Senior Principal Project Engineer – Aerospace Systems Lead

Thales Avionics, Inc. (IFE); Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 166,000 - 276,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Elective Health & Dental & Vision

Retirement Savings Plan

Holidays & Paid Time Off

Life Insurance & Disability

Well-being Program & EAP

Job summary

Thales Avionics, Inc. (IFE) in Irvine, CA, seeks a Principal Project Engineer to lead the engineering execution of complex in-flight entertainment and aircraft connectivity projects onsite.

You will coordinate across disciplines, define strategies, and ensure delivery meets technical, customer, quality, cost, and schedule requirements. You will guide requirements through design, integration, qualification, certification support, and acceptance, exercising independent judgment and mentoring

Qualifications

• Demonstrated leadership of multidisciplinary engineering teams across development lifecycles.
• Experience applying systems engineering and development processes (requirements, design, integration, verification, validation).
• Experience creating and managing engineering execution plans, resources, schedules, budgets, and work packages.
• Ability to exercise independent technical judgment and manage engineering risks.
• Ability to lead technical reviews and communicate with customers and leadership; proficient with engineering planning tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead multidisciplinary engineering teams in development, integration, qualification, and fielding of entertainment and connectivity products.
• Own the engineering execution plan, milestones, resources, risks, dependencies, and budgets; act as Work Package Manager when assigned.
• Collaborate with Program/Project Leader and Design Authority to align technical decisions with customer requirements and commitments.
• Define and tailor development strategy and Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP) for solutions; lead PDR/CDR/validation/certification.
• Lead engineering reviews; document decisions, risks, actions, and design changes; drive improvements.
• Identify staffing needs and mentor engineers; share practices across teams.

Skills

Technical leadership

Systems engineering

Project planning

Risk management

Technical reviews

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Computer Science or related

Job description

Thales Avionics, Inc. (IFE) in Irvine, CA, seeks a Principal Project Engineer to lead the engineering execution of complex in-flight entertainment and aircraft connectivity projects onsite.

You will coordinate across disciplines, define strategies, and ensure delivery meets technical, customer, quality, cost, and schedule requirements. You will guide requirements through design, integration, qualification, certification support, and acceptance, exercising independent judgment and mentoring