Senior Staff Project Engineer

Elbit Systems of America, LLC; Merrimack (NH); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

9/80 Schedule

401(k) program

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Life Insurance and AD&D

Paid Vacation and PTO

Parental Leave

Employee Referral Program

Job summary

Twenty-Six Defense is seeking a Senior Staff Project Engineer to lead technical reviews and guide cross‑functional teams in defense programs. You will own cost, schedule, and technical baselines, and partner with Systems Engineers to deliver innovative solutions within scope and budget.

Ideal candidates bring 20+ years in product development, CAM and EVMS experience, and PMP certification preferred. The role emphasizes ethics, leadership, and collaboration within a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to coach teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication abilities across stakeholders.
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics or related field; PMP and EVMS experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Act as primary technical POC with the customer and lead engineering reviews.
• Lead cost, schedule, and technical baselines for engineering activities.
• Develop and lead bids, BOEs, and IMS in alignment with scope and objectives.
• Define and maintain WBS and project plans with cross-functional inputs.
• Staffing planning and resource allocation with CAMs and management.
• Drive process improvements and ensure compliance with PM processes.

Skills

Leadership

Written & Verbal Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Physics/CS

PMP certification preferred

Earned Value Management experience

Tools

CAMs

EVMS

Job description

Company Information:

Twenty-Six Defense, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, is a leading provider of high-performance products, system solutions, and aftermarket support services focusing on the defense, homeland security, and commercial aviation markets. With facilities throughout the U.S., Twenty-Six Defense is dedicated to supporting those who contribute to the national security of the United States. Twenty-Six Defense is wholly owned by Elbit Systems Ltd. (NASDAQ: ESLT and TASE: ESLT), a global high-technology company engaged in a wide range of programs for innovative defense and commercial applications.

Job Summary

We are currently recruiting for a Senior Staff Project Engineer-- but we are looking for more than an impressive skill set. We are looking for the type of person who respects others for their knowledge, skills, and experience as individuals and as team members. We want someone who is highly ethical, honest, fair…because that’s who we are. If you are the type of person who has high integrity and would thrive in an inclusive environment of camaraderie with your fellow teammates, we’re pretty confident you’ll love it here.

Responsibilities and Tasks

Project Execution

• Primary technical POC with the customer, lead engineering team in the development of the technical review packages and lead customer technical reviews
• Mediate and Adjudicate conflicts that arise within the engineering team and between engineering and the program manager Support the business unit in identification, mitigation, and management of risks, issues, and opportunities, specifically focused on the technical and engineering aspects
• Lead engineering project execution to include the cost, schedule and technical baselines for all engineering activities
• Partner with PM’s, Engineering Functional Managers, and Functional CAMs to ensure the project is being staffed and executed to plan
• Manage project scope ensuring budget/schedule changes are made with corresponding scope changes

Cost and Schedule Management

• Utilize EVMS (scaled as appropriate) to monitor and control engineering cost and schedule performance
• Ensure IMS is kept up to date with support from appropriate PP&C personnel or schedulers
• Work with team to develop both technical and process improvement work arounds to mitigate potential cost and schedule variances
• Coordinate/document variance reporting with the CAMs, or leads, as appropriate
• Update WBS as required
• Conduct project reviews as required, reporting program status to senior management
• Continuously work with the team to identify ways to improve efficiency of the technical team’s performance
• Mentor/coach project team members to help achieve efficient and effective project execution.

Bids and Proposals

• Develop/coordinate engineering program bid and execution baselines (technical, scope, cost, schedule, risk, opportunities…) IAW defined scope and objectives
• Partner with Systems Engineers and Director(s) to provide innovative technical solutions to fit within budget and schedule constraints
• Develop/Lead the development of bids and BOE’s IAW company policy, using historical data wherever possible
• Develop engineering WBS, IAW company standards tailored as appropriate to meet specific project requirements
• Develop/support the development of the IMS, developing work packages and staffing requirements
• Coordinate and document process tailoring activities for specific project requirements
• Document risks and opportunities associated with the Engineering Bid
• Develop bid package and obtain approval from relevant stakeholders

Project Planning

• Develop/refine engineering WBS, IAW company standards tailored as appropriate to meet specific project requirements
• Clearly define and document project scope and deliverables
• Coordinate and integrate the different functional inputs into a coherent executable project plan.
• Establish, negotiate and allocate budgets to the CAMs
• Coordinate the development of the engineering portion of the resource loaded IMS
• Coordinate the development of the initial risk and opportunity register
• Communicate staffing requirements to functional management in support of the engineering resource planning process

Resource Management

• Develop and maintain staffing requirements (by skill and time phased) – ideally through a resource loaded schedule.
• Negotiate staffing requirements with Engineering Functional leadership
• Enter and maintain staffing requirements into workforce planning tool.
• Support functional staffing analysis for future work
• Partner with functional management in employee performance assessment, development, and corrective action
• Identify and report variances between staffing levels vs plan

Process

• Execute role IAW project management process and other relevant procedures
• Support company level process initiatives and audits
• Continually seek ways to improve efficiency and performance
• Partner with functional management to establish process tailoring. Identify risks associated with tailored tasks.

People/Relationships

• Establish and maintain business unit partnerships
• Establish and maintain key Elbit, customer, and engineering functional management relationships
• Establish and maintain relationships with Applications Engineering

Expected Leadership Characteristics

• Encourages and builds mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members
• Fosters an environment where employees are valued and cost effectiveness and efficiency is rewarded
• Clearly explains project assignments, expectations, priorities, and follows up to ensure they are met
• Practices the philosophy of communicate, negotiate, elevate when dealing with others
• Delegates tasks as appropriate
• Agile and open to change, embracing it to deal with unpredictable or unexpected events
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Assumes responsibility for their project’s performance
• Practices self-improvement
• Looks for outside opinions and advice
• Exemplifies the company core values (Ethics, Customer Focus, Respect, and Excellence
• Coaches/develops others and is open to coaching and feedback

Knowledge (Education/License/Certification, Prior Experience)

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics or relevant technical discipline with advanced technical degree(s) preferred.
• 20 years relevant product development experience (Military products preferred)
• CAM experience preferred
• PMP certification preferred
• Earned Value Management experience strongly preferred

Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated leadership skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills

#LI-TS1

Here Are Some of the Great Benefits We Offer:

• Most locations offer a 9/80 schedule, providing every other Friday off
• Competitive compensation & 401(k) program to plan for your future
• Robust medical, dental, vision, & disability coverage with qualified wellness discounts
• Basic Life Insurance and Additional Life & AD&D Insurances are available
• Flexible Vacation & PTO
• Paid Parental Leave
• Generous Employee Referral Program
• Voluntary Benefits Available: Longer Term Care, Legal, Identity Theft, Pet Insurance, and more
• Voluntary Tricare Supplement available for military retirees

*For Virginia-based positions only* In accordance with Virginia DOL requirements, the listed salary range reflects the anticipated base pay range for this role. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors including skills, experience, education, certifications, business needs, internal equity, and geographic location. Compensation may vary in different locations based on market conditions and cost-of-labor considerations.

Twenty-Six Defense is an equal opportunity employer as to all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.