Chief Engineer, Long-Range Missile Systems

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

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401k matching

Relocation assistance

Free daily lunch onsite

Unlimited PTO

Casual dress code

Job summary

CHAOS Industries is seeking a Chief Engineer to own the technical direction of our long range missile program, from concept and architecture through qualification, flight test, and production transition. You will lead a multidisciplinary engineering team and be the senior technical authority across airframe, guidance, propulsion, integration, and test.

This is a build-and-fly environment where you will be accountable for getting real hardware flying.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Systems, or Electrical Engineering.
• 15+ years of missile/flight systems experience with technical leadership.
• Experience taking a system through full lifecycle including flight test.
• Knowledge of propulsion, airframe controls, and guidance/navigation for long-range strike systems.
• Current or recent DoD SECRET clearance.
• Strong systems engineering practices and DoD safety standards.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior technical authority for missile system architecture, requirements, and design decisions
• Lead system-level trade studies, technical risk management, and design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR)
• Direct integration of airframe, guidance and navigation, propulsion, and avionics subsystems
• Own system verification and validation, including test planning and flight test readiness
• Provide technical leadership across mechanical, electrical, software, firmware, 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

Skills

Systems engineering

Technical leadership

Flight test experience

Missile systems

DoD standards

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace/Mechanical/Systems/Electrical Engineering

Master's degree

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 long range missile program, from concept and architecture through qualification, flight test, and production transition. You will lead a multidisciplinary engineering team and be the senior technical authority across airframe, guidance, propulsion, integration, and test. This is a build-and-fly environment where you will be accountable for getting real hardware flying.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior technical authority for missile system architecture, requirements, and design decisions
• Lead system-level trade studies, technical risk management, and design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR)
• Direct integration of airframe, guidance and navigation, propulsion, and avionics subsystems
• Own system verification and validation, including test planning and flight test readiness
• Provide technical leadership across mechanical, electrical, software, firmware, 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

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Systems, or Electrical Engineering, or a related field
• 15+ years of experience developing missile, munition, or high-TRL flight systems, including technical leadership of a program or major subsystem
• Demonstrated experience taking a system through full lifecycle development, including flight test
• Detailed understanding of tactical aircraft carriage environments and missile employment envelopes
• Intuitive knowledge of propulsion systems and airframe controls as well as guidance/navigation techniques for long range strike systems
• Detailed understanding of target phenomenology and defeat mechanisms
• Strong command of systems engineering practice 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 missile program
• Detailed understanding of ground launcher and shipboard integration environments
• Full grasp of the long-range kill chain starting at intelligence collection, mission planning, pre-launch and post-launch mission execution
• 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.