Required Skills & Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in software engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a closely related field. Master’s degree or PMP (or equivalent program/technical management certification) a plus
- 10+ years of professional engineering experience in complex, multi-disciplinary system development, including 4+ years driving technical execution or program schedule for hardware-software programs
- Experience in satellite communications, RF/modem systems, embedded or FPGA development, or hardware-software integration programs.
- Experience in a regulated defense/aerospace manufacturing environment (ITAR, DFARS, AS9100) and familiarity with hardware-to-manufacturing release processes.
Nice to Have Skills & Experience
- Prior experience as a software engineer or technical lead before transitioning into program or technical execution roles.
- Experience with planning and tracking tools suited to waterfall or stage-gate program environments (e.g., MS Project, Smartsheet) and demonstrated ability to build lightweight automation or dashboards, including with AI/agentic tools, to accelerate execution tracking.
- Experience using AI coding or agent tools to build internal tooling such as schedule trackers, dependency visualizers, or status report generators.
- Strong technical background in software or systems engineering, enough to evaluate technical estimates, architecture trade-offs, and integration risk. Hands-on coding is not a primary job function.
- Demonstrated experience driving complex, multi-disciplinary engineering programs to schedule under heavy ambiguity: sequencing dependencies, managing risk, and holding cross-functional teams accountable to dates without an established playbook to follow.
- Proven ability to manage external subcontractors or vendors against schedule and quality commitments.
Job Description
We are seeking a Staff Project Engineer to lead the technical execution of complex, multi-disciplinary engineering programs spanning software, FPGA, hardware, and manufacturing. This engineer will develop and manage integrated project schedules, coordinate cross-functional dependencies, identify and mitigate execution risks, and drive programs from concept through development, testing, and manufacturing release. The ideal candidate brings a strong software or systems engineering background, experience leading hardware-software programs in high-ambiguity environments, and expertise with waterfall or stage-gate planning, technical risk management, and tools such as MS Project or Smartsheet.
ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Build and maintain the integrated program schedule for assigned programs, translating requirements and architecture into a sequenced task and dependency network across software, FPGA, hardware, and manufacturing workstreams, including programs with significant ambiguity or no established planning precedent.
- Identify, track, and manage cross-team and cross-discipline dependencies, ensuring downstream work is not blocked, and upstream work is sequenced to unblock it.
- Own the risk and issue register for program technical execution: identify schedule risk early, drive mitigation plans, and escalate before problems become program-level surprises.
- Partner with Software, FPGA, and Hardware Tech Leads, including Senior and Staff-level leads, to translate architecture and design decisions into actionable, estimated, and sequenced engineering tasks and milestones, and influence their approach where current practice falls short.
- Track progress against plan at the team and individual task level; identify slipping work early and drive re-planning, re-sequencing, or reallocation with the responsible leads.
- Manage third-party and subcontractor deliverables: define delivery expectations and acceptance criteria, track schedule commitments, and hold external partners accountable to dates and quality.
- Serve as the primary technical execution point of contact between Software Engineering, FPGA/Hardware Engineering, Manufacturing/Test, and Program Management for assigned programs.
- Drive program-level coordination and milestone reviews focused on schedule health, blockers, and cross-team dependencies.
- Support the transition from development and test into manufacturing release, ensuring engineering deliverables (documentation, test results, build artifacts) meet manufacturing entry criteria on schedule.
- Report program technical status, schedule health, risks, and forecasts to engineering leadership and Program Management on a regular cadence.
- Define and improve program execution practices (estimation quality, dependency capture, definition of done, escalation thresholds) across Software, FPGA, and Hardware engineering, and mentor Project Engineers working on individual programs.
- Use modern planning tools and agentic AI tools to build lightweight automation and dashboards that accelerate schedule tracking, dependency visualization, and status reporting.