Principal Engineering Project Lead

Mercury Systems; Andover (MA); On-site; USD 84,000 - 168,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus opportunities

Health insurance

401(k) plan

Stock purchase plan

Tuition reimbursement

Professional development

Job summary

Mercury Systems is seeking a Principal Engineering Project Leader to guide the development of advanced aerospace and defense hardware programs in Andover, MA. You will lead cross‑functional engineering teams across electrical, mechanical, software, and system architecture, translating concepts from whiteboard to fielded products.

The role emphasizes rigorous planning, risk management, and ensuring delivery on schedule and within budget while engaging senior leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or STEM required.
• Typically 6+ years in an engineering design role.
• Experience in aerospace and defense projects, including formal design reviews.
• Experience in project management for new hardware product development.
• Experience with scheduling, tracking, and risk management tools.
• Experience identifying and implementing process improvements across engineering.
• Experience with full product development lifecycle from requirements to manufacturing release.
• Experience delivering technical presentations to internal and external stakeholders.
• Security clearance or ability to obtain one is required.

Responsibilities

• Lead integration and coordination across functional teams to deliver on time and on budget.
• Serve as primary liaison between engineering team and stakeholders (Operations, PM, Product PM, Tech Support, Leadership).
• Own project success, ensuring delivery within budget and on schedule.
• Communicate status and build relationships to minimize risk.
• Develop comprehensive project plans with risk mitigation, budgets, and resources.
• Oversee deliverables and adjust priorities as needed to maintain quality and schedule.
• Facilitate synchronization among project team members and stakeholders.
• Collaborate with senior management to resolve resource and organizational challenges.
• Tackle complex issues with cross-disciplinary input.
• Mentor engineers and foster high-performance teams.

Skills

Project leadership

Cross-functional teams

Aerospace

Defense

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or STEM

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Microsoft Project

Job description

Job Summary

Mercury Systems is seeking a talented Principal Engineering Project Leader to lead the development of cutting-edge technology for mission-critical aerospace and defense applications, advancing innovation where it matters most.

As an EPL within the Secure Line of Business you have the opportunity to lead the technical development of Mercury’s newest products and programs, taking concepts from the whiteboard to fully fielded products. This role involves developing and maintaining design plans and schedules, coordinating cross‑functional engineering teams, and ensuring successful project completion on time and within budget.

Job Responsibilities

• Lead integration and coordination across functional teams including electrical, mechanical, software engineering, system architecture, integration, quality, and documentation to ensure on‑time and on‑budget delivery of Mercury’s products and system solutions.
• Serve as the primary liaison between the engineering project team and key stakeholders, including Operations, Program Management, Product Management, Technical Support, and Senior Leadership.
• Own the success of assigned projects, ensuring they are delivered within budget, on schedule, and aligned with customer expectations.
• Engage with stakeholders to understand business needs, communicate project status, and build relationships that support satisfaction and minimize risk.
• Develop comprehensive project plans, including risk mitigation strategies, tasks, budgets, deliverables, dependencies, and resource requirements to ensure timely execution.
• Oversee project deliverables and intervene as needed to adjust priorities, resolve delivery and customer issues, and optimize for quality, timeliness, and flexibility.
• Facilitate synchronization and communication among all key project team members and stakeholders.
• Collaborate with Senior Management and functional managers to resolve resource allocation and organizational challenges.
• Tackle complex issues requiring in‑depth analysis of variable factors and cross‑disciplinary input.
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams through complex development cycles.
• Strong ability to influence without authority, aligning stakeholders across Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Program Management, and Senior Leadership.
• Proven record of driving clarity, making decisions, and maintaining momentum in ambiguous or high‑pressure environments.
• Ability to develop engineers and foster high‑performance team culture.
• Skilled at communicating technical and programmatic decisions to executives and customers.
• Ownership mindset — accountable for engineering execution, readiness for gate reviews, and overall project success.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, or a STEM discipline.
• Typically requires a minimum of 6+ years in an engineering design role.
• Experience in aerospace and defense projects, including participation in formal design review processes.
• Experience in Project management skills, particularly in new hardware product development.
• Experience with scheduling, tracking, and risk management tools and methodologies.
• Experience in identifying and implementing process improvements across engineering organizations.
• Experience with full product development lifecycle; from requirements through design, implementation, integration, and manufacturing release.
• Experience developing and delivering technical presentations to internal and external stakeholders.
• "This position requires you to have or obtain a government security clearance. Security clearances may only be granted to U.S. citizens."

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Atlassian tools, including Jira and Confluence, and Microsoft Project.
• Hands‑on experience with system and subsystem integration in complex hardware and software environments.
• Experience with cost account management using Earned Value Management Systems (EVMS).
• Strong team‑building and interpersonal skills, with a focus on mentoring and personnel development.
• Participation in Root Cause and Corrective Action (RCCA) investigations to resolve technical and process‑related issues.
• Active Secret clearance.

"This position requires you to access information that is subject to U.S. export regulations. You may only access such information if you are a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. government."

Fulltime Equivalent Job Grade Salary Range for this position

• $75,000.00 - $150,000.00 annual salary for in‑office or hybrid employees in FL, GA, IN, AZ, AL, MD or TX, and all remote employees
• $84,000.00 - $168,000.00 annual salary for in‑office or hybrid employees in VA, CA, NH or MA
• $88,500.00 - $177,000.00 annual salary for in‑office or hybrid employees in NJ",

Mercury considers a variety of factors to determine individual base salary offers to candidates, including:

• the role and related responsibilities;
• prior work experience;
• education, training, skills and certifications;
• internal equity with others employed by Mercury in similar roles;
• geographic location; and
• alignment with market data.

In addition to base salary, Mercury provides a variety of benefits for team members including:

• bonus opportunities (or special incentives for sales positions);
• health, life and disability insurance;
• company‑paid holidays and time off;
• 401(k) retirement plan;
• discounted employee stock purchase plan;
• tuition reimbursement; and
• access to professional development and personal wellness platforms including LinkedIn Learning, Headspace, Aaptiv and Virgin Pulse.

Team members at the Director or Vice President level are also eligible to receive annual stock‑based awards.

Mercury offers a 9/80 alternative work schedule that provides employees more opportunity for work/ life balance (available based off location)

Why should you join Mercury Systems?

Mercury Systems is a technology company that makes the world a safer, more secure place. We push processing power to the tactical edge, making the latest commercial technologies profoundly more accessible for today's most challenging aerospace and defense missions. From silicon to system scale, Mercury enables customers to accelerate innovation and turn data into decision superiority. Headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts, Mercury employs more than 2,300 people in 24 locations worldwide. To learn more, visit mrcy.com

Our Culture

We are committed to making Mercury a great place to work, no matter where our employees are located. We offer a casual and enjoyable atmosphere that allows employees to learn and grow. We help and care for one another and work as one to achieve results for us and for our customers. We value communication and transparency, and strive to foster two‑way dialogue at all levels of the organization. We are committed to lifelong learning, offering comprehensive skills training and tuition reimbursement. Whether you're just starting out on your career journey or you are an experienced professional, it's important to us that you feel recognized and rewarded for your contributions.

To find out more about Why Mercury?, or visit the Mercury Community or find answers to general questions at Mercury FAQs

Mercury Systems is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, genetic information, creed, citizenship, disability, protected veteran or marital status.

As an equal opportunity employer, Mercury Systems is committed to a diverse workforce. In order to ensure reasonable accommodation for individuals protected by Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Veterans' Readjustment Act of 1974, and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please contact the number below.

(978) 256‑1300