Senior Project/Systems Engineer

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems; Poway (CA); On-site; USD 106,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI) seeks an experienced Senior Systems / Project Engineer to join the QRC team, delivering rapid capability updates for urgent customer needs.

You will own technical and project outcomes, lead cross‑functional staff, and coordinate with customers and contractors to ensure timely flight‑tested solutions. The role demands strong systems engineering, requirements management, and program planning skills, with clear communication to leadership and

Qualifications

• Requires Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in engineering or related technical field and progressive engineering experience.
• Experience as Systems Engineer and/or Project Engineer on complex aerospace programs with technical and project execution responsibilities.

Responsibilities

• Provide systems engineering and technical coordination for development, fabrication, testing, integration, and maintenance of GA‑ASI systems.
• Develop and maintain understanding of full UAS architecture and cross-system impacts.
• Define technical objectives for engineering solutions.
• Perform system analysis, generate requirements, and develop system architecture and designs.
• Provide direction to technical staff and lead cross‑functional teams.
• Support development of test plans and manage integration, verification, and validation through flight tests.
• Troubleshoot conflicting requirements and on‑site integration challenges.
• Coordinate with customers, contractors, and engineering groups on projects.
• Develop program plans, estimates, and schedules; execute programs accordingly.
• Summarize and report project status and any delays or issues to team members.
• Contribute to proposals and white papers; represent at technical reviews.

Skills

Systems engineering

Project management

Requirements management

Technical leadership

Customer communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Tools

Linux/UNIX

Windows

HMI/ UI development

EVMS / project tracking

Job description

Company Overview

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a world leader in proven, reliable remotely piloted aircraft and advanced mission systems. Our systems support critical missions around the globe, and we are committed to innovation, quality, and mission success.

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced and driven Senior Systems / Project Engineer to join our Agile Mission Systems Quick Reaction Capabilities (QRC) team. This team rapidly delivers new capabilities to the field in response to urgent customer needs. We are looking for high performing engineers who take full ownership, work with urgency, and are comfortable driving both technical and project outcomes.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBLITIES

• Provide systems engineering and technical coordination for the development, fabrication, testing, integration, and maintenance of new or existing systems on GA-ASI, Unmanned Air Systems (UAS).
• Develop and maintain a working understanding of the full UAS (aircraft, GCS, datalinks, propulsion/fuel, video, communications, payloads) and cross-system impacts and dependencies
• Determine the technical objectives for solution(s) to engineering problems.
• Perform system analysis, generate requirements, and develop system architecture and designs.
• Provide direction to technical staff and may lead a team of diverse, cross-functional staff.
• Support the development of test plans and manage the integration, verification, and validation of systems through flight test.
• Troubleshoot conflicting design/development requirements, project coordination difficulties, and on-site integration and testing concerns.
• Coordinate and interface with customers, contractors, and engineering groups assigned to projects.
• Develop program plans, estimates, and schedules and execute programs in accordance with those plans.
• Summarize and report weekly/monthly project status as well as effectively document and communicate project delays or issues with team members.
• Provide support for proposals and white papers.
• Represent the organization at technical reviews, meetings, and system level integrations.

We recognize and appreciate the value and contributions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences and welcome all qualified individuals to apply.

Job Qualifications

• Typically requires a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in engineering or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution and progressive engineering experience as follows: 9 or more years with a Bachelor’s degree, or 7 or more years with a Master’s degree, or 4 or more years with a PhD. Equivalent engineering experience may be substituted in lieu of education.
• Proven experience as a Systems Engineer and/or Project Engineer on complex aerospace, defense, or mission system programs, with responsibility for both technical content and project execution.
• QRC or experience working in a lean, fast‑paced engineering environment is highly desirable.
• Experience managing software development and releases, including coordination with software teams, integration/test, and delivery to operational users.
• Experience with HMI or user interface feature development (e.g., ground control stations, operator consoles), including capturing user needs and validating usability and user experience.
• Experience overseeing hardware design and integration and working with electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing engineering disciplines.
• Strong systems engineering background, including requirements development and management, system architecture design, integration, verification and validation, and root cause/corrective action.
• Demonstrated ability to operate at both low‑level technical detail and high‑level system view, and to provide clear summaries and recommendations to customers and leadership.
• Strong project management skills: planning, scheduling, risk management, coordination of cross‑functional teams, and tracking to cost/schedule/performance in a fast‑paced environment.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to clearly communicate complex technical topics and project status to customers, management, and cross‑functional teams.
• Strong sense of ownership and work ethic; takes responsibility for outcomes and is willing to put in the effort required to meet QRC schedules and mission needs.
• Customer‑focused, with a commitment to supporting the mission and continuously improving both technical solutions and processes.
• Able to work independently with minimal direction and excel in a collaborative, high‑performing team environment.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance is required.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

• Embedded or real‑time software and software integration.
• Test and verification techniques and tools.
• Manufacturing engineering principles and design for producibility.
• Systems engineering, system test and integration, and subcontractor/supplier management.
• Proposal development, basis of estimates (BOEs), and EVMS or similar project tracking methods.
• Commercial and/or DoD product development lifecycles.
• Familiarity with Linux/UNIX and Windows environments; experience with development, integration, or system administration tools is a plus.

Job Type: Full-Time Salary

Salary range: 105,890 - 189,545