Be ready to go over:

• Risk Mitigation Planning – Creating actionable risk retirement plans.
• Technical Risk Assessment – Understanding the impact of design maturity on program schedule.
• Supply Chain Risk – Managing sole-source suppliers and long-lead material items.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) integration, and probabilistic schedule risk analysis (Monte Carlo simulations).

Example scenarios:

• A critical supplier failing to meet a qualification testing deadline.
• Identifying a technical design flaw late in the development cycle and mitigating its impact on delivery.

Stakeholder Alignment & Communication

As a Project Manager, you are the hub of communication. You must show that you can build trust, manage difficult customer relationships, and align internal teams.

Be ready to go over:

• Cross-Functional Leadership – Leading engineering, quality, and operations teams.
• Customer Relationship Management – Managing communication during program setbacks.
• Executive Presenting – Distilling complex technical issues into clear executive summaries.

Example scenarios:

• Delivering bad news regarding a schedule slip to a high-profile aerospace customer.
• Resolving a resource conflict between two competing program priorities.

As a Project Manager at Moog Aircraft, you will be responsible for the end-to-end lifecycle of critical aerospace programs. Your daily activities will span strategic planning, financial oversight, and tactical execution.

• Program Ownership: Lead the execution of assigned programs from contract award through development, qualification, production, and support phases.
• Schedule and Financial Management: Establish and maintain integrated master schedules (IMS) and program budgets, ensuring all milestones are met within cost targets.
• Cross-Functional Coordination: Facilitate collaboration between engineering, manufacturing, quality, procurement, and contract management to ensure seamless execution.
• Risk Mitigation: Proactively identify program risks and opportunities, implementing robust mitigation strategies to protect program margins and delivery dates.
• Customer Interface: Serve as the primary point of contact for external aerospace customers, providing regular progress updates and managing business negotiations.
• Continuous Improvement: Apply lean manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies to optimize program execution processes.

To be competitive for a Project Manager or Staff Program Manager role at Moog Aircraft, you should possess a blend of technical capability, industry experience, and leadership prowess.

• Must-have skills:

  • Proven experience managing complex, multi-disciplinary engineering or manufacturing projects.
  • Strong proficiency in project management tools (e.g., MS Project, Primavera) and financial tracking systems.
  • Deep understanding of risk management methodologies and change control processes.
  • Exceptional communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
  • A Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, or a related technical field.

• Nice-to-have skills:

  • Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
  • Direct experience in the aerospace and defense industry, including familiarity with AS9100, FAA regulations, or military standards.
  • Experience with Earned Value Management Systems (EVMS).
  • An advanced degree, such as an MBA or a Master’s in Engineering Management.

Q: How technical do I need to be for this role? A: While you do not need to be the design engineer, you must be highly technically literate. You need to understand engineering lifecycles, ask the right questions to technical leads, and confidently translate technical risks into business and schedule impacts.

Q: What is the company culture like at Moog Aircraft? A: Moog is renowned for its collaborative, people-first culture. It is an environment built on mutual trust, high ethical standards, and a shared commitment to quality. Arrogance is a major red flag in their interview process; humility and teamwork are highly valued.

Q: What is the typical timeline for the hiring process? A: The process is generally well-organized and efficient. After the initial phone screen, the panel interviews are often scheduled on a single day. The entire process from application to offer typically takes between three to six weeks.

Q: Where are these roles located? A: Major aerospace hubs for Moog Aircraft include East Aurora, NY (HQ), Salt Lake City, UT, West Valley City, UT, and Everett, WA. Hybrid work arrangements may be available depending on the specific program and location requirements.

• Know the Company: Do not walk into the interview without a solid understanding of Moog's history, their founder Bill Moog, and their key aerospace products. Showing that you understand their market position makes a strong impression.
• Use the STAR Method: Structure your behavioral answers using the Situation, Task, Action, and Result framework. Be highly specific about your actions and the quantifiable results of your projects.
• Highlight Quality and Safety: In aerospace, cutting corners to save schedule is never acceptable. Always emphasize your commitment to quality, safety, and regulatory compliance in your answers.

• Prepare Thoughtful Questions: Use the end of the interview to ask deep questions about program structure, team dynamics, or how the department handles engineering resource constraints. It demonstrates your serious interest and professional maturity.

A Project Manager position at Moog Aircraft offers a rare opportunity to lead high-impact, technologically advanced programs that shape the future of flight. The work is challenging, highly collaborative, and deeply rewarding for project managers who take pride in precision and engineering excellence.

To maximize your chances of success, focus your preparation on demonstrating strong financial and schedule control, proactive risk management, and a leadership style that aligns with Moog's trust-based culture. Review your past projects, prepare your STAR-format stories, and ensure you can speak confidently about managing complex, cross-functional engineering efforts.

For more detailed salary insights, company reviews, and interview prep resources, explore the additional tools available on Dataford to help you put your best foot forward.

The salary range for this role reflects the high level of responsibility and technical expertise required. When preparing your compensation expectations, consider your experience level, geographic location, and the specific complexity of the programs you have managed.