Lead, Systems Engineer

Harris Corporation; Utah; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

L3Harris Technologies in Salt Lake City seeks a Lead Systems Engineer to serve as the primary engineering interface for Customer Platforms, driving sustainment of mission-critical communications capabilities.

You will lead cross-functional teams across operational support, flight test, software releases, system integration, verification, and obsolescence management, collaborating with customers, program leadership, suppliers, and internal teams to meet contractual and operational requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related technical discipline with 9+ years of experience; or a graduate degree with 7+ years.
• In lieu of a degree, 13 years of related experience.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary engineering point of contact for assigned Customer Platforms.
• Attend TIMs, customer meetings, program reviews, and technical briefings.
• Lead the investigation, prioritization, coordination, and resolution of Customer-reported issues; ensure timely technical communication and escalation.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams to assess impacts, establish corrective actions, manage risks, and verify issue resolution.
• Plan and support flight test, integration, verification, qualification, and customer-site test events.
• Lead software release support including requirements assessment, interface analysis, release readiness, deployment, and post-release issue resolution.
• Lead DMSMS and obsolescence efforts with suppliers and program teams to develop mitigation plans.
• Maintain awareness of Customer Platform configurations, environments, interfaces, and open issues.
• Develop and maintain artifacts: requirements, interface control docs, assessments, test plans, risk registers, and release docs.
• Provide technical leadership across disciplines and review products for quality and compliance.
• Suggest improvements to sustainment processes, issue workflows, and customer communications.
• Prepare and present technical recommendations, risks, and resolution plans to customers and leadership.

Skills

Systems engineering

Customer engagement

Cross-functional leadership

Requirements management

Risk management

Technical leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelors degree

Graduate degree

Tools

DOORS

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Project

Visio

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 Systems Engineer
Job Code: 45046
Job Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Job Schedule: 9/80: Employees work 9 out of every 14 days- totaling 80 hours worked- and have every other Friday off

Job Description

The Lead Systems Engineer will serve as the primary engineering interface for Customer Platforms supporting the sustainment of mission-critical communications capabilities.

This role leads complex, cross-functional engineering efforts spanning operational support, flight test, software releases, system integration, verification, configuration management, and obsolescence management. The Lead Systems Engineer will work directly with Customers, program leadership, internal engineering teams, suppliers, and subcontractors to resolve technical issues, influence engineering priorities, and ensure delivered capabilities meet mission, contractual, and operational requirements.

The ideal candidate is a recognized systems engineering subject-matter expert with strong customer engagement skills, experience supporting fielded systems, and the ability to independently lead initiatives of substantial importance to the program.

Essential Functions

• Serve as the primary engineering point of contact for assigned Customer Platforms
• Attend and lead engineering participation in recurring Technical Interchange Meetings (TIMs), customer meetings, program reviews, and technical briefings.
• Lead the investigation, prioritization, coordination, and resolution of Customer-reported operational issues, ensuring timely technical communication and appropriate escalation.
• Coordinate cross-functional engineering teams to assess impacts, establish corrective actions, manage technical risks, and verify resolution of fielded-system issues.
• Plan and support flight test, integration, verification, qualification, and operational test events at customer locations.
• Lead systems engineering support for new software releases, including requirements assessment, configuration and interface impact analysis, release readiness, deployment coordination, and post-release issue resolution.
• Lead DMSMS and obsolescence efforts for supported systems, coordinating with suppliers, program management, logistics, and design engineering to develop technically sound and cost-effective mitigation plans.
• Maintain technical awareness of Customer Platform configurations, operational environments, interfaces, open issues, risks, and planned upgrades.
• Develop and maintain systems engineering artifacts, including requirements, interface control documents, technical assessments, test plans, verification cross-reference matrices, release documentation, and risk registers.
• Provide technical leadership across engineering disciplines, guiding work priorities and reviewing technical products to ensure quality, completeness, and compliance with program processes.
• Identify and implement improvements to sustainment engineering processes, issue-management workflows, release practices, and customer communication methods that improve program and operational outcomes.
• Prepare and present technical recommendations, status, risks, and resolution plans to customers, program leadership, engineering leadership, and senior stakeholders.
• Support proposal development, customer RFIs/RFPs, technical demonstrations, and new business pursuits as needed.
• Ability to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Government DoD Top Secret security clearance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical discipline, with a minimum of 9 years of prior relevant experience; or a graduate degree with a minimum of 7 years of prior related experience.
• In lieu of a degree, a minimum of 13 years of prior related experience.

Preferred Additional Skills

• Demonstrated experience leading complex systems engineering, integration, verification, sustainment, or lifecycle-support efforts with minimal oversight.
• Experience serving as a technical interface with military customers, platform operators, or operational users.
• Experience supporting airborne, space, ground, tactical, satellite, or line-of-sight communications systems.
• Experience with fielded-system sustainment, operational issue resolution, software release management, DMSMS, and configuration management.
• Experience planning or supporting flight test, system integration, verification, qualification, or customer-site test events.
• Strong knowledge of requirements management, interface management, risk management, technical planning, and verification and validation.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and influence cross-functional teams, customers, suppliers, and subcontractors without formal management authority.
• Experience with tools such as DOORS or similar requirements-management tools, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project, and Visio.

LI-BR1

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. 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.

By submitting your resume for this position, you understand and agree that L3Harris Technologies may share your resume, as well as any other related personal information or documentation you provide, with its subsidiaries and affiliated companies for the purpose of considering you for other available positions.

L3Harris Technologies is an E-Verify Employer.