Air Vehicle Systems

About the role

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is seeking project and/or system engineers to join the Advanced Programs Office supporting a next-generation Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) and associated prototype programs. This position reports to an Engineering Director in the Advanced Programs Office and operates within a matrix organization, collaborating closely with the Chief Engineer, Air Vehicle (AV) Integrated Product Team (IPT) leads, and subsystem teams (electrical, mission systems, avionics, EWIS, manufacturing) to drive integration and execution on a complex aircraft development program.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a prime technical contact for Air Vehicle scope on the UCAV program for defined work packages (e.g., AV integration support, configuration changes).
• Lead day-to-day Air Vehicle integration coordination, acting as a liaison between engineering, production, and integration to resolve issues on the production floor and maintain schedule.
• Maintain and drive closure of issue trackers and action lists, ensuring technical and process roadblocks are identified, assigned, and resolved.
• Analyze and interpret aircraft-level requirements and flow them down to lower-level specifications and work products for AV integration tasks.
• Own or support critical program artifacts such as engineering memos, redlines, and flight/airworthiness documentation, delivering with limited review.
• Prepare clear, concise technical documentation and presentations for internal design reviews and customer/program reviews.
• Coordinate with electrical, avionics, EWIS, and mission systems teams to ensure AV-level integration is technically sound and consistent with system-level requirements.
• Support manufacturing and integration by troubleshooting AV-related issues on the production floor.
• Support Bid & Proposal activities by contributing to technical concepts, configuration trades, and integration plans.
• Provide direction for design/technical staff and lead small, cross-functional work packages.
• Provide technical coordination of vendors/suppliers.
• Devise new approaches to resolve unusual or complex engineering problems.

Requirements

Typically requires a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or PhD in engineering or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution, along with progressive engineering experience as follows: six or more years with a bachelor’s degree, four or more years with a master’s degree, or two or more years with a PhD. Equivalent engineering experience may substitute for education.

Skills

• Demonstrated ability to independently perform difficult and complex engineering work with general guidance on expected results.
• Initiate and plan engineering tasks/projects and devise new approaches to resolve unusual or complex problems.
• Represent the organization as a prime technical contact on small contracts or single-component projects, particularly in Air Vehicle or systems-integration contexts.
• Organize, schedule, and coordinate work phases and determine appropriate approaches at the task level.
• Strong cross-disciplinary coordination skills, including liaison between multiple teams, maintaining issues trackers, and driving closure of roadblocks.
• Technical documentation and redline management, including preparation of approval packages (AFA-like documentation, memos).
• Verbal and written communication suitable for internal and external technical presentations, with clear, concise, industry-standard style.
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a multi-disciplinary, fast-paced prototype environment.
• Experience with aircraft system integration, prototype, or flight test programs (e.g., AV integration, mission systems, EPS/VMS, or similar) is highly desirable.
• Ability to work extended hours as required and maintain the strict confidentiality of sensitive information.

Pay

Salary range: $98,100 - $171,398