Electro-Optics System Architect-SME *

Requisition Number: 30808 | Required Travel: 11–25% | Employment Type: Full Time/Salaried/Exempt | Security Clearance: Secret | Level of Experience: Senior

About the role

This opportunity resides with Warfare Systems (WS), a business group within HII’s Mission Technologies division. Warfare Systems comprises cyber and mission IT; electronic warfare; and C5ISR systems. HII works within our nation’s intelligence and cyber operations communities to defend our interests in cyberspace and anticipate emerging threats. Our capabilities in cybersecurity, network architecture, reverse engineering, software and hardware development uniquely enable us to support sensitive missions for the U.S. military and federal agency partners.

Leadership at HII – Mission Technologies is defined by the Leadership Capability Framework, which sets the standard of excellence expected of all leaders across Mission Technologies. Leaders are accountable for modeling these capabilities and building them within their teams:

• Know & Grow Your People – Develop talent, empower teams, and build an inclusive environment.
• Build Relationships – Strengthen trust, collaboration, and cross-functional partnerships.
• Take Ownership – Drive accountability, execution excellence, and results.
• Customer First – Anticipate mission needs and deliver value to our partners.
• Shape the Future – Inspire innovation and align work with strategic priorities.
• Act with Urgency – Make informed decisions and move with purpose.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Mission Technologies is seeking an Electro-Optics (EO) Engineer to serve as a technical lead engineer located at Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB), Dayton, Ohio. The position is within a commutable distance from Beavercreek, Fairborn, Dayton, and Riverside. The ideal candidate has expertise and experience in all aspects of Electro-Optics, particularly in experimental, laboratory, and field work — including hardware testing, performance measurement, EO/IR validation, simulation tools, and predictive modelling. The candidate will also act as a smart technical and programmatic lead, responsible for assembling, leading, and directing an eventually six-person team.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a team in the development of an EO testing and measurement capability.
• Work with other senior management and technical leads.
• Resurrect and build up an EO test capability.
• Design and execute tests, both at Dayton and at various test facilities in CONUS.
• Work with customers to determine their requirements and test to meet them.
• Develop and maintain program and test schedules.
• Execute (and travel to) tests.
• Work with collected data to determine results and write comprehensive technical reports.

Requirements

• 10 years relevant experience with PhD in either Optics, Physics, or Electro-Optics field, or 13 years of relevant experience with Masters in Physics or Electro-Optic field.
• Minimum Secret clearance required to start; must be able to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI with enhanced security checks.
• Advanced proficiency in Modeling & Simulation (M&S) and data analysis.
• Experience with the design, development, or optimization of Electro-Optics systems architectures, including:
  • Optical fundamentals: light sources, propagation, reflection, refraction, diffraction, and polarization.
  • Sensor systems: photodetectors, principles of EO/IR sensors, radiometry, modulation transfer function, and performance modelling.
  • Signal processing: image data processing, noise reduction, and detection algorithms.
• Analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent verbal and written/report writing skills.
• Strong team building and leading skills and personnel management.
• Ability to summarize, interpret, and provide critical feedback to technical discussions and documents.