Chief Project Engineer

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.; Colorado Springs (CO); On-site; USD 170,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life/ADD & Short/Long Term Disability

401(k) Savings Plan

Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)

Paid Time-Off (PTO)

Holidays

Education Reimbursement

Job summary

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. is seeking a Chief Project Engineer in Colorado Springs, CO to provide technical leadership across the full engineering lifecycle for SATCOM and Space Ground System projects.

You will lead multiple engineering teams and subcontractors, manage requirements, and ensure on-time, on-budget delivery. The role requires coordinating IPTs, performing design reviews, and mentoring engineers, with strong communication to customers and internal stakeholders.

Qualifications

• BA/BS Degree in a STEM discipline.
• Experience leading cross-disciplinary engineering teams.
• Experience with system development integrating software development.

Responsibilities

• Lead requirement analysis, decomposition and management across multiple development efforts.
• Coordinate Architecture/System/Hardware/Firmware/Software design across multiple teams.
• Coordinate verification and testing with multiple development teams and subcontractors.
• Lead project risk and opportunity management and status updates.

Skills

Leadership

Requirements coordination

IPT leadership

System integration

Customer interaction

Oral/written communication

Project risk management

Technical mentorship

Education

BA/BS in STEM

Tools

C++

Java

Python

Job description

• Salary : $170,000 USD Annually - $200,000 USD Annually
• Years Of Experience : 010

Job Description

Readiness Delivered. At Kratos, we encourage an entrepreneurial spirit balanced with discipline. We work hard, and take care of our customers, employees, and families. Recognized as thought leaders in our industry, we are motivated by creating and delivering innovative solutions to our nation and global customers. Kratos is seeking a Chief Project Engineer, in Colorado Springs, CO, for SATCOM and Space Ground System projects of varying size and complexity. The Chief Project Engineer provides technical leadership throughout the entire engineering lifecycle; from contract award through system acceptance testing and post-delivery support, coordinating and leading multiple engineering teams and subcontractors conducting development. The Chief Project Engineer directly leads multi-functional teams of hardware, software, integration and test engineers and interfaces with other internal organizations such as Production, Quality, Customer Support and others, as well as interfaces and overseeing subcontractors. The Chief Project Engineer is the Customer’s primary interface for all technical matters relating to the project

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

• Lead, conduct, and coordinate requirement analysis, decomposition, and management over multiple engineering development efforts, including customer and subcontractor interaction and trade-off options
• Lead and coordinate the Architecture / System / Hardware / Firmware / Software design development and maturation (depending upon project size and scope) over multiple deliverable development efforts involving multiple development teams and subcontracting partners
• Support and coordinate the verification and troubleshooting of the technical solutions provided by the various development teams, including subcontractors
• Support, coordinate and or lead the project acceptance test planning and test execution effort
• Articulate technical concepts orally and in written forms to the customer, users, subcontractors, and the development team including leadership of project formal reviews (requirements, design, and test readiness)
• Support the Project Manager in the creation and status updates of project schedule and financial performance
• Support definition, scoping, tracking, and refinement of the Integrated Master project schedule to ensure on-time & on-budget completion
• Maintain technical project responsibility for assigned tasks, provide technical management of subcontractors, and work closely with company management to provide status on progress on project development tasks
• Support and coordinate project risk and opportunity management
• Support business development activities in support of Kratos satellite communications products
• Represent the Company as technical advisor in high-level meetings and briefings with Company and customer personnel
• Prepare, deliver, and submit technical papers and perform engineering studies
• Mentor less experienced engineers

Experience and Skills

• 10 - 15 years experience and leadership witha team of systems, software, and test engineers in a complex, fast moving environment
• BA/BS Degree in a STEM discipline
• Leading system development that includes/integrates software development, using at least one modern programming language (i.e. C++, Java, Python, …)
• Experience in coordinating requirements with the customer, defining/architecting a solution to satisfy them and developing/coordinating the test methodology to verify them
• Experience in coordinating requirements with subcontractors, defining/architecting a solution to satisfy them and developing the test methodology to verify them
• Self-motivated and comfortable leading technical teams comprised of a diverse group of engineers across multiple disciplines, which can also include subcontractors
• Experience leading and coordinating IPTs in designing, developing, integrating, testing, verifying, validating, and delivering a large System-of-Systems project/program for a Space-to-Ground or Satellite communication project
• Experience preparing for and leading/coordinating PDRs, CDRs, SRRs, TRRs, and other similar requirements and design review meetings internally and with customers and subcontractors
• Proven ability to work with ambiguity and loosely defined requirements and get the tasks and requirements clarified and focused for effective execution, helping the customer & subcontractor understand the requirements needed to provide a system that meets the customer’s needs
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, ability to interact directly with customers, subcontractors and management

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Earned Value Management System (EVMS) expertise
• System deployment experience, including working with a DoD customer to transition a development system to operations, is a plus
• Experience working within the Defense and/or Aerospace industry
• Experience in ground systems, system engineering, or software engineering
• Experience with RF Engineering of satellite ground stations including link budgeting
• Experience with spacecraft command and control (C2) and telemetry processing
• Experience with spacecraft Mission Unique Software (MUS)
• Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)
• Sharp analytical abilities and capable of working effectively in a dynamic environment
• Familiarity with aerospace design and verification processes to include requirements development, validation and verification for conceptual, preliminary, and detailed design
• Ability to effectively manage a geographically dispersed team

#LI-Onsite

The grade-based pay range for this job is listed below. Individual salaries within that range are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge, and skills.

Competitive salary based on experience and education
Salary Range: $170,000-$200,000

Kratos is valued for our ability to design and deliver leading edge, resilient solutions for aerospace communication, control, awareness and mission success across a continuum of offerings—from commercial to tailored custom solutions and integrated programs. Customers trust us to stay relevant and know we are in it for the long-haul. We bring both the capability and confidence that our customers value and depend on. And we always deliver.

This posting will close within 90 days from the Posting Date.

• Life/ADD & Short/Long Term Disability Insurance
• 401(k) Savings Plan
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
• Paid Time-Off (PTO)
• Holidays
• Education Reimbursement

Kratos Defense is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race,color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, status as aprotected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local laws.

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