Lead Systems Engineer

AV; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 112,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401K with company matching

9/80 work schedule

Holiday shutdown

Job summary

AV is seeking a Lead Systems Engineer to join the Space RF SEIT Team, leading traditional systems engineering tasks and advancing SE capabilities across multiple projects. You will coordinate with stakeholders and engineering disciplines to deliver robust systems throughout the lifecycle.

Key responsibilities include requirements capture, subsystem allocation with RF engineers, system test planning, and formal reviews. A Top Secret clearance and ITAR compliance are required for this role.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or a related technical discipline.
• 8+ years of traditional systems engineering experience.
• Working knowledge of lifecycle processes, requirements management, and verification methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Capture and manage product requirements and support standard SE efforts as needed.
• Understand, develop, and document customer needs and system requirements with PM/Chief Engineer/RF team.
• Derive and allocate subsystem requirements with RF engineers.
• Support system test planning, verification, and validation efforts.
• Create and maintain technical documentation, specs, and interfaces using Word/Excel/Visio.
• Participate in formal reviews with the company and customers.
• Support problem solving and risk analysis across disciplines.
• Provide full lifecycle support for changes to product baselines and lead SE tasks.

Skills

Systems engineering

Requirements management

Verification methodologies

Lifecycle processes

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

CAMEO

MBSE tools

Job description

Job Description

AV is seeking a highly motivated and skilled Lead Systems Engineer to join our Space RF Systems Engineering, Integration, and Test (SEIT) Team. Our exciting programs will revolutionize how we connect with satellite assets, enabling faster and more secure data transmission. You will be a key member of a team performing and leading traditional systems engineering tasks for multiple projects as well as supporting the continuous improvement of our formal SE capabilities. You will interface and coordinate with multiple external and internal organizations, including stakeholders and other engineering disciplines. You may be asked to lead special projects within the SEIT or Engineering organization.

Worker Type

Regular

Summary

AV is seeking a highly motivated and skilled Lead Systems Engineer to join our Space RF Systems Engineering, Integration, and Test (SEIT) Team. Our exciting programs will revolutionize how we connect with satellite assets, enabling faster and more secure data transmission. You will be a key member of a team performing and leading traditional systems engineering tasks for multiple projects as well as supporting the continuous improvement of our formal SE capabilities. You will interface and coordinate with multiple external and internal organizations, including stakeholders and other engineering disciplines. You may be asked to lead special projects within the SEIT or Engineering organization.

Position Responsibilities

• Primary responsibilities include supporting the effort to capture and manage product requirements, as well as supporting other standard systems engineering efforts as needed in support of our product lines.
• Typical tasks may include:
• Working with the Program Manager, Chief Engineer, and RF team to understand, develop, and document customer needs and system requirements.
• Working in collaboration with RF engineers to derive and allocate subsystem requirements.
• Supporting system test planning, verification, and validation efforts.
• Creating and maintaining technical documentation, specifications, and interface documents, including the use of standard tools such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and Visio.
• Participating in formal company and customer technical reviews.
• Supporting other engineering disciplines as needed in problem solving, risk management, and impact analysis.
• Providing full life cycle support for changes to product baselines for specific customers.
• Leading other Systems Engineers in the execution of project SE tasks.

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Competencies)

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering or a related technical discipline.
• 8+ years of traditional systems engineering experience.
• Working knowledge of standard systems engineering lifecycle processes, requirements management, and verification methodologies.

Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies

• Degree in Systems Engineering.
• Familiarity with RF communication systems, satellite architecture, or aerospace.
• Working knowledge of the systems engineering processes as described in the INCOSE SE Handbook and/or ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288:2023.
• Experience with CAMEO or other Model Based Systems Engineering tools and techniques.

Physical Demands

• Ability to work in an office and production environment (Constant)
• Required to sit and stand for long periods; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard (Frequent)

Clearance Level

Top Secret

The Salary Range For This Role Is

$111,500 - $170,000

ITAR Requirement

This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on AeroVironment’s determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with AeroVironment’s business requirements. A “U.S. person” according to the ITAR definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. See 22 CFR

• 120.15. Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.

Benefits

AV offers an excellent benefits package including medical, dental vision, 401K with company matching, a 9/80 work schedule and a paid holiday shutdown. For more information about our company benefit offerings please visit: http://www.avinc.com/myavbenefits.

We also encourage you to review our company website at http://www.avinc.com to learn more about us.

About AV

AV isn’t for everyone. We hire the curious, the relentless, the mission-obsessed. The best of the best.

We don’t just build defense technology—we redefine what’s possible. As the premier autonomous systems company in the U.S., AV delivers breakthrough capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. From AI-powered drones and loitering munitions to integrated autonomy and space resilience, our technologies shape the future of warfare and protect those who serve.

If you're ready to build technology that matters—with speed, scale, and purpose—there’s no better place to do it than AV.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans. AeroVironment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants. Qualified applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic data, sexual orientation, gender identity or other legally protected status.

ITAR

U.S. Citizenship required. Must be willing to work on government contracts and have the ability to obtain a security clearance.