Chief Engineer, SATCOM

Jobtailor; Beavercreek (OH); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor seeks a senior technical authority to lead the C3HST program architecture, governance, and execution across the full acquisition lifecycle. You will guide systems engineering across AoA, requirements, architecture definition, prototyping, LRIP, fielding, and modernization, collaborating with internal teams and external partners.

The ideal candidate has 12+ years in DoD/national security, MOSA/open standards experience, and a proven track record leading multidisciplinary engineering

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or related technical discipline; 12+ years of DoD/national security engineering experience.
• Experience as Chief Engineer / Lead Systems Engineer / Technical Director or equivalent technical leadership role.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams with internal and external partners.
• Strong background in Hybrid SATCOM, C4ISR, and related defense technologies.
• Experience implementing MOSA and open architecture standards (SOSA, OpenVPX, FACE, CMOSS).
• Willingness to travel and ability to obtain/maintain Top Secret clearance.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior technical authority for the C3HST Program, establishing and maintaining the system architecture, technical baseline, engineering governance, and technical execution strategy across the full acquisition lifecycle.
• Lead systems engineering activities across AoA, requirements development, architecture definition, rapid prototyping, engineering development, integration, verification, and production readiness.
• Develop resilient Hybrid SATCOM architectures integrating military and commercial SATCOM, multi-orbit communications, secure networking, mission management, and cloud-enabled capabilities.
• Conduct technical trade studies, architecture assessments, technology evaluations, and establish roadmaps, reference architectures, and interface standards.
• Partner with the Program Manager to balance cost, schedule, technical performance, quality, risk, and mission requirements.
• Provide technical leadership of an integrated engineering organization, ensuring alignment with objectives, interfaces, standards, and best practices.

Skills

Senior engineering leadership

DoD/national security experience

Hybrid SATCOM

MOSA/Open architecture

SOSA/OpenVPX/FACE/CMOSS

Travel readiness

Top Secret clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or related technical discipline

Job description

Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior technical authority for the C3HST Program, establishing and maintaining the system architecture, technical baseline, engineering governance, and technical execution strategy across the full acquisition lifecycle.
• Lead systems engineering activities across the complete acquisition lifecycle, including Analysis of Alternatives (AoA), requirements development, architecture definition, rapid prototyping, engineering development, integration, verification, validation, Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP), production readiness, fielding, sustainment, and technology modernization.
• Develop resilient Hybrid SATCOM architectures integrating military and commercial SATCOM, multi-orbit communications (LEO, MEO, GEO), secure networking, mission management, and cloud-enabled capabilities.
• Conduct technical trade studies, architecture assessments, technology evaluations, and engineering planning while establishing technical roadmaps, reference architectures, and interface standards that ensure solutions are secure, interoperable, scalable, manufacturable, supportable, and aligned with customer mission requirements.
• Partner with the Program Manager to ensure successful execution of technical objectives while balancing cost, schedule, technical performance, quality, risk, and mission requirements.
• Provide technical leadership and oversight of an integrated engineering organization consisting of Leidos engineers, subcontractors, OEMs, and strategic industry partners, ensuring alignment with program objectives, interface requirements, engineering standards, and technical best practices.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related technical discipline with 12+ years of relevant engineering experience supporting DoD or national security programs.
• Demonstrated experience serving as a Chief Engineer, Lead Systems Engineer, Technical Director, or equivalent technical leadership role supporting complex defense or aerospace programs.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary engineering organizations consisting of internal engineering teams, subcontractors, OEMs, and industry partners.
• Strong background in Hybrid SATCOM, SATCOM, C4ISR, communications systems, networking, systems integration, or related defense technologies.
• Demonstrated experience implementing Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) principles and open architecture standards including SOSA™, OpenVPX, FACE, CMOSS, or comparable DoD open systems frameworks.
• Ability to travel as required to support customer and program activities.
• Active Top Secret security clearance required.