System Engineer, Sr. Staff

Summary 

The Sr. Staff Systems Engineer is responsible for leading system integration, verification, validation, and technical execution activities across unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) programs. This role serves as the technical integrator across software, hardware, autonomy, payload, communication, navigation, and ground control systems to ensure successful delivery of operational capabilities. 

The position is responsible for driving programs from requirements definition through system integration, flight test, verification, validation, and customer acceptance. The ideal candidate possesses strong systems engineering fundamentals combined with demonstrated experience leading complex integration and test efforts in aerospace, defense, or mission-critical systems. 

Position Responsibilities 

• Lead system integration activities across aircraft, payload, mission systems, communications, autonomy, navigation, and ground control systems. 

• Develop and execute system integration plans, integration readiness criteria, and technical maturation strategies. 

• Coordinate cross-functional engineering teams to resolve system-level issues, interface incompatibilities, and integration risks. 

• Drive technical execution to ensure capabilities mature from development through customer delivery and operational deployment. 

• Lead verification and validation activities across laboratory, SIL, HIL, ground, and flight test environments. 

• Develop test strategies, success criteria, and verification approaches supporting customer and regulatory requirements. 

• Support Test Readiness Reviews (TRR), Verification Readiness Reviews (VRR), Flight Readiness Reviews (FRR), and customer acceptance events. 

• Analyze test data, identify root causes, and drive corrective actions to closure. 

• Support flight test planning, execution, troubleshooting, and post-flight analysis. 

• Evaluate flight test results and provide recommendations for system improvements and risk reduction. 

• Coordinate with pilots, operators, software developers, and specialty engineering teams during flight test activities. 

• Support technical baseline management, software release planning, and configuration control activities. 

• Assess engineering changes for technical impact, regression risk, and verification requirements. 

• Ensure system-level regression testing is performed following significant hardware or software changes. 

• Lead cross-functional root cause investigations and corrective action implementation. 

• Identify, communicate, and mitigate technical risks affecting integration, verification, and program execution. 

• Drive technical issue closure using data-driven decision making and disciplined engineering processes. 

• Must have experience presenting at technical reviews such as SRR, PDR, CDR, and similar milestones. 

• Must be willing to travel. 

• Other duties as assigned

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience