensors
Electrical systems and PCB design
Embedded software and flight control systems such as PX4, C++, and RTOS
Sensor and payload integration including radios, cameras, GPS, magnetometers, and IMUs
Technical program management including milestone planning, resource tracking, and cross functional execution
Configuration management and version control for hardware and software systems
RAMS analyses including FMEA, fault tree analysis, and reliability modeling
KPI development and engineering team performance tracking
Preferred
Advanced degree or continued technical training
Familiarity with CAD, Altium, PX4, and aerospace test and certification workflows
Experience with Development (Dev) through security (Sec) to operations (Ops) DevSecOps and automated development pipelines
Understanding of commercial UAV markets and regulatory frameworks including FAA, FCC, CE, and UL
Cloud integration experience such as AWS, Azure, or SAP S/4HANA
Company
Surlamer Investments
Surlamer Investments is a private wealth management firm that invests in private companies, real estate, and publicly traded securities.
11-50 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageRecent News
2025-09-09
Orange County Business Journal
2025-06-27
Company data provided by crunchbase