Principal Project Engineer

Arete Associates; Healdsburg (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 215,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous PTO and Leave Times

Company-funded 5% contribution to your 401(k) retirement plan

Medical Insurance

Job summary

A leading engineering firm in Healdsburg, CA, seeks a Principal Project Engineer to oversee engineering programs from design to execution. The role involves collaborating with cross-functional teams, managing schedules, and supporting new product introduction efforts. Strong communication skills are necessary to deliver technical briefings to stakeholders. Ideal candidates will have experience with DoD contracts and the ability to obtain a secret clearance. Generous benefits include PTO, health insurance, and a 401(k) contribution.

Qualifications

• Strong communication skills to prepare and deliver briefings.
• Experience supporting DoD contracts and procurement activities.
• Proven ability to mitigate program risks and identify opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Drive planning and execution of engineering programs.
• Support technical and cost proposal development.
• Champion continuous improvement across programs.

Skills

Experience running an engineering technical team

Technical direction to the engineering team

Schedule creation and maintenance

New production introduction or production build experience

Ability to obtain a secret clearance

Education

Bachelor’s or master’s degree in engineering

Tools

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Excel

Jira

CostPoint MES

Job description

Principal Project Engineer

Full Time Healdsburg, CA, US

Salary Range: $170,000.00 To $215,000.00 Annually

At Areté, we are on the forefront of utilizing innovative solutions, with great minds from all backgrounds, to help solve the nation’s most complex security challenges. We strive for an inclusive, collaborative team environment that approaches differences as opportunities for innovation and excellence. As an employee‑owned company, we foster an atmosphere that propels diverse career opportunities and professional growth.

We are seeking a dynamic Project Engineer with a passion for bringing products to life in a customer usable configuration. We are looking for a Technical Principal Project Engineer to act as a critical bridge between design engineering, production and Program management. This role supports the Maritime Airborne Systems Sector, providing integrated technical, programmatic, schedule, and risk management across complex defense programs. The selected candidate will contribute across the full program lifecycle, including execution, integrated master scheduling, risk and opportunity management, manpower planning, and proposal development. The role requires familiarity with the Department of Defense acquisition framework, including BAA, RFI, and RFP processes, as well as experience supporting DoD contracts and procurement activities. This position requires strong communication skills and the ability to prepare and deliver technical and programmatic briefings to both internal leadership and external stakeholders, including customers and government representatives. This position will be based at our Healdsburg, CA office and is classified as a full‑time, exempt, non‑supervisory position.

Key Responsibilities

Technical & Program Execution

• Drive planning, execution, and delivery of engineering programs across design, development, and production teams
• Collaborate with technical leads to define scope, requirements, deliverables, and success criteria
• Lead cross‑functional execution to meet cost, schedule, and technical performance objectives
• Support New Product Introduction (NPI) and production build activities

Schedule & Cost Management

• Develop and maintain Integrated Master Schedules (IMS) using MS Project
• Support Estimate‑to‑Complete (ETC) development and ongoing financial tracking
• Utilize financial and labor tracking tools (e.g., Cognos, Costpoint) to monitor program performance

Risk & Opportunity Management

• Identify, track, and mitigate program risks, issues, and opportunities
• Develop and maintain risk registers, mitigation plans, and supporting analysis (e.g., risk cubes, burn‑down/waterfall views)

Technical Leadership & Reviews

• Provide technical direction to engineering teams
• Lead and support internal and external gate reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, etc.)
• Prepare and deliver program reviews, audits, and customer briefings (PowerPoint‑based)

Business Development & Proposals

• Support technical and cost proposal development
• Contribute to capture efforts, including requirements shaping and solution definition

Process Improvement

• Champion continuous improvement across program execution processes, tools, and team collaboration

Benefits

Generous PTO and Leave Times

• Flextime Scheduling
• Bereavement
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Company‑funded 5% contribution to your 401(k) retirement plan
• Company‑funded 5% contribution to your Employee Stock Ownership Plan
• Continuing Education Assistance

Health, Medical, and Wellness Benefits

• Medical Insurance
• Life Insurance and Long‑Term Disability (LTD)
• Vision Reimbursement

What We Value

• Creativity and innovation in solving challenges
• Integrity and responsibility in all actions
• Collaboration across teams and specialties
• Responsiveness in fast‑paced environments
• Passion for national security and excellence

Experiences and background we look for (Required Skills)

• Experience running an engineering technical team
• Technical direction to the engineering team
• Lead engineering team through design reviews both internal and external customers
• Schedule creation and maintenance
• Work with team to create an estimate to complete
• Risk creation and updates
• New production introduction or production build experience
• Documentation of the product and process
• Ability to obtain a secret clearance

Nice to have (Preferred Skills)

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in engineering, or related field. Or 10 years of project engineering for a technical engineering team.
• Proven experience in design development for electro‑optical systems and gimbals.
• Currently hold a Secret or Top Secret clearance
• Proficiency in tools and practices.
  • Microsoft Project
  • Microsoft Excel, Outlook
  • Jira
  • CostPoint MES

Other Considerations

Areté is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and nondiscrimination, and we believe every person has the right to be treated with fairness, dignity, and equal consideration.

Areté is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

U.S. citizenship is required to meet position eligibility.

Successful passage of a criminal background screen is required to meet position eligibility.

Selected applicants will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

Areté will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.

Successful passage of a Department of Transportation (DOT) drug test is required to meet position eligibility.