Chief Systems Engineer - Missiles & Avionics Leadership

Eleven Recruiting; California (MO); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Eleven Recruiting seeks a Head of Engineering for an aerospace and defense company developing supersonic munitions and autonomous launch systems. You will own system architecture, make key technical decisions, and lead engineering across multiple sites from development to production.

This hands-on leadership role requires deep hardware, embedded software, and systems integration expertise, guiding teams through design reviews, testing, and qualification while maintaining rigor and rapid

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or higher in a relevant engineering field.
• 12+ years of experience with system-level ownership.
• Experience as Chief Engineer or Head of Engineering.
• Deep expertise in architecture, embedded software, hardware integration.
• Experience guiding vehicle or weapon system through design reviews and gates.
• First-principles problem solving and strong technical judgment.
• Strong leadership and ability to explain decisions to executives and customers.

Responsibilities

• Own system architecture and baselines across airframe, propulsion, guidance, and avionics.
• Serve as final technical authority for architecture decisions and risk acceptance.
• Lead requirements flow-down, interface control, and subsystem integration.
• Oversee embedded guidance, controls, and mission software with hardware.
• Guide systems from prototype to production, addressing manufacturability early.
• Provide technical sign-off at readiness gates including ground test and flight tests.
• Align leaders across sites around shared architectures and program priorities.
• Build and mentor multidisciplinary teams and staffing plans.
• Establish rapid development processes with technical rigor.
• Collaborate with software and data teams to incorporate performance data into design decisions.
• Communicate trade-offs and risks to executives, government customers, and partners.

Skills

Leadership

System architecture

Embedded software

Hardware integration

GNC

Communication

DoD familiarity

Education

Bachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, or software engineering

Master's or PhD preferred

Tools

MBSE

DOORS

Simulation tools

Job description

Eleven Recruiting seeks a Head of Engineering for an aerospace and defense company developing supersonic munitions and autonomous launch systems. You will own system architecture, make key technical decisions, and lead engineering across multiple sites from development to production.

This hands-on leadership role requires deep hardware, embedded software, and systems integration expertise, guiding teams through design reviews, testing, and qualification while maintaining rigor and rapid