Airborne Systems Section Lead

About the Role

We are seeking a motivated engineering leader to serve as the Airborne Systems Section Lead, guiding a high-performance team dedicated to the development of military GPS products for the airborne and maritime market spaces. In this "player-coach" role, you will act as both a functional manager and a technical leader, mentoring a team of 10-15 engineers while influencing product design. You will lead cutting-edge navigation solutions, including the next-generation Maritime and Aviation Receiver Card (MAVRC) program and existing programs like the Joint Precision Approach and Landing Systems (JPALS). This role requires deep expertise in airborne product needs and experience guiding teams through DO-178C and DO-254 standards to move products from design to deployment.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct supervision, mentoring, and performance management for a team of 10-15 systems engineers, focusing on career development and professional accountability.
• Lead recruiting, interviewing, and onboarding efforts to ensure the team has the required skill sets to meet evolving business objectives.
• Foster a safe, inclusive, and collaborative team culture that celebrates technical achievement and continuous learning.
• Actively engage in program execution to drive sound technical decision-making, ensuring the team delivers value within cost and schedule constraints.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and mentor for complex product certification processes, specifically DO-178C (Software) and DO-254 (Hardware), including overseeing certification strategies and compliance with TSO/MSO authorization processes.
• Apply deep systems engineering rigor to the development of airborne and maritime GPS products, ensuring robust requirements decomposition, architecture design, and verification.
• Partner with Program Managers and Business Development to influence technical roadmaps and ensure product competitiveness in the airborne and naval sectors.
• Participate in design reviews, bid and proposal efforts, and the development of next-generation navigation solutions.

This role is performed in a hybrid work format (minimum 50% onsite).

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field (Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, or Computer Science).
• 10+ years of experience in systems engineering with a proven track record of leading technical teams (either functionally or as a technical lead).
• Strong understanding of the full systems engineering lifecycle, from requirements definition through design, integration, and test.
• Experience with airborne product requirements and the unique constraints of aviation environments, including familiarity with DO-178 and DO-254 development and certification standards.
• Ability to obtain a DoD Secret security clearance.
• Demonstrated ability to coach and mentor junior-to-mid-level engineers toward high-performance standards.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical decisions to program leadership and customers.

Preferred Qualifications

• Extensive background in TSO/MSO certification processes, documentation, and compliance demonstration.
• Proven experience guiding teams through DO-178C and DO-254 lifecycles, including coordination with MSO to obtain program authorizations (e.g., C204).
• Experience with military GPS, anti-jam (AJ) technology, or PNT (Positioning, Navigation, and Timing) solutions.
• Prior experience as a functional manager (performance reviews, staffing, and resource management).
• Currently hold an active DoD Secret or Top Secret security clearance.
• Master’s degree in a STEM field.

Pay

Full-Time Salary Range: $136,000 - $231,200. Individual salaries are determined by factors including business considerations, local market conditions, internal equity, and candidate qualifications such as skills, education, and experience.

Benefits

Regular employees scheduled to work 20+ hours per week are offered:

• Health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Health savings accounts.
• A 401(k) savings plan.
• Disability coverage and life and accident insurance.
• Employee assistance program and legal plan.
• Discounts on home, auto, and pet insurance.
• Paid time off, paid holidays, and other types of leave, including paid parental, military, bereavement, and applicable federal and state sick leave.
• Company recognition program with monetary or non-monetary awards.
• Other incentives may be available based on position level and job specifics.