DER-Y Certification Engineer

Amca • Los Angeles, CA

4d

About The Position

Amca is building airplanes for the 21st century by rebuilding the industrial base that makes them possible.
We acquire and modernize legacy aerospace and defense manufacturers, integrating them into a single platform capable of designing, building, testing, and scaling flight-critical hardware with speed and precision.
By bringing product development, certification, and manufacturing under one roof, we enable better hardware to reach the aircraft faster.

Overview
We are hiring a Designated Engineering Representative (DER-Y) who is also a highly capable mechanical design engineer to help lead certification efforts across a growing portfolio of aerospace components.
You will guide products from early design through approval, ensuring certification is considered from the start rather than treated as a downstream exercise.
You will work directly with internal engineering teams, test organizations, and FAA counterparts while helping establish the certification foundation required to scale product development across the company.
This is a hands-on technical role intended for an engineer who wants to stay close to the hardware while owning the approval path.

Requirements

• Active FAA DER authorization in structures (DER-Y)
• Strong mechanical design background with certified hardware in service
• Deep familiarity with Part 23 and/or Part 25 requirements
• Experience supporting PMA articles or equivalent approval pathways
• Fluency in stress analysis and test substantiation methods
• Demonstrated engineering judgment in high-reliability environments
• Comfortable operating with delegated authority and technical accountability
• Willing to be hands-on when needed, not purely advisory

Nice To Haves

• Experience working in aftermarket or high-mix, low-volume aerospace manufacturing environments is highly valued.

Responsibilities

• Serve as DER-Y for structural and mechanical approvals across new and modified aerospace components
• Define certification strategies and compliance plans early in the design process
• Partner with mechanical design, stress, test, and manufacturing teams to ensure certifiable designs
• Review and approve analyses, stress reports, test plans, and compliance findings
• Guide qualification efforts including static, fatigue, vibration, thermal, and environmental testing
• Evaluate legacy designs and develop approval paths for improved or replacement articles
• Engage directly with FAA engineers and authorized representatives
• Provide technical mentorship on certification discipline and design best practices
• Help build scalable processes that support repeatable approvals as the organization grows

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed