Sr Project Engineer

Sierra Nevada Corporation; Lone Tree (CO); Hybrid; USD 190,000 - 261,000; Full time

Job summary

Sierra Nevada Corporation is seeking a Senior Project Engineer to lead complex engineering programs from inception through delivery. You will mentor junior engineers and interface with high-level stakeholders to ensure technical excellence and timely outcomes.

The role requires extensive technical expertise, strong project management, and a track record in multi-disciplinary aerospace or defense projects. Hybrid work and competitive benefits are offered.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field required.
• 12+ years in engineering with at least 4+ years in leadership.
• Higher level degree may substitute for experience.
• Strong grasp of engineering principles, requirements management and system design.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary integration for missile or guided systems.
• Hands-on integration with seeker sensors, datalinks, flight computers, or GNC.
• Knowledge of HWIL architectures, test planning and execution.
• Proven ability to decompose requirements and validate interfaces.

Responsibilities

• Lead IPT planning and execution for complex missile subsystem development.
• Coordinate cross-functional engineering across seeker, datalink, flight computer, GNC and HWIL teams.
• Align subsystem roadmaps with system-level milestones.
• Oversee integration ensuring interface compatibility and performance.
• Review ICDs, models, simulations, and HWIL test plans.
• Provide technical leadership resolving multi-disciplinary issues.

Skills

Leadership

Program management

Cross-functional collaboration

Stakeholder communication

Mentoring

Systems engineering

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Master's degree preferred

INCOSE certification (preferred)

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

HWIL/test planning

Job description

• Higher level relevant degree may substitute for experience.

Are you looking to use your engineering capabilities, project management and collective skills in your next position? We could use your expertise on our team! As a Senior Project Engineer you will lead complex engineering projects from inception to completion, ensuring technical excellence and timely delivery. You will act as a mentor to junior engineers, provide strategic direction, and interface with high-level stakeholders to drive project success. This role requires extensive technical expertise, advanced project management skills, and significant industry experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead Integrated Product Team (IPT) planning and execution for complex missile subsystem development and integration activities.
• Coordinate cross-functional engineering efforts spanning seeker, datalink, flight computer, GNC, and HWIL teams to ensure synchronized development schedules.
• Drive alignment between subsystem roadmaps and overall system-level development milestones.
• Oversee technical integration of key missile subsystems, ensuring interface compatibility and end-to-end functional performance.
• Review and validate subsystem engineering artifacts including ICDs, performance models, simulation results, and HWIL test plans.
• Provide technical leadership in resolving multi-disciplinary issues related to seeker performance, datalink communication, flight computing, GNC modeling, and embedded software.

Qualifications You Must Have

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related field.
• 12+ years experience in engineering roles with at least 4+ years in a leadership role.
• Higher level relevant degree may substitute for experience.
• Advanced knowledge of engineering principles and practice.
• Experience working in multi-disciplinary design and development team.
• Comprehensive understanding of requirements management, system design, and integration.
• Demonstrated experience leading multi-disciplinary integration efforts for missile or guided weapon systems.
• Hands-on experience with subsystem-level integration involving seeker sensors, datalinks, flight computers, or GNC algorithms.
• Working knowledge of hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) architectures, test planning, and test execution.
• Proven ability to lead technical teams through requirements decomposition, interface definition, and model/data validation.

Qualifications We Prefer

• Experience serving as IPT lead or subsystem integration lead on complex aerospace or defense programs.
• 6-8 years relevant leadership and/or project management experience.
• Master's degree preferred.
• Experience leading a multi-disciplinary design and development team and communicating with program management and customers.
• Familiarity with preparation and development of project estimates, technical proposals, and program cost and schedule management.
• Past history of leading baseline definition and maturation in a complex development setting, including the use of highly integrated trade studies and analysis of alternative.
• Ability to read and interpret technical drawings and schematics, parts lists, specifications, instructions, and test procedure.
• Experience or certification in International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) standard.
• Experience with development, validation, and use of GNC models in MATLAB/Simulink or similar environments.
• Prior involvement in building or executing HWIL test environments for missile or aerospace systems.
• Familiarity with system-level integration challenges associated with missile guidance, navigation, control, and endgame performance.
• Background in seeker algorithms, sensor fusion, datalink performance analysis, or embedded flight computing architectures in the Aerospace and Defense Industry.

Essential Functions

• Occasional travel to customer or field locations may be required.
• Ability to work primarily in an office or hybrid environment.
• Ability to lift up to 10 pounds occasionally.
• Prolonged periods of working on a computer.
• Hand and finger dexterity for computer use.
• Capability to work in potentially hazardous environments when visiting project sites.

This posting will be open for application for a minimum of 5 days and may be extended based on business needs.

Estimated Starting Salary Range: $189,761.74 - $260,922.39. Compensation varies depending on a wide array of factors, such as candidates' key skills, relevant work experience, and education/training/certifications. The disclosed range estimate may be adjusted for any applicable geographic differential associated with the location at which the position may be filled.

SNC offers annual incentive pay based upon performance that is commensurate with the level of the position.

SNC offers a generous benefit package, including medical, dental, and vision plans, 401(k) with 150% match up to 6%, life insurance, 3 weeks paid time off, tuition reimbursement, and more.

Important Notice

This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a Secret U.S. Security Clearance. U.S. Citizenship status is required as this position needs an active U.S. Security Clearance for employment. Non-U.S. citizens may not be eligible to obtain a security clearance. The Department of Defense Consolidated Adjudications Facility (DoD CAF), a federal government agency, handles the adjudicative aspects of the security clearance eligibility process for industry applicants. Adjudicative factors which affect the outcome of the eligibility determination include, but are not limited to, allegiance to the U.S., foreign influence, foreign preference, criminal conduct, security violations and illegal drug use.

Learn more about the background check process for Security Clearances.

SNC is a global leader in aerospace and national security committed to moving the American Dream forward. We're known and respected for our mission and execution focus, agility, and disruptive and rapid innovation. We provide leading edge technologies and transformative solutions that support our nation’s most critical security needs. If you are mission-focused, thrive in collaborative environments, and want to make our country stronger with state-of-the-art technologies that safeguard freedom, join our team!

SNC is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to an environment free of discrimination. Employment decisions are made based on merit without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran or other characteristics protected by law.