Director, Aerospace Engineering

L3Harris Technologies; Waco (TX); On-site; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

L3Harris Technologies, Inc. is seeking a Director of Aeronautical Systems Engineering in Waco, TX.

This senior leader will guide a 700+ engineer organization across multiple sites, driving strategy, governance, and capability growth while ensuring technical excellence and program alignment. You will partner with stakeholders to advance modernization, digital engineering, and affordability, delivering mission-critical aerospace solutions in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership of a multi-site organization of 700+ engineers.
• Develop, integrate, and sustain aeronautical systems.
• Drive workforce strategy, governance, and capability growth.
• Ensure compliance with airworthiness, safety, security, and quality requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a multi-site Aeronautical Systems Engineering organization of 700+ engineers through subordinate leaders and technical authorities.
• Establish the function’s strategic vision, priorities, and operating model in alignment with sector and enterprise objectives.
• Direct workforce planning, staffing, succession planning, leadership development, and talent pipeline growth to meet current and future business needs.
• Foster a culture of inclusion, engagement, accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Own engineering governance, policies, processes, and standards to ensure consistent execution and compliance with requirements.
• Lead engineering contributions to capture and proposal efforts, including basis of estimate development, labor forecasting, and scope definition.
• Develop and execute technology roadmaps, multi-year capital plans, and engineering investment strategies.
• Manage engineering overhead, budgets, resource allocation, and productivity initiatives.
• Champion digital engineering, model-based systems engineering, and data-driven decision-making.
• Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to integrate engineering execution across development, test, production, and sustainment.
• Represent engineering in executive reviews, customer engagements, and strategic planning forums.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Cross-functional collaboration

People management

Education

Bachelor’s Degree + 15 years experience

Graduate Degree + 13 years experience

19 years experience alternative

Tools

CAD

PLM

MBSE tools

Job description

L3Harris is dedicated to recruiting and developing high-performing talent who are passionate about what they do. Our employees are unified in a shared dedication to our customers’ mission and quest for professional growth. L3Harris provides an inclusive, engaging environment designed to empower employees and promote work-life success. Fundamental to our culture is an unwavering focus on values, dedication to our communities, and commitment to excellence in everything we do.

L3Harris is the Trusted Disruptor in defense tech. With customers’ mission-critical needs always in mind, our employees deliver end-to-end technology solutions connecting the space, air, land, sea and cyber domains in the interest of national security.

Job Title

Director, Aerospace Engineering

Job Code

47098

Job Location

Waco, TX (On-Site)

Job Schedule

9/80: Employees work 9 out of every 14 days - totaling 80 hours worked - and have every other Friday off

Job Description

L3Harris anticipates and responds to evolving challenges with agile technology, creating a safer and more secure future.

L3Harris is seeking an experienced Director of Aeronautical Systems Engineering to lead a multi-site organization of more than 700 engineers supporting the development, integration, and sustainment of advanced aeronautical systems. This senior functional leader will build and sustain a highly capable, collaborative workforce while ensuring technical excellence, disciplined execution, and alignment with enterprise and program objectives.

Leading through subordinate managers and technical leaders, the Director will drive workforce strategy, organizational effectiveness, engineering governance, process improvement, and technology capability growth. The role requires close partnership with functional stakeholders.

This leader will foster engagement, accountability, diversity of thought, and continuous learning while advancing talent development, innovation, affordability, and mission success.

Essential Functions

• Lead and develop a multi-site Aeronautical Systems Engineering organization of 700+ engineers through subordinate leaders and technical authorities, ensuring strong organizational performance and execution.
• Establish the function’s strategic vision, priorities, and operating model in alignment with sector and enterprise objectives.
• Direct workforce planning, staffing, succession planning, leadership development, and talent pipeline growth to meet current and future business needs.
• Foster a culture of inclusion, engagement, accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Own engineering governance, policies, processes, and standards to ensure consistent execution, technical rigor, and compliance with company, customer, contractual, regulatory, airworthiness, safety, security, and quality requirements.
• Lead engineering contributions to capture and proposal efforts, including basis of estimate development, labor forecasting, technical scope definition, risk assessment, and capability positioning.
• Develop and execute technology and capability roadmaps, multi-year capital plans, and engineering investment strategies to support modernization and long-term business and program needs.
• Manage engineering overhead, functional budgets, resource allocation, and productivity initiatives to improve affordability and operational efficiency.
• Champion digital engineering, model-based systems engineering, process modernization, and data-driven decision-making.
• Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to integrate engineering execution across development, test, production, and sustainment.
• Represent engineering in executive reviews, customer engagements, technical interchange meetings, gate reviews, and strategic planning forums.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree with 15 years of prior experience in air vehicle systems engineering or engineering integration.
• Graduate Degree with 13 years of prior experience in air vehicle systems engineering or engineering integration.
• In Lieu of a degree, a minimum of 19 years of prior experience in air vehicle systems engineering or engineering integration.
• Must have an active Secret clearance at the time of hire with the ability to obtain a Top-Secret with SCI.

Preferred Additional Skills

• Active Top Secret with SCI.
• Leading a large multi layered and/or multi-site functional engineering organization within the aerospace or defense industry.
• Aircraft systems integration across multiple disciplines, including flight sciences, structures, mechanical systems, electrical systems, mission systems, avionics, test, and manufacturing.
• Airworthiness, certification, system safety, reliability, maintainability, and regulatory compliance processes in military, special mission, or commercial aerospace environments.
• Digital engineering transformation, model-based systems engineering, and engineering data management modernization.
• Driving continuous improvement, standardization, and operational excellence across engineering organizations.
• Supporting classified programs and secure development environments.Representing engineering in customer-facing reviews, strategic planning activities, and executive-level business discussions.
• Familiarity with aerospace analysis, modeling, simulation, CAD, PLM, or related engineering tool environments.
• Ability to partner effectively with Program Management, Operations, Finance, Quality, and executive leadership to achieve technical and business outcomes.

#LI-AH1 #LI-On-Site

L3Harris Technologies is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. L3Harris is committed to treating all employees and applicants for employment with respect and dignity and maintaining a workplace that is free from unlawful discrimination. All applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or other related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, characteristic or membership in any other group protected by federal, state or local laws. L3Harris maintains a drug-free workplace and performs pre-employment substance abuse testing and background checks, where permitted by law.

Please be aware many of our positions require the ability to obtain a security clearance. Security clearances may only be granted to U.S. citizens. In addition, applicants who accept a conditional offer of employment may be subject to government security investigation(s) and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.