Job Description

We currently have an exciting opportunity in our Science & Technology Products’ Systems Engineering Directorate for a Project Engineer to lead engineering and development of cutting-edge products and technologies for innovative space programs. This position directly supports the development of new designs in resolving advanced technical engineering problems. This position reports to the Senior Manager of Systems Engineering and leads engineering project teams of up to approximately fifty engineers comprised of both critical subcontractors and internal staff.

• Responsible for designing the engineering development effort and leading the execution and implementation of the engineering process in concert with the Chief Engineer and Project Manager. May support a Sr. Project Engineer on large-scale programs needed.
• Accountable for aggregate technical team, engineering plan and execution, and performance to plan for internal teams or subcontractors with significant development effort;
• Ensures that program technical resource needs are defined and met by working with the functional organizations to identify and secure appropriate staffing.
• Manages resource needs and leads engineering activities for a cross-functional engineering team.
• Executes program plans to conform to cost, schedule, production, and performance commitments.
• Supports technical leadership on product design, development, and improvement projects in concert with Program Management.
• Represents the project team’s efforts to the engineering functional organization and Project Manager.
• Provides regular updates to the Program Management Office and senior leadership.
• Represents the engineering functional organization to Project Management.
• Communicates with engineering professionals, solution users, and management throughout the solution development cycle, and represents the company as a prime technical contact on contracts and/or projects.
• Presents engineering work products in periodic and milestone reviews to senior staff and customers.
• Organizes all engineering work to support the project Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) and budget per the Project Management Plan (PMP):
  • Assist in the management and execution of the IMS
  • Lead development of engineering inputs to program IMS
  • Provide day-to-day prioritization of tasks in accordance with schedule
  • Work with PM/scheduler to update engineering manpower estimation
  • Accountable for engineering tasks, budget, schedule, and performance
  • Tracking and reporting of engineering progress
• Coordinate and drive engineering tasks and actions to closure in a timely fashion
• Responsible for the execution and implementation of engineering processes: design, development, integration, test and performance verification.
• Manage the planning, execution, and tracking/reporting of all technical aspects of the engineering development for company systems.
• Evaluates the integration of the engineering solution within the overall engineering environment; ensures that appropriate documentation, testing, maintenance, and engineering updates are completed in accordance with Systems Engineering best practices.
• Leads the engineering product development process through major program milestone reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, etc), in addition to helping establish the overall review plan.
• Formulates plans, typically long-term, for solution(s) development, documentation, and deployment, as well as meeting various compliance, reporting, and safety standards.
• Supports development of interface control documents, software requirement specifications, performance specifications, presentations and review test plans/procedures.
• Supports the development and execution of test plans and guides the integration, verification, validation, and documentation of requirements through the system development cycle.
• Keeps comprehensive notes/records, provides formal documentation following established processes and makes technical presentations, as required.
• Leads support for proposals/white papers and interfaces with customers
• Works with functional engineering leads to develop Basis of Estimates for engineering support to projects.
• Provide technical and performance oversight to second tier suppliers under subcontracts
• Performs other duties as required.

Job Qualifications

• Typically requires a bachelors degree, masters degree or PhD in engineering or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution and progressive engineering experience as follows; nine or more years of experience with a bachelors degree, seven or more years of experience with a masters degree, or four or more years with a PhD. May substitute equivalent engineering experience in lieu of education.
• An Engineering degree is preferred, though a Science degree may be accepted with appropriate experience.
• Demonstrates broad technical expertise and application of engineering principles, concepts, theory, and practice with the ability to organize, plan, schedule, conduct, and coordinate workloads to meet established deadlines or milestones, with significant experience in project leadership.
• Requires strong skills in management, project management, leadership, communication, systems engineering, and engineering technical disciplines.
• Expertise or significant experience in a technical disciplines or domains related to: High Energy Lasers, Weapons system development, High-Speed Free-space Optical Communication, or Space Payloads
• Detailed knowledge and understanding of systems engineering processes, flow down of system requirements, system architecture and the interaction of system and subsystem requirements.
• Detailed knowledge and understanding of system verification and validation to ensure the final products conform to the stated requirements.
• Experience with contractual documents -- understand and apply statement of work requirements, familiarize stakeholders with contract and organization requirements.
• Detailed working knowledge of PLM/Windchill is desired.
• Expertise in working with multiple subcontractors and suppliers to meet program needs
• Knowledge/experience with Requirements Management Systems, support requirements, lifecycle planning and integration for DOD systems is desired.
• Strong computer skills (e.g., Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project) are required. Strong communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills are required, enabling an effective interface with customers and other departments and/or professionals; capable of representing the organization as a prime technical contact, as well as providing leadership and guidance to less experienced professionals.
• Multi-tasking team player with a hands-on approach; customer-focused, formulates plans based on the development of innovative new designs in resolving advanced technical engineering problems.
• Demonstrated ability to organize, plan, schedule, conduct, and coordinate workloads of technical team to meet established deadlines or milestones.
• Broad, multi-disciplinary technical expertise and a history of applying of engineering principles, concepts, theory, and practice.
• A DoD Secret Clearance is required.
• Previous DOD experience highly desirable.
• Have a desire to work in a fast-paced testing environment.