Chief Engineer - U.S. Army (HADES) Programs

Sierra Nevada Company, LLC; Hagerstown (MD); On-site; USD 201,000 - 277,000; Full time

Job summary

Sierra Nevada Company, LLC (SNC) is seeking a Chief Engineer in Hagerstown, MD to lead technical strategy and oversight across multiple programs. The role prioritizes maintaining baselines, standardizing configurations, and guiding staff on technical solutions throughout design, development, and deployment.

Ideal candidates will bring extensive engineering leadership, proven program management, and familiarity with ITAR and airworthiness processes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Aerospace, or related field.
• 14+ years engineering experience with at least 8+ years in a leadership role.
• Active Secret U.S. Security Clearance is required.
• Ability to obtain and maintain Top Secret U.S. clearance with SCI eligibility.
• Experience with ITAR, airworthiness, and other regulatory compliance.
• Strong communication and leadership across programs.
• Design lifecycle management knowledge and experience.
• Experience recruiting and staffing development and mentoring.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical guidance and oversight throughout the product lifecycle, from concept design to final release.
• Develop and maintain product line technical baselines that support multiple programs, ensuring consistency, continuity, and configuration control.
• Oversee and manage technology projects, ensuring alignment with business unit strategy and customer requirements.
• Review and approve proposal technical and cost volumes to ensure alignment with company standards and customer expectations.
• Provide operational guidance to Project Engineers, ensuring technical alignment and project goal achievement.
• Interface with customers to shape requirements and provide technical support during early pursuit phases.
• Support program and technical reviews, providing guidance on technical solution synthesis.
• Collaborate with international suppliers, vendors, and regulatory agencies to ensure compliance with ITAR, airworthiness, and other global requirements.

Skills

Leadership

Systems engineering

Proposal development

Clearance coordination

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Aerospace, or related field

Master’s degree (preferred)

Job description

In office

Hagerstown, MD

Full time

R0030185

Join our team as a Chief Engineer and lead the charge in innovation and efficiency. Leverage cutting-edge technology and your unparalleled expertise to drive our projects beyond the boundaries of possibility. As a Chief Engineer you will play a pivotal role in providing technical leadership, guidance, and oversight throughout the product development lifecycle. You will be responsible for maintaining technical baselines, ensuring consistency across multiple programs, and providing input on technical investment needs and staffing forecasts. Additionally, you will review and approve proposals and provide operational guidance to project engineers.

The Mission Solutions and Technologies (MST) business area provides affordable, turn-key command/control, communications, integrated ISR, force protection and security solutions worldwide. The MST team has a long legacy of supporting the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, commercial and international customers with years of experience in platform operations, engineering and full lifecycle management across domains - air, land, sea, space and cyber.

Responsibilities:

• Provide technical guidance and oversight throughout the product lifecycle, from concept design to final release.

Technical Baseline Management

• Develop and maintain product line technical baselines that support multiple programs, ensuring consistency, continuity, and configuration control.

Project Oversight

• Oversee and manage technology projects, ensuring alignment with business unit strategy and customer requirements.

Proposal Review

• Review and approve proposal technical and cost volumes to ensure alignment with company standards and customer expectations.

Operational Guidance

• Provide operational guidance to Project Engineers, ensuring technical alignment and project goal achievement.

Customer Interface

• Interface with customers to shape requirements and provide technical support during early pursuit phases.

Technical Reviews

• Support program and technical reviews, providing guidance on technical solution synthesis.
• Collaborate with international suppliers, vendors, and regulatory agencies to ensure compliance with ITAR, airworthiness, and other global requirements.

Qualifications You Must Have:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Aerospace, or a related field.
• 14+ years of engineering experience with at least 8+ years in a leadership role.
• Higher level relevant degree may substitute for experience.
• Thorough understanding of all phases of design lifecycle management to include requirements, design, integration, test, and sustainment.
• Advanced knowledge and understanding of industry best practices and techniques for program management, science, and engineering programs.
• Possess advanced technical knowledge and experience; working knowledge of industry trends and historical context.
• Proven ability to work with department-level business leaders and to provide leadership within the workplace.
• Strong organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills, including the ability to clearly express technical concepts in verbal and written forms; ability to tailor conversations to adapt to technical vs. non-technical audiences.
• Prior experience developing and maintaining product line technical baselines that support multiple programs, ensuring consistency, continuity, and configuration control.
• Experience developing technical proposals and cost volumes.
• Ability to support program and technical reviews, and provide guidance to staff on technical solution synthesis.
• An active Secret U.S. Security Clearance is required.
• Ability to obtain and maintain Top Secret U.S. clearance with SCI eligibility.

Qualifications We Prefer:

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 8-10 years relevant leadership and/or project management experience.
• Familiarity with industry standards and regulations in the Aerospace and Defense sector.
• Experience with advanced engineering tools and methodologies.
• Advanced knowledge and understanding of requirements management, validation and verification processes.
• Proven success leading systems integration projects on complex aerospace platforms including commercial derivative aircraft
• Proven leadership abilities inclusive of successful change management, mentoring, career development, training, succession planning, holding people accountable, and conducting yearly reviews.
• Proven experience and skills in team building, time management, conflict resolution, communication, briefing, presentation, and strategic thinking.
• Ability to quickly grasp technical concepts and understand complex technical and program interdependencies.
• Previous management experience; ability to recruit employees; assign, direct, and evaluate their work; and oversee staffing development and maintenance.
• Demonstrated passion for ideation and innovation, as well as motivating others to act by creating a shared sense of vision or purpose.
• Possess a strategic mindset, linking technology and business.
• Team oriented with the ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Background in the Aerospace and Defense Industry, the US Department of Defense (Civilian), NASA/Civil or commercial space and/or US Military, with an understanding of defense, aerospace, intelligence, and adjacent markets.
• Experience with U.S. Army airworthiness requirements.
• Experience with U.S. Army cybersecurity accreditation process.

Essential Functions:

• Ability to lift up to 10 pounds occasionally.
• Prolonged periods of working on a computer.
• Hand and finger dexterity for computer use.
• Occasional travel to customer or field locations may be required.
• Capability to work in potentially hazardous environments when visiting project sites.

This posting will be open for application for a minimum of 5 days and may be extended based on business needs.

Estimated Starting Salary Range: $201,369.04 - $276,882.42. Compensation varies depending on a wide array of factors, such as candidates' key skills, relevant work experience, and education/training/certifications. The disclosed range estimate may be adjusted for any applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled.

SNC offers annual incentive pay based upon performance that is commensurate with the level of the position.

SNC offers a generous benefit package, including medical, dental, and vision plans, 401(k) with 150% match up to 6%, life insurance, 3 weeks paid time off, tuition reimbursement, and more (https://www.sncorp.com/careers/total-rewards/) .

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

This position requires current/active Secret U.S. Security Clearance. U.S. Citizenship status is required as this position needs an active U.S. Security Clearance for employment. Non-U.S. Citizens may not be eligible to obtain a security clearance. The Department of Defense Consolidated Adjudications Facility (DoD CAF), a federal government agency, handles the adjudicative aspects of the security clearance eligibility process for industry applicants. Adjudicative factors which affect the outcome of the eligibility determination include, but are not limited to, allegiance to the U.S., foreign influence, foreign preference, criminal conduct, security violations and illegal drug use.

Learn more about the background check process for Security Clearances. (https://www.dcsa.mil/Personnel-Vetting/Background-Investigations-for-Applicants/Investigations-Clearance-Process/)

SNC is a global leader in aerospace and national security committed to moving the American Dream forward. We’re known and respected for our mission and execution focus, agility, and disruptive and rapid innovation. We provide leading edge technologies and transformative solutions that support our nation’s most critical security needs. If you are mission-focused, thrive in collaborative environments, and want to make our country stronger with state-of-the-art technologies that safeguard freedom, join our team!

SNC is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to an environment free of discrimination. Employment decisions are made based on merit without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran or other characteristics protected by law.

SNC is a trusted global leader in aerospace and national security. Our innovative solutions enable connected protection through command, control and communications systems, as well as ISR, cyber, electromagnetic spectrum management, and other high capabilities for systems across all domains - sea, land, air, space and cyber.

As a longstanding leader in defense technology, SNC is the optimum intersection of commercial, defense and non-traditional contractors. We are one of the only privately owned mid-tier A&D contractors and we pride ourselves on our ability to invest early and often to ensure mission success on or ahead of schedule. It’s part of our mission to always stay one step ahead; working on solutions today to solve the problems of tomorrow.

Founded in 1963, SNC is owned by Chairwoman Eren Ozmen and CEO Fatih Ozmen.