Senior Avionics & Flight Systems Lead Engineer

Southwest Research Institute; Oklahoma City (OK); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Southwest Research Institute is seeking a senior aerospace engineer to lead multidisciplinary avionics and mission hardware design. You will own hardware lifecycle activities from requirements to production transition, driving digital engineering and MBSE practices while coordinating with government integration teams.

The role demands 11+ years of aerospace hardware experience, strong CFD/FEA/CAD skills, and the ability to deliver high-confidence hardware solutions for complex aircraft

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Electrical or Systems Engineering or related field.
• 11+ years aerospace/avionics hardware development experience for design, integration and verification.
• Experience with CFD, FEA, thermal networks, CAD/CAE, or electronics packaging methods.
• Experience across hardware lifecycle requirements, architecture, interfaces, and verification.
• Proven leadership of multidisciplinary teams and government integration activities.

Responsibilities

• Lead multidisciplinary trade studies across aerodynamics, thermal, structures, packaging, and aircraft integration.
• Develop and review CAD/CAE analyses; correlate models with test data and support design maturation.
• Translate needs into system and interface requirements; manage baselines, changes and traceability.
• Build the digital thread linking requirements, MBSE models, data, and verification evidence.
• Lead design reviews, qualification, airworthiness support, and supplier coordination.

Skills

Aerospace engineering

Systems engineering

MBSE

Thermal analysis

Structures analysis

Electronics packaging

Mechanical design

Certification & airworthiness

Education

Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

CAD/CAE

CFD

FEA

Thermal networks

Job description

Southwest Research Institute is seeking a senior aerospace engineer to lead multidisciplinary avionics and mission hardware design. You will own hardware lifecycle activities from requirements to production transition, driving digital engineering and MBSE practices while coordinating with government integration teams.

The role demands 11+ years of aerospace hardware experience, strong CFD/FEA/CAD skills, and the ability to deliver high-confidence hardware solutions for complex aircraft