Chief Engineer, Autonomous Systems

Metron Inc.; Reston (VA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance

Paid Time Off

Tuition Reimbursement

Professional Development Reimbursement

Annual Salary Reviews

Profit Sharing

401(k) Traditional and Roth Options

Gym and Fitness Reimbursement

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

Metron Inc. in Reston, VA is seeking a Chief Engineer to provide senior technical authority for the design, development, production, deployment, and sustainment of advanced autonomous undersea vehicles and uncrewed maritime platforms.

The role requires broad depth across autonomy software, naval architecture, mechanical/electrical engineering, energy systems, and sensors, with leadership of multidisciplinary teams and rigorous MBSE practices. Travel up to 25% and U.S. citizenship are required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, systems engineering, naval architecture, or a related field.
• At least 8 years of leadership experience developing and delivering undersea military systems.
• Demonstrated experience developing autonomous maritime or undersea systems and driving them through prototyping, field testing, and production transition.
• Experience managing technical risks and resolving critical issues in high‑visibility programs.
• Ability to travel up to 25%.
• US citizenship required. Successful candidates will be subject to a security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end engineering activities including concept development, requirements specification, detailed design, integration, test, verification, validation, production transition, sustainment, and obsolescence management.
• Ensure complex maritime systems mature from prototype to production‑ready platforms, including manufacturability, cost‑effectiveness, quality assurance, maintainability, and alignment with Navy certification and safety standards.
• Direct multidisciplinary engineering teams spanning autonomous system software, mechanical and electrical engineering, hydrodynamics, buoyancy and stability, acoustic and RF communications, energy systems, payload integration, and maritime control systems.
• Drive systems engineering rigor, including definition of performance objectives, requirements management, MBSE practices, baseline management, and architecture trade studies.
• Collaborate with government customers and industry partners to ensure solutions meet mission needs and evolving operational concepts.
• Support customer engagements and business development activities by articulating technical solutions, shaping conceptual designs, and contributing to competitive proposals and white papers.
• Lead investigation and resolution of high‑priority technical issues on mission‑critical programs.
• Mentor engineering staff, develop emerging technical leaders, and foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and strong engineering discipline.

Skills

Leadership experience

System engineering

MBSE

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, systems engineering, naval architecture, or related field

Tools

DOORS

CAMEO

Job description

About Metron

Metron is an employee‑owned company dedicated to delivering innovative solutions for the most challenging national security problems. For over 40 years, our principled approach to problem‑solving has yielded creative solutions at the intersection of advanced mathematics, computer science, physics, and engineering. Our people are leaders in their technical fields and are passionate about solving challenging problems. We look for individuals who share this same passion and can apply their experience in real‑world settings.

The Chief Engineer provides senior‑level technical authority for the design, development, production, deployment, and sustainment of advanced autonomous undersea vehicles and uncrewed maritime platforms. The ideal candidate has extensive experience taking complex maritime autonomous systems from early concept and prototype development through production transition and operational deployment.

This role requires broad technical depth across autonomy software, naval architecture, mechanical and electrical engineering, power and energy systems, marine robotics, navigation and sensing, acoustic communications, cyber‑resilient architectures, and systems engineering. The Chief Engineer will guide technical strategy, lead multidisciplinary engineering teams, drive rigorous design and verification practices, and ensure that Metron’s engineering solutions meet demanding operational, environmental, and safety requirements for maritime missions.

Responsibilities

• Lead end‑to‑end engineering activities including concept development, requirements specification, detailed design, integration, test, verification, validation, production transition, sustainment, and obsolescence management.
• Ensure complex maritime systems mature from prototype to production‑ready platforms, including manufacturability, cost‑effectiveness, quality assurance, maintainability, and alignment with Navy certification and safety standards.
• Direct multidisciplinary engineering teams spanning autonomous system software, mechanical and electrical engineering, hydrodynamics, buoyancy and stability, acoustic and RF communications, energy systems, payload integration, and maritime control systems.
• Drive systems engineering rigor, including definition of performance objectives, requirements management, MBSE practices, baseline management, and architecture trade studies.
• Collaborate with government customers and industry partners to ensure solutions meet mission needs and evolving operational concepts.
• Support customer engagements and business development activities by articulating technical solutions, shaping conceptual designs, and contributing to competitive proposals and white papers.
• Lead investigation and resolution of high‑priority technical issues on mission‑critical programs.
• Mentor engineering staff, develop emerging technical leaders, and foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and strong engineering discipline.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, systems engineering, naval architecture, or a related field.
• At least 8 years of leadership experience developing and delivering undersea military systems.
• Demonstrated experience developing autonomous maritime or undersea systems and driving them through prototyping, field testing, and production transition.
• Experience managing technical risks and resolving critical issues in high‑visibility programs.
• Ability to travel up to 25%.
• US citizenship required. Successful candidates will be subject to a security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

Desired Qualifications and Skills

• Systems architect experience with broad cross‑disciplinary engineering knowledge (systems, mechanical, electrical, software, cyber security).
• Experience designing, integrating, and testing underwater vehicles including hydrodynamics, buoyancy/stability, hull structures, propulsion and control, energy systems, and payloads.
• Expertise in underwater autonomy, navigation systems, sonar, batteries, and acoustic/RF/optical communications.
• Experience analyzing data from autonomous undersea systems, including motion, navigation, communications, acoustic sensors, and AI/ML methods for performance evaluation.
• Demonstrated experience executing the full engineering lifecycle for complex military systems from concept through sustainment.
• Proven ability to engage and influence customers, assess requirements, and adapt technical solutions to evolving needs.
• Experience developing technology roadmaps and guiding IRAD investments.
• Successful track record contributing to competitive proposals for engineering development and manufacturing programs.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Experience leading large, distributed, multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Familiarity with Navy safety requirements, safety review boards, and operational procedures for autonomous undersea systems.
• Experience with open maritime autonomy architectures such as UMAA or MOSA, and model‑based system engineering (MBSE), configuration, and requirements management tools (e.g., DOORS and CAMEO).

Position Location

Reston, VA

• The selected individual must be able to report to the Reston, VA office up to 5 days a week, and must be able to fulfill work travel requirements.

Perks and Benefits

• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Accompanying FSA and HSA options
• Additional Voluntary Benefits
• Paid Time Off
• 9 Observed Holidays and 2 Floating Holidays
• Paid Parental Leave
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Professional Development Reimbursement
• Annual Salary Reviews
• Profit Sharing
• 401(k) Traditional and Roth Options
• Gym and Fitness Reimbursement
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employee Referral Program

Metron is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. It is the policy of the company to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religious, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.

VEVRAA Federal Contractor