Lead the avionics team in the development of an air-launched hypersonic vehicle capable of Mach 5+ flight.. Provide technical leadership across systems engineering, integration, and testing activities.. Ensure seamless coordination between disciplines to advance national security and flight test objectives.. Oversee the full lifecycle of avionics and electrical systems from concept through flight testing.
Responsibilities
- Lead the architecture, design, analysis, integration, and testing of avionics and electrical systems.
- Maintain configuration control of key avionics components, including wiring diagrams, 3D CAD models, and work orders.
- Collaborate with and guide engineers across multiple disciplines to define requirements and develop technical solutions.
- Coordinate with subsystem leads to establish system requirements, test plans, and test procedures.
- Conduct analyses to evaluate system design effectiveness and alignment with program goals.
- Interface with external customers to support range integration, launch licensing, safety documentation, and payload integration.
- Review technical presentations and participate in design reviews throughout the vehicle development lifecycle.
- Support ground and flight test operations as needed.
- Assess technical and programmatic risks and evaluate the adequacy of proposed mitigation strategies.
- Provide regular updates to the program Chief Engineer on a weekly and monthly basis.
- Communicate with the Chief Engineer of Avionics to address team needs including training, test equipment upgrades, and avionics-specific processes.
- Manage direct reports through regular one-on-one meetings, performance reviews, and professional development.
- Contribute to the integration of complex aerospace systems across multiple domains.
- Uphold principles of honesty, responsibility, integrity, and commitment fulfillment in all work.
Requirements
- Experience in electrical engineering, avionics, or experimental aircraft and launch vehicle integration.
- Background in managing aerospace vehicle manufacturing processes.
- Proven experience integrating avionics wiring and hardware into aerospace platforms.
- Hands-on experience with aerospace vehicle system bring-up, including ground and flight testing and validation.
- Familiarity with telemetry systems and IRIG-106 standards, including Chapters 4, 10, and 7.
- Experience using data acquisition systems and instrumentation such as thermocouples, accelerometers, strain gages, and pressure transducers.
- Knowledge of aerospace electrical power systems.
- Experience developing and reviewing wiring diagrams and circuit schematics.
- Background in electrical design analysis, including power, thermal, and RF budgeting.
- Ability to work independently and align tasks with organizational objectives.
- Experience in the development of complex aerospace systems.
- Capacity to adapt quickly to shifting priorities and project demands.
- Eligibility to obtain and maintain a Department of Defense security clearance.
Nice to Have
- Knowledge of environmental testing, including vibration, thermal, and shock testing.
- Experience testing RF avionics components such as transmitters, cabling, and antennas.
- Familiarity with MIL-STD-461 testing for Conducted Susceptibility (CS), Radiative Susceptibility (RS), and Radiative Emissions (RE).
- Understanding of flight termination systems and their operational requirements.
- Experience supporting test operations from a control room setting.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a Department of Defense security clearance.
Tech Stack
C/C++, Python, M
