Chief Engineer, Electronic Warfare Payload

Chaos Industries; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 220,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401k match

FSA/HSA

Life insurance

Onsite lunch

Unlimited PTO

Relocation assistance

Job summary

CHAOS Industries is seeking a Chief Engineer to own the technical direction of our EW payload, from concept through qualification, platform integration, field test, and production transition. You will lead a multidisciplinary team and serve as the senior technical authority across RF hardware, digital signal processing, firmware and software, and systems integration.

This build-and-field environment requires delivering real hardware operating in realistic conditions while collaborating with

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Systems, or Electrical Engineering
• 15+ years of EW, radar, or RF sensing and signal processing systems experience with technical leadership
• Knowledge of EMSO, adversary operation, EM countermeasure and CCM techniques
• Hands on EW verification, validation, field and operational testing
• Experience taking high-TRL RF systems through full lifecycle including field tests
• Strong RF systems engineering, DSP expertise, and DoD safety/test standards
• Current or recent DoD SECRET clearance

Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior technical authority for EW payload architecture, requirements, and design decisions
• Lead system-level trade studies, technical risk management, and design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR)
• Direct integration of antenna, RF front-end, digital processing, power, thermal, and mechanical subsystems into host platforms
• Own system verification and validation, including test planning, anechoic chamber and range testing, and field test readiness
• Provide technical leadership across RF, hardware, firmware, software, and systems teams, and mentor senior engineers
• Partner with program management, manufacturing, and customers to translate mission needs into executable technical plans
• Drive configuration control and the transition from prototype to production and fielding, including software and waveform updates

Skills

EW systems engineering

RF hardware design

Digital signal processing

FPGA processing

DoD standards compliance

Team leadership

Systems integration

Field testing

Education

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

Master's degree in a related field

Tools

SDR

FPGA development

Anechoic testing

DoD test facilities

Job description

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com.

Role Overview:

CHAOS is seeking a Chief Engineer to own the technical direction of our electronic warfare (EW) payload, from concept and architecture through qualification, platform integration, field test, and production transition. You will lead a multidisciplinary team and be the senior technical authority across RF hardware, digital signal processing, firmware and software, and systems integration. This is a build-and-field environment where you will be accountable for getting real hardware operating in realistic conditions.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior technical authority for EW payload architecture, requirements, and design decisions
• Lead system-level trade studies, technical risk management, and design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR)
• Direct integration of antenna, RF front-end, digital processing, power, thermal, and mechanical subsystems into host platforms
• Own system verification and validation, including test planning, anechoic chamber and range testing, and field test readiness
• Provide technical leadership across RF, hardware, firmware, software, and systems teams, and mentor senior engineers
• Partner with program management, manufacturing, and customers to translate mission needs into executable technical plans
• Drive configuration control and the transition from prototype to production and fielding, including software and waveform updates

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Systems, or Electrical Engineering, or a related field
• 15+ years of experience developing EW, radar, or RF sensing and signal processing systems, including technical leadership of a program or major subsystem
• Detailed understanding of EMSO, adversary system operation, EM countermeasure and CCM techniques and their implementation
• Hands on experience with EW technique verification, validation, field and operational testing
• Demonstrated experience taking a high TRL RF system through full lifecycle development, including field or flight test
• Strong command of RF systems engineering, digital signal processing, and DoD standards for safety, environments, and test
• Current or recent DoD SECRET clearance

Preferred Requirements:

• Master's degree or higher
• Current or recent DoD TOP SECRET security clearance; eligibility for SAP and/or SCI indoc.
• Prior role as Chief Engineer, Lead Systems Engineer, or Technical Director on a fielded EW or radar program
• Experience with SDR, FPGA-based signal processing, and RF/digital co-design
• Experience with airborne small form-factor EW subsystem development for tactical aircraft and/or missile application
• Experience with a prime integrator or in a fast-moving defense startup

Why CHAOS?

• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
• Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
• Our Perks: Free daily lunch while you're working onsite, fully-stocked kitchen, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
• Team Growth: 500+employees and counting across 5 global offices

Salary Range: $220,000 - $300,000

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.

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