Senior / Staff Aircraft Systems Engineer
$161,400–$273,000 year
On-siteSanta Cruz, California, United States
Job Summary
Lead functional breakdown and requirements allocation for physical aircraft systems, ensuring traceability with vehicle-level objectives. Own systems integration workstreams, serving as the technical bridge across Software, Hardware, Flight Controls, Propulsion, and GCS teams. Define V&V strategies and allocate requirements across analysis, simulation, hardware-in-the-loop, and flight test. Act as an influential stakeholder for ConOps, Detect and Avoid, and Command and Control initiatives, providing analytical green lights for Technical and Flight Readiness Reviews. This role requires a Bachelor's or Master's degree with 8+ years of experience in systems engineering, including expertise in ARP4754A/B and DO-178C standards. Candidates must be willing to travel to flight test locations for experimental troubleshooting. Compensation ranges from $161,400 to $273,000 annually, supplemented by RSUs and a comprehensive benefits package including 401(k) matching and paid time off.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Systems Engineering, or a related field
- Minimum of 8+ years of relevant experience
- Master's degree with 6+ years of experience
- PhD with 3+ years of experience
- Demonstrated competence in systems engineering fundamentals, including functional breakdown, requirements management, and physical systems integration in support of aircraft development
- Experience with ARP4754A/B, ARP4761/4761A, and the DO-178C / DO-254 / DO-160 family
- Proven ability to operate in a fast-paced, high-quality environment, solving problems of diverse scope
- Strong collaborative skills with a track record of building productive working relationships to resolve mutual interdisciplinary problems
- Willingness to travel to flight test locations to support experimental troubleshooting and correlate flight data to system models
- Must qualify as a 'US Person' as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15
Desired Qualifications
- 10+ years of demonstrated success in systems engineering within the aerospace industry or complex hardware development
- Experience serving as a 'Super-User' or subject matter expert for specific systems engineering tools and methodologies
- A broad and deep understanding of aircraft systems that allows you to intuitively grasp how different functional areas impact one another
- Experience with SORA / SORA Annex F v2.5 (or equivalent operational risk assessment framework) and JARUS AMC RPAS.1309 Issue 2
- Experience with Group 5 UAS or BVLOS operations
- Digital flight control systems development
- Clean-sheet aerospace development
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