Staff Chief Engineer – Mission Software

Description

This is a senior technical authority role for a complex mission system segment, covering the overall design and technical baseline of common software that supports several sensors and mission applications.

You will shape the mission software architecture, including multi-sensor data ingestion and fusion, TCPED workflows, telemetry, and health and status services, and make sure delivered capabilities meet mission, performance, cyber, schedule, and cost goals.

You will work with the Program Manager, Engineering Program Manager, SEIT Lead, product owners, and functional managers, and with operations staff, customer representatives, mission partners, and suppliers, to move the program through technical maturity and major milestones.

The core work is designing, developing, documenting, testing, and debugging applications software built on logical and mathematical solutions, often through multidisciplinary research alongside equipment and hardware engineers. The team builds compilers, assemblers, utility programs, and operating systems, and ensures software standards are met.

Responsibilities

• Define the mission software architecture, interfaces, and CONOPS for shared capabilities.
• Own and maintain the technical baseline and roadmap so they match mission and program objectives.
• Lead the development, allocation, and verification of system and segment requirements, tracing them back to customer needs and mission threads.
• Coordinate with program management, engineering program management, systems and software engineering, operations, and I&T so the architecture and implementation meet requirements.
• Lead or take part in major technical reviews such as SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, ORR, and FRR, and resolve technical issues, risks, and actions that come out of them.
• Set the integration and test strategy, including simulation, emulation, and automated testing to verify end-to-end mission threads.
• Research and assess new technologies, such as cloud, microservices, and data frameworks, that could improve mission capability.
• Build lasting relationships with customer counterparts and internal stakeholders, and report technical status and recommendations to leadership.
• Contribute solution architecture, BOEs, and technical content to capture and proposal work for new and follow-on business.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM field with 12+ years of related professional or military experience, or a STEM Master's with 10+ years, or a STEM PhD with 8+ years.
• Working knowledge of systems engineering principles and processes, including requirements development and verification.
• Working knowledge of Python, Golang, Typescript, Javascript, and general-purpose programming, plus SQL.
• Demonstrated experience as a Chief Engineer, SEIT Lead, System Architect, or major segment Technical Lead on a large, multi-disciplinary program.
• Experience with mission software in at least one of these areas: multi-sensor data ingestion and processing, data fusion or correlation (track or information fusion), TCPED or comparable mission workflows, or telemetry and health and status monitoring.
• Experience with cloud-based or virtualized architectures and containerized microservices such as Docker, Kubernetes, or OpenShift in mission environments.
• Experience leading requirements development, testing, and verification with tools such as DOORS or an equivalent.
• Experience with Agile development and collaboration tools such as JIRA and Confluence, or equivalents.
• Familiarity with DevSecOps toolchains and practices.
• Strong verbal and written communication, including presenting technical information to customers and senior leadership.
• Active U.S. Government Top Secret clearance, with a background investigation in the past 6 years or enrollment in Continuous Evaluation, and the ability to obtain and maintain SCI within a reasonable timeframe.
• Preferred: active U.S. Government Top Secret/SCI clearance.
• Preferred: Master's degree or PhD in a related STEM field.
• Preferred: prior work as a segment-level or program-level Chief Engineer or Chief Architect on mission system, C2, sensor fusion, or ISR/TCPED programs.
• Preferred: experience applying Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), such as SysML, UML, or Cameo, to architecture design and development.
• Preferred: experience with data-intensive distributed systems, including real-time or near-real-time processing, streaming or data frameworks, and high-availability architectures.
• Preferred: Security+ or equivalent (IAT Level II) certification.
• Preferred: AWS Cloud Practitioner or equivalent certification.
• Preferred: experience in a SAFe Agile environment, including ARTs, PI planning, and multi-team coordination.
• Preferred: experience with RMF and ATO processes and with implementing cybersecurity controls in operational systems.
• Preferred: strong leadership and interpersonal skills, including conflict resolution, working well in a fast-moving environment, and keeping customer relationships strong.
• Preferred: experience leading geographically distributed teams and managing the technical performance of suppliers and subcontractors.

Conditions

Top Secret clearance is required before start.

Travel is 25% of the time.

Relocation assistance may be available.

The primary base salary range is $161,000.00 to $241,400.00. This is a general guideline, and the final offer depends on scope, responsibilities, experience, education, skills, and current market conditions.

The application window is estimated at 20 days from the posting date, but it may be shortened or extended based on business needs and candidate availability.

Benefits

• Depending on the role, you may be eligible for overtime, a shift differential, and a discretionary bonus on top of base pay.
• Annual bonuses reward individual contributions and share company results with employees.
• Employees in Vice President or Director roles may be eligible for Long Term Incentives.
• Benefits include health insurance, life and disability insurance, a savings plan, paid company holidays, and paid time off for vacation or personal business.