58910BR
Job Summary:
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a world leader in proven, reliable remotely piloted aircraft and tactical reconnaissance radars, as well as advanced high-resolution surveillance systems.
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a world leader in proven, reliable uncrewed aircraft and tactical reconnaissance radars, as well as advanced high-resolution surveillance systems.
The Research & Design (R&D) Engineering organization at GA-ASI has recently established a new engineering department called System Development & Integration (SD&I) Engineering, and we are hiring! The SD&I Department is comprised of engineering leaders working as systems engineers, integration engineers, sub-IPT leads, IPT leads, and/or Chief Engineers who use their previous detailed design, integration, and/or test experience as a foundation for these wider-in-breadth roles at the system level. The main objective for these roles is to guide and lead detail design engineers in the other engineering design departments in R&D Engineering during next generation aircraft development efforts at GA-ASI.
This position reports to the head of the SD&I Engineering Department. Successful candidates will be capable of leading a team of systems engineers responsible for guiding and coordinating detailed design engineers across multiple disciplines, defining pragmatic system engineering approaches that leverage Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) tools alongside traditional methods and discipline-specific tools, as well as establishing integration strategies between MBSE tools, physics-based models, code-generating platforms, and PLM systems. The successful candidate will have engineering experience in design, integration, or test in one of the primary aerospace disciplines (flight sciences, mechanical systems, electrical/avionics, propulsion, software, airframe structures, etc.) followed by a transition into systems engineering. This leader will balance technical rigor with practical program execution and value outcomes over methodological purity.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Leadership and Team Management
- Leads, mentors, and develops a team of system engineers supporting complex aerospace programs
- Recruits, retains, and develops engineering talent
- Conducts performance reviews and career development planning
- Manages resource allocation, workload distribution, and technical staffing
- Fosters collaboration across engineering disciplines including flight sciences, mechanical systems, electrical/avionics, propulsion, software, and airframe structures
- Provides direction to systems engineering and technical staff
- Represents systems engineering in program reviews, customer engagements, and internal leadership meetings
Systems Engineering Strategy and Process
- Defines and implements systems engineering processes, standards, and best practices that balance rigor with practicality and program needs
- Establishes a balanced system engineering approach that leverages digital engineering, artificial intelligence, and MBSE tools (e.g., Cameo, MagicDraw, etc.) alongside traditional methods and discipline-specific environments
- Defines integration strategies between MBSE tools, physics-based analysis models, code-generating platforms (e.g., MATLAB/Simulink, Stateflow), and PLM systems (e.g., Teamcenter)
- Deploys the right tools and methods for specific engineering problems without dogmatic adherence to any single methodology
- Sets technical direction and priorities aligned with program objectives and organizational strategy
System Engineering Execution
- Understands systems engineering across multiple disciplines and leads development of behavioral and functional capabilities at the system level
- Creates, analyzes and interprets requirements at the system level, decomposes and flows down to lower-level specifications
- Oversees operations analysis that translates operational needs into technical performance requirements
- Oversees system architecture development, trade studies, and interface definition and control that promotes open systems architectures and leverages Government Reference Architecture (GRA) standards
- Conducts trade studies and other analyses to inform requirements flowed down to detailed design engineering departments
- Drives requirements definition, decomposition, allocation, and traceability across system and subsystem levels
- Evaluates and guides the development of detailed designs to ensure system-level requirements are met
- Ensures proper configuration management and change control across the system engineering lifecycle
- Oversees verification and validation planning, including test integration and system-level acceptance criteria
- Supports risk identification, analysis, and mitigation at the system level
Technical Contribution and Problem Solving
- Applies domain expertise from aerospace design, integration, or test to inform system-level decisions
- Applies system-level approach that balances considerations across all engineering disciplines to promote designs that are high-performing, cost-effective, safe, secure, and interoperable
- Devises new approaches to resolve unusual or complex engineering problems
- Devises new approaches to streamline document-centric airworthiness, cybersecurity, and safety certification and approval processes
- Evaluates trade-offs between subsystem performance, integration complexity, cost, schedule, and risk
- Provides technical guidance to system engineers and hardware/software design engineering teams
- Analyzes and troubleshoots systems by utilizing standard engineering principles
- Troubleshoots conflicting design/development requirements, difficult coordination requirements, and special material requirements
- Reviews system requirements, interface control documents, system models, and verification plans
- Supports technical problem resolution and root cause analysis for system-level issues
Airworthiness and Cybersecurity Standards
- Understands military aircraft airworthiness processes and standards and is adept at analyzing airworthiness artifacts to determine if compliance is demonstrated
- Understands DoD’s Risk Management Framework (RMF) process for cybersecurity
- Ensures system engineering activities support military airworthiness, cybersecurity or similar regulatory processes as required
Coordination and Communication
- Provides technical coordination of vendors/suppliers as required
- Works closely with program management, engineering leads, operations, and other stakeholders
- Coordinates with suppliers, subcontractors, and customers on system requirements, interfaces, and certifications
- Provides documentation and makes technical presentations as required
- Communicates technical concepts, system architecture, and engineering strategies to diverse audiences
- Leads or is a key stakeholder in Conceptual Design Reviews, SFR, SRR, PDR, CDR and Test Readiness Reviews for assigned scope of work
- Supports proposal development, technical presentations, and customer engagements as needed
Compliance and Safety
- Maintains the strict confidentiality of sensitive information
- Observes all laws, regulations and other applicable obligations wherever and whenever business is conducted on behalf of the Company
- Works in a safe manner in accordance with established operating procedures and practices
Additional Responsibilities
- Performs other duties as assigned
We recognize and appreciate the value and contributions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences and welcome all qualified individuals to apply.
Job Qualifications:
- Typically requires a Bachelors, Masters or PhD in engineering or a related technical field as well as eleven or more years of progressively complex engineering experience. May substitute equivalent experience in lieu of education.
- Aerospace industry experience in design, integration, or test in one or more of the following disciplines: flight sciences, mechanical systems, electrical/avionics systems, propulsion, software engineering, or airframe structural design.
- Subsequent experience in system engineering, including requirements management, system architecture, interface control, and/or verification and validation .
- Experience leading or managing engineering teams, projects, or technical work packages .
- Knowledge of Model-Based System Engineering (MBSE) principles, tools, and applications .
- Understanding of how to integrate MBSE with other engineering tools and environments, including physics-based simulation, code-generating models (e.g., Simulink, Stateflow), and PLM systems (e.g., Teamcenter) .
- Strong technical communication skills and ability to work across engineering disciplines.
- Demonstrated ability to balance technical rigor with practical program execution.
Preferred Qualifications
- Hands-on experience with MBSE tools such as Cameo Systems Modeler, MagicDraw, etc.
- Experience with MATLAB/Simulink, Stateflow, or similar model-based development environments .
- Experience with PLM systems such as Teamcenter, including integration with requirements management and system models .
- Experience supporting military airworthiness or similar regulatory processes .
- Experience with military cybersecurity approval processes.
- Ability to obtain and maintain DoD Security Clearance is required.
Job Category:
Engineering
Experience Level:
Management
Workstyle:
Onsite
Full-Time/Part-Time:
Full-Time Salary
Pay Range Low:
130,500
Pay Range High:
228,375
Travel Percentage Required:
0% - 25%
Relocation Assistance Provided?:
Yes
US Citizenship Required?:
Yes
Clearance Required?:
Desired
Clearance Level:
Secret
General Atomics is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and will consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, religious creed, ancestry, gender, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, transitioning status, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, genetic information, military and veteran status, marital status, medical condition, mental disability, physical disability, or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal law. In accordance with applicable federal law, General Atomics takes affirmative action to employ and advance the employment of qualified protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. We also prohibit compensation discrimination under all applicable laws. U.S. Citizenship is required for certain positions. To learn more, please review the EEOC’s "Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal" poster.
