Chief Engineer - Navy Strategic Systems

Inuplands; Cambridge, Northern (MA, KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Draper, in Cambridge, MA, seeks a Chief Engineer for Navy Strategic Systems to lead technical strategy and execution across the NSS portfolio. You will ensure system viability, performance, and mission alignment while guiding a team of engineers and interfacing with customers and partners.

The role requires a senior technical leader with extensive program experience, strong communication, and the ability to drive multi-year CRAD/IRAD plans and strategic technology development.

Qualifications

• Minimum 15 years of professional experience with increasing responsibilities.
• Minimum of 10 years of demonstrated leadership, coaching and mentoring skills.
• Bachelor's degree in a technical discipline; advanced degree preferred.
• Experience leading large technical teams and programs, including leaders.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a US government security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Excellence in program execution including phase gate reviews.
• Engineering proposal coordination across programs and customers.
• Responsible for the technical baseline and changes while preserving requirements.
• Coordinate critical program resource allocation including staff and facilities.
• Engage in business development and domain awareness for NSS.
• Strategic planning and coordination of critical capabilities and technologies.

Skills

Technical leadership

Executive communication

Strategic planning

Customer engagement

Staffing & mentoring

Program management

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in technical discipline

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

## Chief Engineer - Navy Strategic SystemsApply: Onsite Required: Cambridge, MA: Full time: Posted Today: JR002918**Overview:**Draper is an independent, nonprofit research and development company headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The 2,000+ employees of Draper tackle important national challenges with a promise of delivering successful and usable solutions. From military defense and space exploration to biomedical engineering, lives often depend on the solutions we provide. Our multidisciplinary teams of engineers and scientists work in a collaborative environment that inspires the cross-fertilization of ideas necessary for true innovation. For more information about Draper, visit www.draper.com.**Job Description Summary:**Draper is seeking a senior-level technical professional to be the Chief Engineer for the Navy Strategic Systems (NSS) Business Area providing and coordinating engineering support for program execution, business development and strategic planning for the Business Area which develops, tests, delivers and supports the world’s most accurate and reliable guidance, navigation & control systems; radiation-hardened electronics; precision sensors and cyber resilience to drive mission success. The Chief Engineer for NSS will report directly to the Vice President of Engineering and have a staff of 4-10 direct reports. The Chief Engineer is a technical leadership role for a designated product line within a Business Area and is the technical conscience of the projects within the portfolio, ensuring the systems, products, and services being developed and delivered are viable, fit for purpose, and will satisfy customer needs, requirements, and the mission and/or application. The (PL) Chief Engineer serves as the technical interface to external customers and partners, internal executive leadership, product line directors, project managers, engineering, as well as the other functions supporting the projects.**Job Description:****Duties and Responsibilities:*** Develop and execute multi-year strategic technical plans inclusive of Contract Research and Development (CRAD) and Internal Research and Development (IRAD) to scale mission impact consistent with the goals and objectives of the Business Area and Corporation strategies.* Analyze market technology trends, incorporate intimate customer mission knowledge, identify technology gaps and opportunities for product line innovation.* Accountable for ensuring the success of the technical solutions across a full lifecycle portfolio with a full range of contract vehicles to challenging external and internal customer requirements with viable architectures, designs, development, testing, fielding, and sustainment.* Cultivate relationships with the customer community in support of current projects and shaping future growth opportunities. Demonstrate thought leadership in the mission and market space by staying actively engaged with our key external stakeholders.* Supports project leadership in the staffing of engineers to projects by coordinating with engineering management on skill needs and sharing of staff across projects within the product line area.* Mentors and coaches the product line engineering team in project leadership, communication, adherence to processes, and technical performance. Supports engineering management in the retention, growth, and professional development of engineering staff.* Encourage and facilitate the development of common components that are reusable across projects in the product line area and shared outside the area.* Accountable for adherence to all corporate policies and procedures defined in Draper’s Operational Framework.* Create, demonstrate, and promote a positive culture, and ensure an environment of collaboration, inclusivity, and respect in alignment with the company’s goals and values.**Skills and Abilities:*** Proven track record of leading technical teams to ensure the success of the technical solutions across a full lifecycle portfolio with a full range of contract vehicles to challenging external and internal customer requirements with viable architectures, designs, development, testing, fielding, and sustainment.* Demonstrated thought leadership in Draper’s markets with well-established customer relationships across the National Security ecosystem.* Proven track record of translating thought leadership into new programs by providing technical leadership across complex shaping, capture, and proposals using industry standard Shipley Business Winning processes* Demonstrated subject matter expertise with the product line’s specific capabilities, projects, technologies, and applications.* Proven skills partnering across the business and the ability to collaborate within and across organizational boundaries. Ability to be persuasive and a strong relationship builder.* Executive level communication skills with experience presenting complex information in a concise and appropriate manner to senior leaders.* Ability to travel up to 50% of the time to engage with current and prospective customers and partners.* Proficiency with Microsoft Office Applications**Education:*** Bachelor's degree in technical discipline. Advanced degree preferred.**Experience:*** Minimum 15 years of professional experience directly related experience reflecting increased responsibilities over time.* Minimum of 10 years of demonstrated strong leadership, coaching and mentoring skills with the ability to achieve results through others. This includes leading large technical teams, preferably including leadership of leaders.**Additional Job Description:**The Chief Engineer is the senior technical authority for NSS programs and is responsible for ensuring the technical performance, quality, affordability, and fitness for use of the product(s) developed in the NSS portfolio. The position will supervise and lead a group of Chief Engineers across key technical areas of the NSS program portfolio and will be responsible for leading technical execution and decision making. This position will also be responsible for leading strategic planning of future technology needs to meet mission objectives for Strategic Systems Programs. The position also serves as a primary technical interface to external customers and partners, internal executive leadership, program directors, program managers, engineering, and other internal functions supporting the portfolio. **Responsibilities:** • Excellence in program execution including phase gate reviews • Engineering proposal coordination• Responsible for the technical baseline, including review and approval of technical changes ensuring that modifications to the system do not violate performance or design requirements.• Coordination of critical program resource allocation including staff, facilities, and capital equipment • Business development and domain awareness• Strategic planning and coordination including critical capabilities and technologies development**Qualifications:**The successful candidate for this position will necessarily have broad and deep knowledge and experience that span the business, customer and engineering/technical needs of the Navy Strategic Systems. In addition, in order to ensure successful program execution, the successful candidate must (1) have a deep understanding of the Engineering organization, (2) exhibit technical excellence in the Draper’s core competencies, (3) be an exceptional communicator and (4) have demonstrated successful leadership on one or more large scale programs. From a business development perspective, the successful candidate must have a deep understanding of strategic systems customers (e.g., Air Force, Navy, MDA) perspectives, has a keen awareness of the competitive market and Draper’s differentiators, and is able to formulate a successful pursuit strategy that results in successful business capture. Applicants selected for this position will be required to obtain and maintain a US government security clearance.