Principal Configuration Management Specialist

OpenKrill; United States; Remote; USD 160,000 - 266,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401k with company match

FSA/HSA

Life insurance

Relocation assistance

Annual bonus (coming soon)

Job summary

CHAOS Industries is seeking an experienced Senior Configuration Management Specialist to lead CM across development, qualification, and production programs for the MMA initiative. You will own baselines, oversee ECP/ECR processes, and ensure traceability and audit readiness for hardware, software, and documentation.

The ideal candidate has 10+ years in defense CM, deep familiarity with EIA-649/MIL-HDBK-61, and hands-on PLM/requirements tools.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of CM experience in defense/aerospace with aircraft/UAS exposure.
• Frequent travel required: 25%–50%.
• Strong working knowledge of CM standards (EIA-649, MIL-HDBK-61).
• Hands-on experience with PLM/PDM and requirements management tools.
• Experience with FCA/PCA support and customer/government audits.
• AS9100 quality system experience.

Responsibilities

• Establish, maintain, and audit product baselines across hardware and software.
• Lead ECP/ECR processes, CCB support, and disposition tracking.
• Maintain configuration status accounting and traceability across docs and builds.
• Ensure configurations remain synchronized, auditable, and compliant.
• Apply CM practices per standards and CMPs/DIDs.
• Support audits and government reviews.
• Set up and administer CM tools (Teamcenter/Windchill/DOORS).
• Coordinate cross-functionally on change impacts and implementation.
• Manage CI identification, numbering, and revision control.
• Support release management for drawings, ICDs, and software versions.
• Serve as CM lead in program reviews and customer engagements.
• Contribute to CM plan development for proposals.

Skills

Configuration management

Audits & compliance

Cross-functional collaboration

Change control processes

Requirements traceability

Lifecycle management

AS9100/DO-178/DO-254 knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field

Tools

Teamcenter

Windchill

DOORS

PLM/ERP tools

Job description

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com.

Role Overview:

We are seeking an experienced Senior Configuration Management (CM) Specialist who will lead configuration management activities across development, qualification, and production programs supporting Massed Modular Aircraft (MMA) program. This role owns the integrity of product baselines throughout the system lifecycle — ensuring that design, documentation, and as-built/as-maintained configurations remain accurate, traceable, and compliant with contractual, regulatory, and internal quality requirements. The ideal candidate has deep familiarity with defense industry CM practices, engineering change processes, and the unique configuration control challenges of complex, safety-critical hardware/software systems. This position is remote and requires travel to our sites or the customer for reviews and audit.

Responsibilities:

• Establish, maintain, and audit product baselines (functional, allocated, and product) across hardware and software configuration items throughout the program lifecycle.
• Manage the Engineering Change Proposal/Request (ECP/ECR) process, including impact assessment coordination, Configuration Control Board (CCB) support, and disposition tracking.
• Maintain configuration status accounting and traceability across requirements, design documentation, drawings, software builds, and test/qualification records.
• Ensure as-designed, as-built, and as-maintained configurations remain synchronized and auditable.
• Apply configuration management practices in accordance with applicable standards (e.g., EIA-649, MIL-STD-973/MIL-HDBK-61, SAE-EIA-649, ANSI/EIA-649-B) and contract-specific CM plans (CMPs) or Data Item Descriptions (DIDs).
• Support compliance with customer and regulatory requirements relevant to aircraft, missile, or sUAS programs (e.g., AS9100, DO-178C/DO-254 configuration aspects, ITAR/EAR documentation control).
• Prepare for and support internal audits, customer configuration audits (Functional Configuration Audits/Physical Configuration Audits — FCA/PCA), and government reviews.
• Set up and administer configuration management tools/systems (e.g., PLM/PDM systems such as Teamcenter, Windchill, or similar; DOORS or other requirements management tools) to control engineering data and change records.
• Coordinate cross-functionally with design engineering, systems engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and program management on change impacts, effectivity, and implementation.
• Manage configuration item (CI) identification, numbering schemes, and revision control across hardware, software, firmware, and technical documentation.
• Support release management for engineering drawings, specifications, interface control documents (ICDs), and software version control.
• Serve as the senior CM point of contact for one or more programs, representing CM in program reviews, technical interchange meetings, and customer engagements.
• Support proposal efforts with CM plan development, staffing estimates, and lessons‑learned input.

Minimum Requirements:

• Minimum 10 years of configuration management experience within the defense/aerospace industry, with direct exposure to aircraft or UAS programs.
• Regular travel required (25%-50%).
• Strong working knowledge of CM standards (e.g., EIA-649, MIL-HDBK-61) and demonstrated experience running or supporting CCBs.
• Hands‑on experience with PLM/PDM and/or requirements management tools.
• Experience managing configuration baselines across the full program lifecycle (development through production/sustainment).
• Experience with FCA/PCA support and customer/government configuration audits.
• AS9100 quality system experience.

Preferred Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical field
• Familiarity with UAS-specific configuration challenges (rapid iteration cycles, COTS component tracking, frequent software updates).
• Ability to obtain/maintain Secret/Top Secret/SCI clearance

Why CHAOS?

• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
• Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
• Our Perks: Free daily lunch while you're working onsite, fully‑stocked kitchen, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre‑IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
• Team Growth: 500+ employees and counting across 5 global offices

Salary Range: $160,000 - $266,000

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations.