Senior UAS Program Engineer: Lead & Align Systems

Firestorm; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 195,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision plans

401(k) Retirement Savings Plan

Equity grants for new hires

Unlimited PTO

Generous holiday calendar

Job summary

Firestorm seeks a Senior Staff Project Engineer for UAS development in San Diego. You will lead the technical lifecycle from prototype through production, ensuring safe and reliable aerial platforms. Build scalable processes and coordinate multi-disciplinary teams to meet ambitious timelines.

The role requires deep systems engineering expertise, hands-on experience with flight controls and payload integration, and a track record delivering complex aerospace programs in fast-moving settings.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace/Mechanical/Electrical engineering or related field (Master's preferred).
• U.S. Citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance.
• 12+ years in aerospace development; 3+ years in a Project Engineer or similar role.
• Experience with flight controls, aircraft software, or payload integration is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate technical development of unmanned aerial systems across the full product lifecycle.
• Build functional processes and best practices to scale UAS program execution.
• Manage technical maturity, align with program timelines and budgets.
• Coordinate across aero-performance, mechanical, electrical, autonomy, software, flight testing, and payload teams.
• Translate system specs into requirements and manage architecture and interfaces.
• Provide peer reviews for analyses and flight test plans.

Skills

Systems engineering

Technical program execution

Cross-functional collaboration

Stress analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace/Mechanical/Electrical engineering or related field

U.S. Citizenship and ability to obtain security clearance

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

SolidWorks

MATLAB/Simulink

CAD tools

Job description

Firestorm seeks a Senior Staff Project Engineer for UAS development in San Diego. You will lead the technical lifecycle from prototype through production, ensuring safe and reliable aerial platforms. Build scalable processes and coordinate multi-disciplinary teams to meet ambitious timelines.

The role requires deep systems engineering expertise, hands-on experience with flight controls and payload integration, and a track record delivering complex aerospace programs in fast-moving settings.