Senior Staff Systems Engineering - Avionics

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a world leader in proven, reliable remotely piloted aircraft and tactical reconnaissance radars, as well as advanced high-resolution surveillance systems.

With limited consultative direction, this position exercises considerable latitude in determining technical objectives and approaches for the analysis, development, integration, modernization, and sustainment of complex avionics and unmanned aircraft systems.

Functions as a senior technical authority and technical lead for assigned avionics systems, subsystems, capabilities, or projects/programs. Applies extensive systems engineering and avionics expertise to develop and evaluate system requirements, architectures, interfaces, integration approaches, verification strategies, and engineering solutions throughout the system lifecycle.

Provides technical leadership across multidisciplinary engineering teams and supports the successful integration of new and modified avionics capabilities into existing aircraft configurations. Evaluates impacts across hardware, software, electrical power, communications, flight controls, mission systems, payloads, ground systems, safety, cybersecurity, test, and other interfacing system elements.

Participates in planning and oversight of requirements development, architecture, design, integration, qualification, verification, flight test, fielding, sustainment, and modernization activities. Represents the organization as a senior technical point of contact with internal engineering organizations, program leadership, suppliers, customers, and government representatives.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Determines technical objectives and engineering approaches for assigned aircraft avionics systems, subsystems, capabilities, and projects.

• Serves as a senior technical lead and subject matter resource for aircraft avionics and associated system interfaces.

• Leads systems engineering activities throughout the system lifecycle, including:

  • Stakeholder and system requirements analysis.

  • Requirements development, decomposition, allocation, and traceability.

  • Functional and physical architecture development.

  • Interface definition and management.

  • Trade studies and technical assessments.

  • Integration planning.

  • Verification and validation planning.

  • Qualification, ground test, and flight-test support.

  • Sustainment and modernization assessments.

• Leads or supports development and maintenance of aircraft avionics architectures and associated system/subsystem specifications.

• Evaluates proposed avionics changes for impacts to existing aircraft configurations, interfaces, requirements, software, hardware, verification, and regression testing.

• Leads technical assessments associated with integrating or modifying avionics equipment, including:

  • Navigation systems.

  • Communication systems.

  • Identification systems.

  • Flight control and vehicle-management interfaces.

  • Aircraft computers and controllers.

  • Sensors.

  • Data buses and aircraft networks.

  • Mission and payload interfaces.

  • Electrical power and signal interfaces.

• Develops and reviews system, subsystem, component, and interface requirements for avionics capabilities.

• Ensures requirements are traceable to applicable stakeholder, system, and program-level needs.

• Leads development, review, and maintenance of Interface Control Documents, system specifications, architecture products, interconnect definitions, and related technical documentation.

• Evaluates compatibility and integration impacts between legacy avionics and new or modernized hardware and software.

• Coordinates avionics integration activities across systems engineering, electrical engineering, software, mechanical engineering, systems integration, test, safety, cybersecurity, configuration management, and other engineering organizations.

• Leads or participates in troubleshooting complex aircraft integration and test issues and supports root-cause and corrective-action activities.

• Supports hardware/software integration in laboratory, SIL/HIL, aircraft ground-test, and flight-test environments.

• Defines or supports verification methods and verification planning for avionics requirements.

• Evaluates regression-test impacts associated with avionics hardware, software, interface, and configuration changes.

• Supports system configuration and release assessments to ensure technical changes are properly allocated to applicable aircraft configurations.

• Participates in engineering change review and configuration-control activities.

• Leads technical trade studies involving avionics architecture, interfaces, obsolescence, modernization, reuse, performance, cost, schedule, and technical risk.

• Supports avionics obsolescence and sustainment planning for fielded aircraft systems.

• Supports modernization efforts involving replacement or upgrade of legacy avionics equipment and associated interfaces.

• Reviews supplier and subcontractor technical data and coordinates resolution of system-level interface and integration issues.

• Represents assigned avionics areas at technical interchange meetings, customer meetings, engineering working groups, and major program reviews.

• Develops and presents technical material for reviews such as SRR, SDR, PDR, CDR/FDR, TRR, and other applicable technical reviews.

• Provides technical guidance, mentoring, and review of work performed by less-experienced engineers.

• May lead small multidisciplinary technical teams or significant avionics work packages.

• Supports engineering planning, estimating, scheduling, staffing, and resource planning for assigned technical activities.

• Identifies technical issues and develops recommendations for resolution or escalation.

• Contributes to systems engineering process, architecture, requirements-management, and integration improvements.

• Maintains strict confidentiality of sensitive information.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

• Responsible for observing all laws, regulations, and other applicable obligations wherever and whenever business is conducted on behalf of the Company.

• Expected to work in a safe manner in accordance with established operating procedures and practices.

We recognize and appreciate the value and contributions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences and welcome all qualified individuals to apply.

Qualifications

• Typically requires a bachelor's, master's, or PhD in engineering or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution, plus progressive engineering experience: 12+ years with a bachelor's, 10+ years with a master's, or 7+ years with a PhD. Equivalent engineering experience may substitute for education.
• Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline preferred.
• Demonstrates extensive technical expertise and application of engineering principles, concepts, theory, and practice to complex aerospace or defense systems, including aircraft, unmanned aircraft systems, avionics, or similarly complex multidisciplinary systems.
• Demonstrated ability to independently resolve highly complex technical problems involving multiple systems, interfaces, and engineering disciplines.
• Extensive experience in one or more avionics areas, including navigation, communications, identification/IFF, aircraft networks and data buses, flight-control interfaces, vehicle-management systems, aircraft computers/controllers, sensors, mission-system interfaces, or electrical and signal interfaces.
• Experience developing, reviewing, and managing system and subsystem requirements, including decomposition, allocation, traceability, verification, and baseline control; developing or managing avionics interfaces and Interface Control Documents; and integrating avionics hardware, software, and system-level interfaces.
• Experience evaluating technical changes for impacts across requirements, architecture, interfaces, hardware, software, test, and aircraft configuration, and developing recommendations based on those impacts.
• Experience supporting system integration, laboratory, aircraft ground, qualification, and/or flight testing. Experience troubleshooting complex hardware/software/interface integration issues is highly desired.
• Experience with avionics modernization, technology insertion, sustainment, obsolescence management, and common avionics communication interfaces/data buses is highly desired.
• Experience with requirements tools such as Jama, DOORS, or equivalent; MBSE and architecture tools such as Cameo/MagicDraw, SysML, or equivalent; and systems engineering products such as functional decompositions, sequence diagrams, interface models, and other architecture products is desired.
• Experience with configuration management, engineering change control, baseline/release management, and major technical reviews such as SRR, SDR, PDR, CDR/FDR, and TRR is desired.
• Experience with unmanned or military aircraft and with suppliers, subcontractors, customers, and government organizations is highly desirable.
• Strong technical leadership, communication, presentation, interpersonal, mentoring, and technical-direction skills. Must communicate complex avionics and system-level issues clearly to engineering teams, program leadership, suppliers, customers, and government representatives; work independently with limited direction; coordinate across multidisciplinary organizations; and balance technical performance, integration, cost, schedule, and program constraints.
• Must be able to work extended hours as required and obtain and maintain a DoD Security Clearance.

Highly Desired Experience:

• UAS aircraft avionics architecture.
• Integration of new avionics into mature or fielded aircraft.
• Avionics hardware and software modernization.
• Aircraft network and data-bus integration.
• Navigation, communications, IFF, flight-control, or vehicle-management systems.
• Requirements and ICD ownership.
• SIL/HIL and aircraft-level integration.
• Ground and flight test.
• Configuration-specific change-impact analysis.
• Verification and regression-test planning.
• Sustainment and avionics obsolescence management.
• Foreign language proficiency relevant to international customers, partners, suppliers, or program activities.

Work for Warriors is a no-cost employment program of the California Military Department for Service Members, Veterans, and military family members. The Veteran Staffing Consultant for General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. is Chuck Callahan.