Senior Systems Engineer - Athena Control Systems

Date Posted:

2026-04-01

Country:

United States of America

Location:

US-VA-STERLING-291 ~ 22640 Davis Dr ~ DAVIS

Position Role Type:

Onsite

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

The ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government issued security clearance is required.​ U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance

Security Clearance Type:

DoD Clearance: Secret

Security Clearance Status:

Active and existing security clearance required after day 1

Joining Collins Aerospace isn’t just about finding a job; it’s about embarking on a journey to redefine the future of aerospace technology.

Collins Aerospace, an RTX company, is a leader in technologically advanced and intelligent solutions for the global aerospace and defense industry. Collins Aerospace has the capabilities, comprehensive portfolio, and expertise to solve customers’ toughest challenges and to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving global market.

Collins Aerospace is looking for a Senior Systems Engineer with a passion for engineering and desire to join the Athena Control Systems Team.  With a wide variety of Flight Controls, Autopilot, Engine Control, Sensing and Estimation products, the Athena Controls System Team is responsible for architecting, designing, and developing systems that serve manned and unmanned systems for commercial and military customers.  You will be leading the development, certification, and maintenance of systems for safety-critical commercial and military applications. In this role, you'll work with a team of highly motivated world class engineers, ensuring our solutions meet the highest standards of quality and safety.

The ideal candidate for this role has an Electrical Engineering background, experience using MATLAB Simulink or other simulation tools to develop control systems, experience with developing certified safety critical systems and experience with manufacturing and production of embedded electronics systems.

https://www.rtx.com/collinsaerospace/what-we-do/industries/military-and-defense/navigation/airborne-products/attitude-and-heading-reference-system/athena-gs111r-uas-autopilot-adahrs-pnt-hub

What You Will Do

• Duties include maintaining and performing system level tests and reporting test results

• Perform system installation, integration, and certification in the contractor’s lab and on the customer’s platform; perform and support investigation and resolution of system issues.

• Ability to perform system and subsystem requirements management in support of system enhancements and upgrades is desired.

• Responsibilities include being the subject matter expert (SME) regarding the installation, operation, and maintenance of the system

• Verify system functionality and performance comply with customer requirements

• Support and perform root cause analysis for reported system anomalies

• Support and perform trade studies addressing obsolescence

• Lead technical discussion and communication with the customer, technical leaders, and engineering team members.

• Travel up to 15%.

Qualifications You Must Have

• Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and minimum 5 years prior relevant experience or an Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 3 years of experience.

• The ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government issued security clearance is required.

• U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance.

Qualifications We Prefer

• Empathy, curiosity, and desire to constantly improve, acquire new skills and drive for results.

• Passion for technology, business, market trends and, most specifically, adding value to the industry.

• Possesses strong strategic, critical, and problem-solving thinking

• Strong interpersonal skills

• Expertise in innovation & the ability to think strategically about how to advance business-led solutions

• Working knowledge of the Systems Engineering Discipline

• Experience developing safety-critical embedded systems including schematics, layout, verification and system test

• Experience finding root cause and solutions for issues found during development,