Senior Principal Systems Engineer – SOA CAAS Mainline Platform (Onsite)

Collins Aerospace; Cedar Rapids (IA); On-site; USD 132,000 - 252,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Three weeks vacation

401(k) plan with match

Tuition reimbursement

Student Loan Repayment Program

Life Insurance

Job summary

Collins Aerospace seeks a Senior Principal Systems Engineer to lead Platform Systems Engineering for CAAS avionics in U.S. Army Special Operations rotary-wing aircraft. You will guide requirements, architecture, integration, verification, and aircraft test activities, spanning multiple disciplines and labs.

You will mentor engineers, drive technical reviews, and work with government customers to ensure airworthiness and mission readiness on UH-60/MH-47 platforms. Onsite in Cedar Rapids, IA.

Qualifications

• Typically requires a STEM degree with 10+ years or an advanced degree with 7+ years of experience.
• Experience in systems engineering, avionics development, system integration, verification and validation, qualification, flight test, or related engineering.
• Experience leading complex technical activities across multiple disciplines.
• Experience communicating complex technical information to engineering leadership and customers.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior technical leader for Platform Systems Engineering activities supporting SOA CAAS development and integration.
• Provide technical direction across requirements, architecture, integration, verification, qualification, and aircraft test activities.
• Lead resolution of complex multidisciplinary system-level issues involving hardware, software, avionics interfaces, and lab environments.
• Develop, decompose, analyze, and allocate system requirements with traceability through verification and qualification.
• Lead and support technical reviews including SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, and qualification reviews.
• Provide technical leadership for SILs and aircraft test environments.
• Evaluate verification strategies and test results for compliance and risk.
• Support airworthiness artifacts and qualification evidence for fielding capabilities.
• Collaborate with Program Chief Engineers, architects, product owners, and government customers to drive decisions.
• Identify risks early and lead mitigation and recovery strategies.
• Mentor engineers and develop future technical leaders.
• Improve engineering processes and integration efficiency across the program.

Skills

STEM degree

Security clearance eligibility

Systems engineering

Avionics development

System integration

Flight test

Cross-disciplinary leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Advanced degree in related field

Job description

Date Posted:

2026-08-30

Country:

United States of America

Location:

US-IA-CEDAR RAPIDS-182 ~ 1100 Cimmie Ave Ne ~ BLDG 182

Position Role Type:

Onsite

U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements:

Active and transferable U.S. government issued security clearance is required prior to start date. U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance

Security Clearance Type:

DoD Clearance: Secret

Security Clearance Status:

Active and existing security clearance required on day 1

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.

The SOA CAAS Mainline Platform team within Collins Aerospace is seeking a Senior Principal Systems Engineer to support the development, integration, verification, qualification, and fielding of advanced avionics capabilities for U.S. Army Special Operations rotary-wing aircraft. The team is responsible for the Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) flight deck supporting the MH-47 and MH-60 aircraft.

This position will serve as a senior technical leader within the Platform Systems Engineering organization, providing technical direction across requirements development, system integration, verification and validation, airworthiness qualification, laboratory integration, and aircraft test activities. The selected candidate will work across engineering disciplines, program leadership, and customer organizations to resolve complex system-level problems and ensure technically sound solutions are delivered throughout the program lifecycle.

This is an onsite role located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

What You Will Do:

• Serve as a senior technical leader for Platform Systems Engineering activities supporting SOA CAAS development and integration.
• Provide technical direction and guidance across requirements development, architecture, integration, verification and validation, qualification, and aircraft test activities.
• Lead resolution of complex, multidisciplinary system-level issues involving hardware, software, avionics interfaces, laboratory environments, aircraft integration, and operational requirements.
• Develop, decompose, analyze, and allocate system requirements and ensure traceability through verification and qualification.
• Lead and support technical reviews, including requirements reviews, design reviews, test readiness reviews, verification activities, and qualification/airworthiness reviews.
• Provide technical leadership for integration and verification activities within Systems Integration Laboratories (SILs) and aircraft test environments.
• Evaluate verification strategies and test results to determine compliance with system requirements and identify technical or programmatic risk.
• Support development and review of airworthiness and qualification artifacts required to field capabilities on military aircraft.
• Work directly with Program Chief Engineers, architects, product owners, test leadership, software and hardware engineering organizations, and program management to drive technical decisions and resolve cross-functional issues.
• Interface with government customers and other external stakeholders to communicate technical status, resolve technical issues, and develop solutions that satisfy operational and airworthiness needs.
• Identify technical and execution risks early and lead development of mitigation and recovery strategies.
• Provide technical mentorship and guidance to engineers across experience levels and help develop the next generation of technical leaders within the organization.
• Influence engineering processes and identify opportunities to improve requirements quality, integration efficiency, verification effectiveness, and overall program execution.
• Support technical planning, estimation, proposal development, and execution of future CAAS development efforts.
• Operate with a high degree of independence on complex assignments where solutions require significant technical judgment and coordination across multiple organizations.

What You Will Learn:

• The architecture and operation of the Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) used aboard U.S. Army Special Operations rotary-wing aircraft.
• The technical and certification challenges associated with integrating new capabilities into complex, safety-critical military avionics systems.
• The complete lifecycle of avionics development—from customer requirements and architecture through integration, qualification, laboratory verification, aircraft test, and fielding.
• How Collins Aerospace partners with U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation stakeholders to deliver mission-critical capabilities to operational aircraft.

Qualifications You Must Have:

• Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and minimum 10 years prior relevant experience or an Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 7 years of experience
• Experience in systems engineering, avionics development, system integration, verification and validation, qualification, flight test, or a related engineering discipline.
• Experience leading complex technical activities involving multiple engineering disciplines or organizations.
• Experience developing, analyzing, verifying, or qualifying system-level requirements.
• Experience communicating complex technical information to engineering leadership, program leadership, customers, or other stakeholders.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance.

Qualifications We Prefer:

• Experience with military or commercial avionics systems throughout multiple phases of the engineering lifecycle.
• Experience with CAAS or other integrated military aircraft avionics architectures.
• Experience supporting rotary-wing aircraft, particularly H-47 or H-60 platforms.
• Experience with Systems Integration Laboratories and aircraft-level integration and test.
• Experience leading verification, validation, qualification, or flight-test activities.
• Experience developing or supporting Airworthiness Releases (AWRs) and associated qualification evidence.
• Experience with military airworthiness and qualification processes.
• Experience working directly with U.S. government customers.
• Experience leading technical reviews such as SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, or qualification reviews.
• Experience developing technical plans, test plans, procedures, reports, white papers, or other formal engineering artifacts.
• Experience troubleshooting complex avionics interfaces and integrated hardware/software systems.
• Experience mentoring engineers and providing technical leadership across engineering teams.
• Experience identifying and implementing engineering process improvements.
• Familiarity with Agile development environments, requirements management tools, configuration management, and defect/change-management processes.

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 illness insurance, group legal, ID theft protection
• Birth, adoption, parental leave benefits
• Carrot Health to hormonal health, fertility, and family building
• 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!

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. Regardless of your role type, collaboration and innovation are critical to our business and all employees will have access to digital tools so they can work with colleagues around the world – and access to Collins sites when their work requires in-person meetings.

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 132,400 USD - 251,600 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.

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