Senior Principal System Engineering - KC-135 PSE (Onsite)

Date Posted:

2025-08-07

Country:

United States of America

Location:

HIA32: Cedar Rapids, IA 400 Collins Rd NE , Cedar Rapids, IA, 52498-0505 USA

Position Role Type:

Onsite

U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements:

U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are authorized to access information under this program/contract.

Security Clearance:

None/Not Required

The KC-135 Stratotanker provides the core aerial refueling capability for the United States Air Force and has excelled in this role for more than 60 years. This unique asset enhances the Air Force's capability to accomplish its primary mission of global reach. It also provides aerial refueling support to the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and allied nation aircraft. The KC-135 is the backbone of the USAF refueling fleet and is scheduled to remain so for decades to come.  

We are looking for an established Systems Engineering professional with a passion for engineering, a high degree of accountability, and the ability to thrive in an Agile team environment as a part of the KC-135 Platform Systems team in the Military Avionics & Helicopters engineering organization.  

What You Will Do:

• Oversee and support systems engineering through all phases of system product development including program pursuit and capture, requirements capture and analysis, system architecture design, requirements allocation and traceability, system verification, system validation, and life-cycle product support 
• Influence system architecture for avionics solutions across the KC-135 Platform working alongside other KC-135 Architects and domain leads 
• Guide and align program leadership and all product owners of the KC-135 system 
• Provide architectural and technical expertise across several departments and other programs projects as needed 
• Navigate through bids and pursuits, adhering to Collins processes 
• Lead customer discussions alongside the Program Chief Engineers 
• Interact and coordinate with external stakeholders, including program and technical groups, to influence and guide the development of program plans, requirements and operational needs 
• Provide expertise in the evolution of KC-135 system engineering processes 
• Onboard and train new engineers on cognizant program(s)  
• Willingness to travel (domestically and globally <10%).

What You Will Learn:

• You will enhance your leadership skills, driving various teams and projects that impact the aerospace sector directly. 
• You will develop strategic management capabilities, learning to navigate complex project requirements and supplier dynamics in a global setting 
• You will deepen your expertise in advanced avionic systems, making you a pivotal asset in military avionics 

Qualifications You Must Have:

• Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and minimum 10 years prior relevant experience or an Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 7 years of experience
• 8+ years in a current or previous systems role.
• Experience with testing in a systems role.
• Experience with Agile principles.
• Leadership experience in developing products and managing technical projects.
• Experience with technical proposals and cost estimates during a bid and proposal phase.
• Ability to obtain a US Department of Defense (DoD) SECRET security clearance after day 1.

Qualifications We Prefer:

• Experience with various engineering tools including TNT, DOORS/JAMA, JIRA, PREP, Microsoft, SVN and others is desired 
• Experience (military or civil aircraft) in avionics systems, specifically testing and troubleshooting; prior KC-135 experience preferred  
• Working knowledge / understanding of data buses and protocols (Ethernet, MIL-STD-1553B, and ARINC-429)  
• Experience leading in an Agile environment using Jira tracking 
• Strong continuous improvement skills and customer focus 
• Familiarity with US export regulations: International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR) 
• Experience with Model-Based Design (MBD)/Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) tools (Cameo Enterprise Architecture (SysML specifically)
• Collaboration with cross-functional teams to gather necessary information and data for reports and presentations 
• Earned Value Management / Cost Account Management experience 
• Strong technical, analytical, and problem-solving skills 
• Excellent, proactive communication (written, verbal, and interpersonal) 
• Demonstrated