Senior Avionics Hardware Lead Engineer

Southwest Research Institute; San Antonio (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, TX, seeks a senior aerospace hardware engineer to lead avionics and mission hardware across the hardware lifecycle. You will balance thermal, structural, aerodynamic, packaging, maintainability, reliability, and integration constraints while advancing digital engineering practices and MBSE.

You will own requirements, trade studies, and verification activities, guiding multidisciplinary teams, performing design reviews, and ensuring test readiness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Electrical, or Systems Engineering; advanced degree preferred.
• 11+ years aerospace/avionics hardware development, integration, and verification.
• Experience with CFD/FEA, thermal networks, CAD/CAE, electronics packaging.

Responsibilities

• Lead multidisciplinary trade studies across aerodynamics, thermal, structures, electronics packaging, and aircraft integration.
• Develop and review CAD, CFD, FEA, thermal, structural analyses; correlate models with test data.
• Translate Government and customer needs into system, subsystem, interface, and verification requirements; manage baselines, interfaces, changes, risks, and lifecycle traceability.
• Build and maintain the digital thread connecting requirements, MBSE models, CAD/CAE data, analyses, ICDs, configuration artifacts, test results, verification evidence, and technical decisions.
• Lead design reviews, integration/test readiness, anomaly resolution, qualification, airworthiness support, supplier coordination, and mentoring of engineers across multidisciplinary avionics hardware efforts.

Skills

Aerospace hardware development

Avionics systems engineering

MBSE / digital thread

Technical leadership

Government integration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Electrical or Systems Engineering

Tools

CFD

FEA

CAD/CAE

Thermal analysis

Structural analysis

Electronics packaging methods

Job description

Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, TX, seeks a senior aerospace hardware engineer to lead avionics and mission hardware across the hardware lifecycle. You will balance thermal, structural, aerodynamic, packaging, maintainability, reliability, and integration constraints while advancing digital engineering practices and MBSE.

You will own requirements, trade studies, and verification activities, guiding multidisciplinary teams, performing design reviews, and ensuring test readiness.