Principal Hardware Engineer - Hardware Development Lead

The Mission

Protecting Those Who Protect Us

The Challenge

• Lead a multi-disciplinary team of 5-10+ engineers (Electrical, Mechanical, and Design Drafting) to push the boundaries of what is possible in rugged custom electronics.
• Solve the complex engineering hurdles associated with high-speed digital/mixed-signal circuit cards in the most demanding environments on earth.

Your Impact as a Technical Leader

• Drive Technical Excellence: Lead critical design reviews and architect hardware strategies that ensure program success and system reliability.
• Mentor and Scale: Grow the technical maturity of your team by providing guidance, fostering innovation, and ensuring the "right person is in the right job."
• Bridge the Gap: Act as the primary technical conduit between engineering, procurement, operations, and program management to move a design from concept to deployment.
• Shape the Future: Support program capture and proposal teams by defining hardware baselines and estimating the technical effort required for next-gen capabilities.
• Own the Execution: Balance the rigors of the Hardware Development Process with the agility needed to solve complex, real-world engineering problems.

Why Join BAE Systems?

• We value the "deep work" required for engineering excellence. That’s why we offer a hybrid work format that balances collaborative, in-person lab work with remote focus time.
• We support your life outside of work with: Every Other Friday Off (9/80 schedule), Flextime & Telecommuting.
• A Culture of Recognition for extraordinary technical contributions.

Required

• Proven Technical Pedigree: A BSEE (or related field) and 6+ years of experience. You have a strong technical background related to complex digital/mixed-signal designs with embedded processors, FPGAs, and high-speed serial interfaces—from initial requirements through to successful verification.
• Multidisciplinary Leadership: Experience leading integrated teams of Electrical, Mechanical, and Drafting engineers.
• Lifecycle Expertise: Knowledge of the hardware product lifecycle, from schematic capture and PCB layout to environmental qualification.
• Strategic Mindset: An understanding for managing cost and schedule to ensure technical goals align with program constraints. Prior Earned Value Management (EVM) or Cost Account Management (CAM) experience is desirable.
• C clearance: Ability to obtain or maintain a DoD Security Clearance (Active Secret preferred).

Pay Information

• Full-Time Salary Range: $118095 - $200762
• This range is based on our market pay structures. However, individual salaries are determined by a variety of factors including, but not limited to: business considerations, local market conditions, and internal equity, as well as candidate qualifications, such as skills, education, and experience.

Employee Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision insurance;
• Health savings accounts;
• A 401(k) savings plan;
• Disability coverage;
• Life and accident insurance;
• An employee assistance program;
• A legal plan;
• Other perks including discounts on things like home, auto, and pet insurance.

About BAE Systems Electronic Systems

• BAE Systems, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of BAE Systems plc, an international defense, aerospace and security company which delivers a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services.
• Improving the future and protecting lives is an ambitious mission, but it’s what we do at BAE Systems. Working here means using your passion and ingenuity where it counts – defending national security with breakthrough technology, superior products, and intelligence solutions.
• As you develop the latest technology and defend national security, you will continually hone your skills on a team—making a big impact on a global scale.
• At BAE Systems, you’ll find a rewarding career that truly makes a difference. Electronic Systems (ES) is the global innovator behind BAE Systems’ game-changing defense and commercial electronics. Exploiting every electron, we push the limits of what is possible, giving our customers the edge and our employees opportunities to change the world.