Senior Project Engineer
Arete Associates
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Arete Associates seeks a dynamic Sr. Project Engineer to bridge design engineering, production, and Program management, based in Healdsburg, CA. This technical leadership role supports maritime airborne systems, overseeing schedule, risk, and cost across defense programs.
The role requires coordinating with design teams, managing IMS and ETC, and delivering program reviews and customer briefings. Secret/Top Secret clearance is preferred; U.S. citizenship is required.
Qualifications
- Experience leading an engineering technical team.
- Ability to provide technical direction to engineering teams.
- Experience guiding design reviews with internal and external customers.
- Schedule creation and maintenance.
- Work with team to create an estimate to complete.
- Risk creation and updates.
- New production Introduction or production build experience.
- Documentation of the product and process.
- Ability to get secret clearance.
Responsibilities
- Drive planning, execution, and delivery of engineering programs across design, development, and production teams.
- Collaborate with technical leads to define scope, requirements, deliverables, and success criteria.
- Lead cross-functional execution to meet cost, schedule, and technical performance objectives.
- Support New Product Introduction (NPI) and production build activities.
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.
Full Time Healdsburg, CA, US
29 days ago Requisition ID: 1394
Salary Range: $170,000.00 To $215,000.00 Annually
At Areté, we are on the forefront of utilizing innovative solutions, with great minds from all backgrounds, to helpsolve the nation’s most complex security challenges. We strive for an inclusive, collaborative team environment that approaches differences as opportunities for innovation and excellence. As an employee-owned company, we foster an atmosphere that propels diverse career opportunities and professional growth.
Discover your future with us.
We are seeking a dynamic Sr.Project Engineerwith a passion for bringing products to life in a customer useable configuration. We are looking for a Technical Principal Project Engineer to act as a critical bridge between design engineering, production and Program management. This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a cutting-edge team at a new facility. Areté is seeking a Project Engineer to support the Maritime Airborne Systems Sector, providing integrated technical, programmatic, schedule, and risk management across complex defense programs. This role operates at the intersection of engineering execution and program management, ensuring alignment between technical performance, cost, and schedule objectives. The selected candidate will contribute across the full program lifecycle, including program execution, integrated master scheduling, risk and opportunity management, manpower planning, and proposal development. The role requires familiarity with the Department of Defense acquisition framework, including BAA, RFI, and RFP processes, as well as experience supporting DoD contracts and procurement activities.This position requires strong communication skills and the ability to prepare and deliver technical and programmatic briefings to both internal leadership and external stakeholders, including customers and government representatives. This position will be based at our Healdsburg, CA office and is classified as a full-time, exempt, non-supervisory position.
- Drive planning, execution, and delivery of engineering programs across design, development, and production teams
- Collaborate with technical leads to define scope, requirements, deliverables, and success criteria
- Lead cross-functional execution to meet cost, schedule, and technical performance objectives
- Support New Product Introduction (NPI) and production build activities
- Develop and maintain Integrated Master Schedules (IMS) using MS Project
- Support Estimate-to-Complete (ETC) development and ongoing financial tracking
- Utilize financial and labor tracking tools (e.g., Cognos, Costpoint) to monitor program performance
- Identify, track, and mitigate program risks, issues, and opportunities
- Develop and maintain risk registers, mitigation plans, and supporting analysis (e.g., risk cubes, burn-down/waterfall views)
- Provide technical direction to engineering teams
- Lead and support internal and external gate reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, etc.)
- Prepare and deliver program reviews, audits, and customer briefings (PowerPoint-based)
- Support technical and cost proposal development
- Contribute to capture efforts, including requirements shaping and solution definition
- Champion continuous improvement across program execution processes, tools, and team collaboration
We have an impressive range of benefits, programs, and perks that we offer:
- Flextime Scheduling
- Bereavement
- Paid Time Off (PTO)
- Company-funded 5% contribution to your 401(k) retirement plan
- Company-funded 5% contribution to your Employee Stock Ownership Plan
- Continuing Education Assistance
- Medical Insurance
- Life Insurance and Long-Term Disability (LTD)
- Vision Reimbursement
- Creativity and innovation in solving challenges
- Integrity and responsibility in all actions
- Collaboration across teams and specialties
- Responsiveness in fast-paced environments
- Passion for national security and excellence
- Experience running an engineering technical team
- Technical direction to the engineering team
- Lead engineering team through design reviews both internal and external customers
- Schedule creation and maintenance
- Work with team to create an estimate to complete
- Risk creation and updates
- New production Introduction or production build experience
- Documentation of the product and process
- Ability to get secret clearance
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in engineering, or related field. Or 10 years of project engineering for a technical engineering team.
- Proven experience in design development for electro-optical systems and gimbals.
- Currently hold a Secret or Top Secret clearance
- Proficiency in tools and practices.
- Microsoft Project
- Microsoft Excel, Outlook
- Jira
- CostPoint MES
The salary range for this role is $195,000 to $215,000; however, Arete considers several factors when extending an offer of employment, including but not limited to: the position and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills.
Areté is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and nondiscrimination, and we believeevery person has the right to be treated with fairness, dignity, and equal consideration.
Areté is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
U.S. citizenship is required to meet position eligibility.
Successful passage of a criminal background screen is required to meet position eligibility.
Selected applicants will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibilityrequirements for access to classified information.
Areté will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.
Successful passage of a Department of Transportation (DOT) drug test is required to meet position eligibility.
If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you have the right to request an accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our website because of your
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