Chief Project Engineer

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

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance

401(k) Savings Plan

Paid Time-Off (PTO)

Job summary

Kratos Defense and Security Solutions seeks a Chief Project Engineer in Colorado Springs, CO, to provide technical leadership for SATCOM and Space Ground System projects. The role involves coordinating engineering teams, managing project development, and interfacing with subcontractors.

The ideal candidate should have 10-15 years of relevant experience, a BA/BS degree in a STEM discipline, and the ability to lead diverse technical groups. Comprehensive benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance, along with a competitive salary ranging from $170,000 to $200,000.

Qualifications

• 10 - 15 years experience in systems, software, and test engineering.
• Experience in leading diverse technical teams.
• Ability to manage ambiguity and develop clear requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead coordination and requirement analysis across engineering efforts.
• Conduct architecture, system and design development.
• Support project acceptance testing and risk management.

Skills

Team leadership

Systems engineering

Software development

Problem solving

Communication skills

Education

BA/BS Degree in STEM discipline

Job description

Job Description

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

• 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 with a 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 developing customer documentation deliverables
• 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

Salary Range: $170,000-$200,000.

Job Benefits

• Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance Coverage
• 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 affirmative action employer. EOE, Minorities, Females, Vet, Disabled, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity or any other protected class. All qualified job seekers are encouraged to apply. Kratos Defense is committed to America's veterans by providing opportunities for them to continue contributing after service to our nation. We also work to provide reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities.

EEO Is The Law.

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