Director of Engineering — Autonomous Defense Systems

World View; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 170,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

Job summary

Ondas Sentinel in Tucson seeks a Director of Engineering to lead the engineering organization and provide technical oversight across ISR programs. You will guide priorities, shape strategy, and drive product development from concept through deployment.

The ideal candidate has extensive aerospace/defense systems experience, strong leadership, and a proven ability to deliver complex programs on time and within budget.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science degree and preferred MS.
• 15+ years of progressive engineering experience in aerospace, defense, or autonomous systems.
• Minimum 5 years of engineering management experience leading multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience with systems engineering for complex platforms (vehicles, payloads, command and control systems, ground systems).
• Experience leading products through full engineering lifecycle from concept to production.
• Strong understanding of systems architecture, requirements management, integration, verification, and configuration management.
• Experience managing engineering budgets, schedules, risks, and resources.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams delivering complex programs.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills for influencing technical direction.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance, if required.

Responsibilities

• Lead multidisciplinary engineering organization and foster technical excellence.
• Establish engineering priorities and technical direction across multiple programs.
• Drive technology roadmaps with internal and external stakeholders.
• Lead systems architecture, requirements development, and design activities across platforms.
• Provide technical oversight through the full system development lifecycle.
• Oversee prototype development and technology demonstrations to accelerate maturation.
• Define execution plans, monitor progress, and manage development costs.
• Implement project management processes and engineering metrics for schedules and risks.
• Serve as senior technical interface with customers, government stakeholders, and suppliers.
• Maintain system and component requirements with traceability and documentation.
• Lead major reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, FCA) and ensure compliance.
• Coordinate verification/validation activities for technical and regulatory satisfaction.
• Partner with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, and PM for production transition.
• Promote engineering best practices and disciplined systems engineering.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Systems engineering

Program management

Cross-functional leadership

Budget & resource planning

Requirements management

Lifecycle management

Communication skills

Security clearance ability

DoD/Defense experience

Education

Bachelor of Science in Engineering

Master's degree in Engineering (preferred)

Job description

Ondas Sentinel in Tucson seeks a Director of Engineering to lead the engineering organization and provide technical oversight across ISR programs. You will guide priorities, shape strategy, and drive product development from concept through deployment.

The ideal candidate has extensive aerospace/defense systems experience, strong leadership, and a proven ability to deliver complex programs on time and within budget.