Job Title: Manager, Systems Engineering
Job Code: 46927
Job Location: Carlsbad, CA
Job Schedule: 9/80 9/80: Employees work 9 out of every 14 days - totaling 80 hours worked - and have every other Friday of
Job Description:
L3Harris Technologies Inc. is seeking an experienced, highly organized, detail-oriented Product Strategy & Lifecycle Engineering Manager to establish and lead a new group supporting the Tactical Data Link (TDL) product portfolio. The group will focus on product-line direction, long-term planning, and customer-facing sustainment engineering to support current needs and future opportunities.
This is a working managerial position requiring the candidate to perform technical tasks approximately 75% of the time and provide leadership, direction, and oversight to a team of approximately 8–15 engineers and technical personnel approximately 25% of the time. The candidate and team will be accountable for technical product roadmaps, lifecycle planning, sustainment engineering, and resolution of customer-facing technical challenges across the TDL product portfolio. The manager will also ensure activities are appropriately staffed, resourced, and prioritized to support program commitments, customer needs, and long-term product objectives.
The ideal candidate will have strong hands-on systems engineering and leadership skills, experience supporting products throughout their lifecycle, and the ability to translate customer needs into actionable technical priorities. This role requires close collaboration with Design & Development Engineering, Project Engineers, Program Managers, Business Development, and Production and Depot Operations to align product strategy, sustainment activities, and future capabilities with business objectives.
Essential Functions:
The Product Strategy & Lifecycle Engineering Manager’s duties include, but are not limited to:
- Perform hands-on technical work approximately 75% of the time and provide management, leadership, and oversight approximately 25% of the time for a team of approximately 8–15 engineers and technical personnel.
- Lead product-line technical direction and develop and maintain long-term product roadmaps that align customer needs, sustainment requirements, technology evolution, and future business opportunities.
- Apply systems engineering expertise and knowledge of electronic communications and Tactical Data Link (TDL) technologies to product planning, technical assessments, and lifecycle support.
- Oversee and coordinate customer-facing sustainment engineering, including technical inquiries, troubleshooting, platform integration support, and resolution of field, production, and depot issues.
- Translate customer feedback, operational needs, and product performance trends into prioritized technical requirements, product improvements, and lifecycle initiatives.
- Collaborate with Engineering Leadership, Program Management, and Business Development to align product priorities, develop technical proposals and estimates, and establish achievable budgets and schedules.
- Ensure the group is appropriately staffed and resourced to meet program milestones, customer commitments, and long-term product objectives.
- Manage technical, schedule, and cost performance for assigned product strategy and lifecycle engineering efforts, including proposal reviews, cost estimates, and risk mitigation.
- Attract, hire, retain, and develop top talent while fostering a culture of innovation, execution, transparency, accountability, and collaboration.
- Provide mentorship, technical guidance, performance feedback, and professional growth opportunities for team members.
- Work closely with Design & Development Engineering, Production, and Depot Operations to support product transitions, sustainment improvements, obsolescence management, and configuration changes using established company processes.
- Oversee the maintenance of technical documentation, including interface control documents, operating and maintenance documentation, and lifecycle support information.
- Communicate technical priorities, product plans, risks, and recommendations effectively to customers, engineering teams, program leadership, and other stakeholders.
- Ability to travel approximately 5–10% of the time.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree with 9 years prior systems engineering experience, Graduate Degree with 7 years prior systems engineering experience. In lieu of a degree, minimum of 13 years of prior related systems engineering experience.
- Active US Secret security clearance.
Preferred Additional Skills:
- Comprehensive systems engineering experience with high-reliability electronic communications products, including Tactical Data Link (TDL) systems, product integration, and lifecycle sustainment.
- Experience developing technical product roadmaps, translating customer requirements into systems solutions, and prioritizing product improvements within technical, schedule, and cost constraints.
- Demonstrated management and leadership experience directing experienced technical professionals, establishing operational plans, managing staffing and resources, and developing talent.
- Experience supporting customer-facing sustainment engineering, including technical issue resolution, root-cause analysis, and coordination with development engineering, production, and depot operations.
- Extensive experience in the defense industry supporting government and/or DoD customers, particularly with Tactical Data Link (TDL) systems and military communications products.
- Experience developing product-line strategies, technical roadmaps, and lifecycle plans that balance current customer commitments with future capability and business opportunities.
- Experience leading engineers and technical personnel while assessing current and future workloads to ensure appropriate staffing, skills, and equipment are available.
- Hands-on experience with communications electronics integration, testing, operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting, including familiarity with standard electronic test and measurement equipment.
- Experience supporting production, depot, and field sustainment activities, including obsolescence management, configuration management, and product improvements.
- Ability to translate customer feedback and operational challenges into actionable engineering priorities through collaboration with Engineering, Program Management, Business Development, and Operations.
- Strong ownership, accountability, and follow-through, with a proactive, collaborative, customer-focused approach and a sense of urgency in resolving technical issues.
In compliance with pay transparency requirements, the salary range for this role in California is $127,500 - $236,500. This is not a guarantee of compensation or salary, as final offer amount may vary based on factors including but not limited to experience and geographic location. L3Harris also offers a variety of benefits, including health and disability insurance, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, EAP, education assistance, parental leave, paid time off, and company-paid holidays. The specific programs and options available to an employee may vary depending on date of hire, schedule type, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.