Lead, Chief Systems Engineer

L3Harris Technologies; Colorado Springs (CO); On-site; USD 110,500 - 205,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and disability insurance

401(k) match

Education assistance

Parental leave

Paid time off

Job summary

L3Harris Technologies in Colorado Springs seeks a Radar Chief Systems Engineer to lead radar system development and sustainment across programs. You will guide system architecture, CONOPS, and verification efforts with multi-disciplinary teams, ensuring alignment with mission needs.

Requires 9+ years in systems engineering (or equivalent), leadership of large teams, and a Secret clearance. The role emphasizes collaboration with government customers and risk-based decision making.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree with 9+ years experience; or graduate degree with 7+ years; or 13+ years without degree.
• Technical leadership experience for teams larger than 50 people.
• Experience in radar software, signal processing, or RF hardware.
• Secret security clearance required.

Responsibilities

• Ensure systems-engineering processes are followed across the program, including waterfall and agile/scrum.
• Maintain accuracy and quality of the program’s technical baseline.
• Review requirements, preliminary designs, peer reviews, and test plans.
• Lead CONOPS development, trade studies, and requirements verification for radar systems.
• Collaborate with government customers and internal stakeholders.
• Support system integration, verification, and validation activities.
• Translate customer needs into complete system solutions balancing tech, schedule, and cost.
• Develop roadmaps and track key technical performance measures.
• Lead root-cause investigations and cost/risk analyses.

Skills

Radar software

Signal processing

RF hardware

Technical leadership

Agile

Education

Bachelor's Degree + 9+ years

Graduate Degree + 7+ years

No degree, 13+ years

Tools

MagicDraw

CAMEO Systems modeler

OpenShift

Kubernetes

HWIL simulation

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

Lead, Chief Systems Engineer

Job Code

36945

Job Location

Colorado Springs, CO

Job Schedule

980

Job Description

L3Harris Technologies is seeking a Radar Chief Systems Engineer to support radar‑related programs at our Colorado Springs location. This role offers the opportunity to contribute to critical mission‑focused systems within a rapidly growing defense environment. The position plays a key role in developing and sustaining advanced solutions for high‑priority assets and requires strong collaboration within a team of experienced professionals.

Essential Functions

• Ensure systems‑engineering processes—whether traditional waterfall or agile/scrum—are properly followed and executed across the program.
• Maintain the accuracy, integrity, and quality of the program’s technical baseline.
• Review system requirements, preliminary designs, peer reviews, detailed designs, and test plans.
• Lead development of CONOPS, conduct trade studies, and perform requirements analysis and verification for radar systems and subsystems.
• Communicate effectively with internal stakeholders and external partners, including government customers.
• Support system integration as well as verification and validation activities
• Translate customer or product requirements into complete system solutions that balance technical, schedule, and cost constraints.
• Conduct functional and timeline analyses.
• Perform cost, risk, supportability, and effectiveness analyses across the full system lifecycle (concept through disposal).
• Develop roadmaps to maintain, enhance, or introduce mission capabilities.
• Track and ensure performance against key technical performance measures.
• Contribute to a dynamic development and integration lab involving both hardware and software systems.
• Support or lead technical proposal efforts, including requirements decomposition, system architecture/design, technical writing, risk management, and cost estimation.
• Create SysML models and/or DoDAF views using MagicDraw.
• Lead and coordinate multidisciplinary engineering teams, including:
  • Electrical/RF Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Systems Engineering
  • Test Engineering
  • Software Engineering
  • Specialty Engineering (human factors, safety, reliability, maintainability, logistics)
• Lead root‑cause investigations and corrective‑action teams.
• Travel up to 10% as required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree and minimum 9 years of prior relevant experience. Graduate Degree and a minimum of 7 years of prior related experience. In lieu of a degree, minimum of 13 years of prior related experience.
• Must have technical leadership experience for teams of larger than 50 People
• Experience in at least one of the following areas: radar software, signal processing, and/or RF hardware
• Secret security clearance required

Preferred Additional Skills

• Previous work experience with phased array radars, high power amplifiers, digital beamforming, SDA mission prosecution, LPAR, HWIL simulation, surveillance, signal processing
• Previous work experience with CAMEO Systems modeler/ MagicDraw
• Knowledge of Kubernetes environments, in particular experience with Redhat Openshift Containerized Platform (OCP)
• Working experience in Agile framework

Benefits

In compliance with pay transparency requirements, the salary range for this role in Colorado State is $110,500 - $205,500. This is not a guarantee of compensation or salary, as final offer amount may vary based on factors including but not limited to experience and geographic location. L3Harris also offers a variety of benefits, including health and disability insurance, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, EAP, education assistance, parental leave, paid time off, and company‑paid holidays. The specific programs and options available to an employee may vary depending on date of hire, schedule type, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.

Equal Opportunity Employer

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.

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.

L3Harris Technologies is an E‑Verify Employer.