Head of Engineering - Missile Systems

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 is seeking a Head of Engineering for a growing aerospace and defense company developing supersonic ramjet munitions, multi-mission missiles, and autonomous vertical launch systems. This role will own system architecture, technical decisions, and engineering execution across multiple sites and programs, guiding products from development through testing and production.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone with deep experience in complex hardware, embedded software, and systems integration. You will lead multidisciplinary teams, resolve critical technical trade-offs, and build the engineering capabilities needed to scale. The company’s approach emphasizes rapid iteration, operational feedback, and production through a distributed network of manufacturing partners.

Responsibilities

• Own system architecture and technical baselines across airframe structures, propulsion, guidance, navigation and control (GNC), embedded software, and avionics.
• Serve as the final technical authority for architecture decisions, requirements allocation, and technical risk acceptance.
• Lead requirements flow-down, interface control, subsystem integration, and verification and validation.
• Oversee the integration of embedded guidance, controls, and mission software with vehicle hardware.
• Guide systems from prototype through qualification and production, addressing manufacturability and scalability early in development.
• Provide technical sign-off at key readiness gates, including ground testing, qualification, and flight/live-fire testing.
• Align engineering leaders across sites around shared architectures, technical standards, and program priorities.
• Build and mentor multidisciplinary engineering teams, identify capability gaps, and develop staffing plans.
• Establish engineering processes that support rapid development and continuous improvement while maintaining technical rigor.
• Partner with software and data platform teams to incorporate operational performance and cost-per-effect data into design decisions.
• Communicate technical trade-offs, risks, and recommendations to executives, government customers, and program partners.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, or software engineering, or a related technical field.
• 12+ years of engineering experience, including system-level ownership of a complex hardware/software product.
• Experience as a Chief Engineer, Head of Engineering, Systems Architect, or equivalent technical authority.
• Demonstrated technical depth in systems architecture, embedded software, and hardware integration.
• Experience leading a vehicle or weapon system through design reviews, test campaigns, and readiness gates.
• A first-principles approach to problem-solving, with the ability to challenge assumptions and make sound technical decisions.
• Strong leadership and communication skills, including experience guiding multidisciplinary teams and explaining technical decisions to executives and customers.
• U.S. citizenship and the ability to obtain a Department of Defense security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree or PhD in a related technical field.
• Experience with missiles, guided munitions, or hypersonic/supersonic vehicles.
• Experience transitioning hardware/software products from prototype to production, ideally through a distributed manufacturing model.
• Background in embedded real-time systems, GNC, or avionics software.
• Experience supporting DoD, DARPA, or classified programs.
• Familiarity with model-based systems engineering (MBSE) tools and formal systems engineering practices.
• Experience applying continuous deployment or iterative development methods to hardware programs.
• Active TS/SCI or a previously held security clearance.