Chief Engineer, Systems

avav; Petaluma (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 272,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401K with company matching

9/80 work schedule

Paid holiday shutdown

Job summary

AeroVironment, Inc. in Petaluma, CA, seeks a Chief Engineer, Systems to provide technical leadership across mechanical, electrical, software and systems disciplines, ensuring architecture integrity, interface control, and successful program deliveries.

You will lead reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR), guide risk mitigation, mentor engineers, and interface with customers and subcontractors, while aligning with MIL-STDs, ISO 15288, and contract data requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in STEM required.
• Minimum 15 years in an engineering design or development environment.
• At least 3 years of project management experience (PMP/CAPM a plus).
• Experience with integrating new capabilities onto platforms.
• Experience planning schedules, budgets, and resource estimates.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain overall system architecture aligned with requirements.
• Lead technical decision‑making across mechanical, electrical, software, and systems disciplines.
• Lead SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR and risk review meetings.
• Mentor and develop engineering team members.
• Oversee requirements flow‑down and interface control.
• Direct system integration activities and ensure validation.
• Support development of integrated master schedule for engineering deliverables.
• Drive make/buy decisions and supplier evaluation.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Serve as primary technical interface with customer.

Skills

15 years engineering experience

Program management experience

PMP or CAPM

Systems integration experience

Education

Bachelor's Degree in STEM

Master’s Degree in Engineering

Job description

Summary

The Chief Engineer, Systems provides technical leadership and oversight for engineering activities on assigned programs, ensuring technical integrity, systems integration, and delivery of compliant solutions. The Chief Engineer, Systems serves as the primary technical authority for a program and is the interface between engineering, program management, and the customer. In this role, you will oversee a portfolio of engineering projects and work with a talented group of engineers to drive those projects to completion. This role will operate as part of the design and development team and will report directly to the MUAS Business Unit Chief Engineer.

Position Responsibilities

Technical Leadership

• Establish and maintain overall system architecture, ensuring alignment with customer requirements and program constraints
• Lead technical decision‑making across all engineering disciplines (mechanical, electrical, software, systems)
• Lead engineering review boards (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR) and technical risk review meetings
• Resolve cross‑functional technical issues and trade‑offs
• Mentor and develop engineering team members across disciplines

Systems Engineering & Integration

• Oversee requirements flow‑down, allocation, and traceability from system to subsystem level
• Ensure proper interface control between subsystems and with external systems
• Direct system integration activities and resolve integration issues
• Maintain technical baseline and configuration control
• Lead technical interchange meetings (TIMs) with customer and subcontractors

Technical Planning & Execution

• Support development of integrated master schedule for engineering deliverables
• Identify technical risks and develop mitigation strategies
• Allocate technical resources and guide work prioritization
• Ensure engineering work packages are properly scoped, estimated, and tracked
• Drive make/buy decisions and technical evaluation of suppliers

Verification & Validation

• Establish verification and validation approach for system and subsystem requirements
• Oversee development of test plans, procedures, and acceptance criteria
• Review test results and approve closure of verification activities
• Support qualification testing, flight testing, and operational demonstrations
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective action for technical issues

Customer & Stakeholder Interface

• Serve as primary technical point of contact with customer engineering team
• Present technical approach, status, and risk at program reviews
• Support proposal development with technical solutions and cost estimates
• Negotiate technical requirements and acceptance criteria with customer
• Coordinate with subcontractor chief engineers on integrated solutions

Standards & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with applicable military standards (MIL-STDs), industry standards, and contractual requirements
• Drive best practices in systems engineering processes (EIA-632, ISO 15288, etc.)
• Maintain technical quality and engineering rigor across all deliverables
• Ensure proper documentation per contract data requirements list (CDRL)

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience)

• Bachelor's Degree in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Math) field
• 15 years of experience in an engineering design or development environment
• 3 years of project management experience (PMP or CAPM certification a plus)
• Experience with integrating new capabilities onto platforms, requiring flow‑down of requirements to lower‑level systems
• Experience project planning in terms of schedule, budget, and resource estimations

Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies

• Master’s Degree in a Mechanical, Aerospace, Electrical, or Systems Engineering discipline (or equivalent)
• Direct experience with design or development in the Aerospace or Defense industries (UAVs or Military aviation preferred)

Clearance Level

No clearance required

Salary Range

$170,000 - $272,000

ITAR Requirement

This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or be approved for an export license by the governing agency. A “U.S. person” is a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. Some positions require current U.S. citizenship due to contract requirements.

U.S. Citizenship required. Must be willing to work on government contracts and have the ability to obtain a security clearance.

Benefits

AV offers an excellent benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401K with company matching, a 9/80 work schedule, and a paid holiday shutdown. For more information about our company benefit offerings please visit http://www.avinc.com/myavbenefits.

EEO Statement

We are proud to be an EEO/AA Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans. AeroVironment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants. Qualified applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic data, sexual orientation, gender identity or other legally protected status.