Associate Project / Systems Engineer

FW ACQUISITION INC; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 72,000 - 112,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Bonus eligibility

Job summary

FW ACQUISITION INC is seeking a Project Engineer to drive complex hardware development programs for UAS products. You will collaborate with Engineering, Product, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Quality to ensure cost, schedule, quality, and performance goals are met.

The role focuses on turning ambiguous requirements into executable plans, maintaining program visibility, and supporting process improvements within PDP and gated hardware development methods.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant engineering field is required.
• 1+ year of Aerospace & Defense experience; 3+ years preferred.
• Experience with risk and opportunity management and tradeoffs.
• Proven ability to work with cross-functional teams and manage schedules.

Responsibilities

• Support programs across the full lifecycle from requirements to release.
• Review PRDs and development plans to align technical and business teams.
• Develop engineering program plans with Gantt schedules and risk mitigation.
• Facilitate cross-functional reviews (PDR/CDR/MRR) and manage interdependencies.
• Track status, summarize decisions, and escalate risks to unblock teams.

Skills

Aerospace & Defense experience

Risk & opportunity management

Cross-functional collaboration

Schedule tracking & reporting

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Electrical, or Systems Engineering

Tools

MS Project

Jira

Trello

Linear

Notion

Job description

This role supports complex, cross-functional technical programs across the full hardware development lifecycle for UAS products, from early concept and architecture through validation, production ramp, and lifecycle sustainment. The Project Engineer under Technical Program Management oversight will assist in owning program execution across technical scope, schedule, resources, risks, dependencies, and cross-functional deliverables, ensuring engineering and operational teams remain aligned to program objectives.The ideal candidate is interested in all facets of new product development and thrives in a highly dynamic hardware development environment and can help drive ambiguous, technically complex programs toward execution with guidance from Technical Program Management. This individual will partner closely with Engineering, Product, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, and Operations to establish priorities, resolve cross-functional issues, drive technical tradeoffs, and ensure delivery against committed cost, schedule, quality, and performance objectives.This role also contributes to the evolution of the organization's program execution framework, helps monitor the effectiveness of program practices, and supports continuous improvement in hardware development and delivery processes.Essential Duties and ResponsibilitiesSupport new product programs across the full lifecycle (requirements, architecture, design, integration, verification, validation, production ramp, and release), with a focus on requirements traceability.Work alongside the Product team to review PRDs (Product Requirements Documents), Development Build Plans and ensure alignment across technical and business teams to drive execution.Assist in building detailed engineering program plans, including Gantt schedules, resource allocation, and risk mitigation strategies, using Agile methods (Scrum, Kanban) where appropriate.Facilitate cross-functional peer reviews and support design reviews (PDR/CDR/MRR) to ensure timely execution across mechanical, electrical, firmware, software, and manufacturing teams.Identify and manage interdependencies between engineering disciplines, supply chain, and external partners.Track and report program status, tradeoffs, and decisions — escalating risks and unblocking teams as needed.Help maintain program-level visibility across multiple concurrent workstreams, ensuring critical-path activities, dependencies, risks, and decisions are actively managed to deliver program commitments.Facilitate technical trade studies and decision-making across disciplines when there is conflict between performance, cost, schedule, or requirements.Drive DFMEA activities with engineers to ensure manufacturing feedback supports iterative product development.Support adoption of the Product Development Process (PDP) and identify improvements to gated hardware development processes and delivery methodologies to help accomplish program goals.Other duties as assigned.Required QualificationsBachelor's degree in Aerospace, Electrical, or Systems Engineering, or a related technical field.1+ year of experience in the Aerospace & Defense industry. (3+ years of experience as preferred)Exposure to risk and opportunity management practices while balancing parallel paths against tradeoffs (e.g., schedule, cost, performance, etc).Strong written and verbal communication, technical fluency, and organizational skills with attention to schedule detail.Experience working with cross-functional teams and reporting on schedule and execution risks.Experience with project scheduling (Gantt) tools, preferably MS Project.Familiarity with modern project management/Kanban applications (Jira, Trello, Linear, Notion, etc)Additional Desired QualificationsExperience with vision systems, autonomous/unmanned systems, aerospace platforms, or other regulated/high-reliability products.Familiarity with PCBA, propulsion, avionics, and other flight critical hardware and impact to project scoping/planning.Experience leading failure mode/root cause investigations, especially on complex electro-mechanical systems.Experience in environments with both Agile software and gated hardware development cycles.Understanding of full aerospace/defense hardware development lifecycles.Physical Requirements and Working ConditionsWith or without reasonable accommodation, the employee must be able to:Ability to sit and work at a computer for extended periods of time.Ability to stand for extended periods during first builds and production floor activities.Ability to occasionally lift and/or move items up to 25 pounds.Ability to use hands and fingers to handle, assemble, or inspect components and hardware.Ability to communicate effectively with team members in both office and production environments.Specific vision abilities required include close vision, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus when working with technical drawings, schematics, and small components.Background CheckThis position will require successfully completing a post-offer background check. Qualified candidates with a criminal history will be considered and are not automatically disqualified, consistent with the California Fair Chance Act and applicable law.EEO and ITAR/EAR Work Authorization DisclosureRed Cat Holdings provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, ancestry, marital status, medical condition, disability status, genetics, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, reproductive health decision-making, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This position requires direct or indirect access to hardware, software, technology or technical data controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Applicants must be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 CFR §120.62 (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or individual granted asylum or refugee status), or otherwise be eligible to access export-controlled information without a license.E-VerifyThe company participates in E-Verify to ensure eligibility for employment and compliance with Right to Work rules.Compensation: $71,760-$112,125 base salary, plus annual equity and bonus eligibility.