Principal Software Engineer – Digital Engineering AI Enablement and Automation (AEA) (Onsite)

Collins Aerospace; Cedar Rapids (IA); On-site; USD 108,000 - 205,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Three weeks vacation

401(k) matching

Tuition reimbursement

Student loan repayment

Life insurance

Disability coverage

Pet insurance

Adoption leave

Job summary

Collins Aerospace seeks an AI and Automation Engineer in Cedar Rapids to drive innovation by using AI to streamline engineering tasks. You will develop and maintain internal tools, collaborate with engineering teams, and deliver scalable AI-enabled workflows that reduce cycle times and lifecycle costs.

The role emphasizes staying ahead in AI/automation, building proof-of-concept projects, and ensuring compliance with RTX standards while delivering training and documentation for adoption.

Qualifications

• Degree in STEM with 8+ years experience or advanced degree with 5+ years.
• Experience building internal AI developer tools or platforms for safety-critical domains.
• Proficiency with GenAI implementation patterns including RAG, prompt engineering, agentic workflows.
• Hands-on LLMOps experience with evaluation platforms like MLflow, Arize, Braintrust, Fiddler.

Responsibilities

• Lead initiatives to identify manual engineering tasks that can be optimized with AI and automation.
• Develop, implement, and maintain AI and automation tools to enhance workflows.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver scalable AI solutions.
• Analyze workflows to identify inefficiencies and improve precision, speed, and productivity.
• Stay current with AI/ML advancements to keep solutions cutting-edge.
• Design and execute proof-of-concept projects to validate AI strategies.
• Ensure solutions comply with Collins Aerospace and RTX standards.
• Provide training and documentation for teams to adopt new tools.
• Continuously monitor and refine existing tools to improve performance.

Skills

GenAI implementation patterns

LLMOps

Python

C/C++

AI developer tools

Education

STEM degree with 8+ years

Advanced degree +5 years

Tools

MLflow

Arize

Braintrust

Fiddler

Job description

Location: US-IA-CEDAR RAPIDS-124 ~ 400 Collins Rd NE ~ BLDG 124

Country: United States of America

Position Role Type: Onsite

U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements: U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are authorized to access information under this program/contract.

Security Clearance Type: None/Not Required

Security Clearance Status: Not Required

At RTX, the world's largest aerospace and defense company, 185,000 great minds are united by purpose and inspired to make a difference solving the world’s most complex problems. With our three market leading businesses, world-class operations and investments in research and development, we offer capabilities and opportunity no one else can. Together, we push the boundaries of known science and find new ways to connect and protect our world.

Collins Aerospace is a leader in technologically advanced, intelligent solutions that help redefine the aerospace and defense industry. With a comprehensive portfolio and deep technical expertise, we help customers meet the demands of the global market. Join us and help shape the future of aerospace and defense.

Collins Aerospace, a business unit of RTX Corporation, is seeking a talented and innovative Artificial Intelligence and Automation Engineer to drive engineering efficiency by leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and solution automation.

The Principal Software Engineer – Digital Engineering AI Enablement and Automation (AEA) will play a pivotal role in driving engineering efficiency across Collins Aerospace by leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) and solution automation to deliver transformative solutions. This position will focus on enabling faster cycle times, reducing total lifecycle costs, minimizing technical debt, and enhancing reusability across all business units within Collins Aerospace and engineering disciplines. The role requires a forward-thinking engineer who thrives on innovation, collaboration, and delivering impactful solutions at scale.

What You Will Do

• Lead initiatives to identify manual engineering tasks that can be optimized or replaced with AI-driven solutions and automation.
• Develop, implement, and maintain AI and automation tools to enhance engineering workflows and processes.
• Collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams to understand their requirements and provide impactful, scalable solutions.
• Analyze workflows and data to identify inefficiencies and deliver solutions that improve precision, speed, and productivity.
• Stay current with advancements in AI, machine learning, and automation technologies to ensure solutions remain cutting-edge.
• Design and execute proof-of-concept projects to validate the effectiveness of proposed AI and automation strategies.
• Ensure all solutions comply with Collins Aerospace and RTX standards, including security and performance requirements.
• Provide training and documentation to teams to facilitate the adoption of new tools and workflows.
• Continuously monitor and refine existing tools to improve their performance and effectiveness.

Qualifications You Must Have:

• Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and minimum 8 years prior relevant experience or an Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 5 years of experience
• Experience building internal AI developer tools or platforms — e.g., coding assistants, documentation summarizers, test-case generators, or requirements-traceability aids tailored to safety-critical domains.
• Proficiency with GenAI implementation patterns — including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), prompt engineering, agentic workflows, and strategies to constrain non-deterministic outputs for reliable use in regulated environments.
• Hands-on LLMOps experience with evaluation metric platforms such as MLflow (or equivalent tools like Arize, Braintrust, Fiddler) for experiment tracking, model monitoring, tracing, and reproducible evaluation pipelines in regulated environments.
• Strong programming skills in languages such as Python or C/C++

Qualifications We Prefer:

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills with ability to translate complex AI architectures into clear guidelines and training for engineering teams.
• Experience in integrating AI into safety-critical workflows such as test automation, requirements analysis, code review assistance, or documentation generation with human-in-the-loop controls.
• Familiarity with aerospace security and compliance constraints (e.g., ITAR/EAR, on-prem/private cloud deployments).
• Evidence of measurable impact from AI initiatives (e.g., reduced cycle time, improved code quality, scaled best practices).

What We Offer

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Three weeks of vacation for newly hired employees
• Generous 401(k) plan that includes employer matching funds and separate employer retirement contribution, including a Lifetime Income Strategy option
• Tuition reimbursement program
• Student Loan Repayment Program
• Life insurance and disability coverage
• Optional coverages you can buy pet insurance, home and auto insurance, additional life and accident insurance,critical illnessinsurance, group legal, ID theft protection
• Birth, adoption, parental leave benefits
• Ovia Health, fertility, and family planning
• Adoption Assistance
• Autism Benefit
• Employee Assistance Plan, including up to 10 free counseling sessions
• Healthy You Incentives, wellness rewards program
• Doctor on Demand, virtual doctor visits
• Bright Horizons, child and elder care services
• Teladoc Medical Experts, second opinion program
• And more!

Eligible for relocation

Onsite: Employees who are working in Onsite roles will work primarily onsite. This includes all production and maintenance employees, as they are essential to the development of our products

At Collins, the paths we pave together lead to limitless possibility. And the bonds we form – with our customers and with each other -- propel us all higher, again and again.

As part of our commitment to maintaining a secure hiring process, candidates may be asked to attend select steps of the interview process in-person at one of our office locations, regardless of whether the role is designated as on-site, hybrid or remote.

The salary range for this role is 107,500 USD - 204,500 USD. The salary range provided is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels. RTX considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, location, education/training, and key skills.

Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits, including but not limited to, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, flexible work schedules, employee assistance program, Employee Scholar Program, parental leave, paid time off, and holidays. Specific benefits are dependent upon the specific business unit as well as whether or not the position is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement.

Hired applicants may be eligible for annual short-term and/or long-term incentive compensation programs depending on the level of the position and whether or not it is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement. Payments under these annual programs are not guaranteed and are dependent upon a variety of factors including, but not limited to, individual performance, business unit performance, and/or the company’s performance.

This role is a U.S.-based role. If the successful candidate resides in a U.S. territory, the appropriate pay structure and benefits will apply.

RTX anticipates the application window closing approximately 40 days from the date the notice was posted. However, factors such as candidate flow and business necessity may require RTX to shorten or extend the application window.

RTX is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any other applicable state or federal protected class. RTX provides affirmative action in employment for qualified Individuals with a Disability and Protected Veterans in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act.