Principal Specialist, Configuration Management (Onsite)

About the role

Collins Aerospace is seeking a Configuration Manager to support our Sterling, VA location. This role supports enterprise bid and proposal activities based on customer requirements.

Responsibilities

• Author technical proposal sections related to Configuration Management processes, tools, and compliance
• Develop tailored Configuration Management Plans aligned with contractual obligations and compliant with the company’s certified Quality Management System
• Mentor and guide program stakeholders to ensure full and consistent adherence to CM Plan requirements across the lifecycle
• Collaborate with engineering, program management, quality, and operations teams to enforce configuration discipline, maintain technical baselines, and deliver fully compliant CM products and services throughout the program lifecycle
• Present CM approaches to external customers and partners, including co-chair responsibilities during formal audits and technical interchange meetings
• Define applicable product Configuration Items, baselines and identifiers so that the remaining CM System elements can be executed
• Participate in Configuration Control Boards (CCBs) and formal peer reviews, contributing to baseline authorization, change evaluation, and decision support
• Conduct CM surveillance audit activities and co-chair formal functional configuration audits (FCAs) and physical configuration audits (PCAs) to verify product integrity
• Record and report the status of product configurations, design baselines, and pending changes
• Partner with engineering teams in Agile and Waterfall development environments within a DevSecOps framework
• Use CM toolsets including Atlassian ALM, Product Data Management systems, GitLab, Ansible, and other enterprise toolchains

Qualifications

• Active and transferable Secret U.S. government issued security clearance is required prior to start date with the ability to obtain a Top Secret clearance and SAP access
• Typically requires a University Degree and minimum 5 years prior relevant experience or an Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 3 years of experience
• Demonstrated understanding of configuration management industry standards, including the SAE EIA-649 configuration management suite and DoD MIL-HDBK-61B guidance
• Experience supporting bid and proposal efforts, including development of CM technical proposal content used for customer evaluation
• Working knowledge of the five core CM disciplines: Configuration Management Planning, Configuration Identification, Configuration Change Management, Configuration Status Accounting, Configuration Verification & Audit
• Ability to operate with minimal supervision in complex DevSecOps and Agile software development environments
• Familiarity with Modern Software Factory concepts and associated CI/CD pipeline configuration management support activities
• Hands-on experience with CM and ALM tools, including the Atlassian tool suite (Jira, Confluence), GitLab, Artifactory, and Product Data Management systems such as Enovia or Windchill
• Ability to co-chair software Change Control Boards (CCBs) and produce timely configuration status accounting records and CCB minutes

Skills

• Configuration Management best practices as applied to simple, medium, and complex programs

Benefits

We offer a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance, three weeks of vacation for newly hired employees, a generous 401(k) plan with employer matching funds and separate employer retirement contributions, including a Lifetime Income Strategy option, tuition reimbursement program, student loan repayment program, life insurance and disability coverage, optional coverages like pet insurance, home and auto insurance, additional life and accident insurance, critical illness insurance, group legal, ID theft protection, birth, adoption, parental leave benefits, Ovia Health, fertility, and family planning, adoption assistance, autism benefit, employee assistance plan, Employee Scholar Program, parental leave, paid time off, and holidays. Specific benefits are dependent upon the specific business unit as well as whether or not the position is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement.