Sr. Staff Systems Engineer

AeroVironment, Inc.; Simi Valley (CA); On-site; USD 147,000 - 224,000; Full time

Job summary

AeroVironment, Inc. is seeking a Sr. Staff Systems Engineer to collaborate with the Design Team on Uncrewed Systems for defense and commercial use.

You will engage with design engineers to define requirements, shape architecture, and guide tests across development stages, from concept to verification. You will lead complex analysis, coordinate with IPT leads, and ensure traceability of requirements throughout the development cycle while contributing to multi-product architecture decisions and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, Computer Science/Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace, or Mechanical Engineering or equivalent.
• 12–15 years of experience in a systems engineering or system design role.
• Experience as a systems architect to influence overall system design.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with program Chief Engineers and IPT leads to support system architecture, design, and test of Uncrewed Systems
• Manage requirements traceability and evolution throughout the system development cycle
• Provide weekly status of system development progress with requirements burndown
• Allocate requirements down to subsystems and establish traceability
• Evaluate system performance thresholds and provide direction
• Work with Senior Engineers in developing instrumented flight test vectors and data acquisition
• Provide input for model development and simulation analysis
• Review and interpret customer specifications
• Identify, analyze, and resolve system design weaknesses; influence the shaping of future products by contributing to the framework (architecture) used across multiple products or systems
• Determine methods and procedures on new assignments and may coordinate activities of other personnel (Team Lead)
• Analyze complex data against performance criteria and determine root causes of failures
• Perform other duties as assigned

Skills

C/C++ proficiency

System architecture

Flight test experience

Requirements traceability

Data analysis

Safety protocols

Technical leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Tools

MATLAB

Job description

Worker Type Regular Job Description Summary: The Sr. Staff Systems Engineer works with our Design Team to develop a variety of innovative Uncrewed Systems for defense and commercial applications. This position will interact with Design Engineers to allocate requirements and influence and develop system architecture and tests to support customer needs. These development efforts will generally be carried out by small, focused design teams, which will require engineers to use a range of skills and tools across traditional engineering, computer science, and mathematical disciplines. Because of the nature of these development efforts, the engineer will need to work on a variety of stages of development, including requirements definition, concept design, prototyping, detailed system architecture design, validation, and verification testing.

Position Responsibilities

• Work closely with program Chief Engineers and IPT leads to support system architecture, design, and test of Uncrewed Systems
• Manage requirements traceability and evolution throughout the system development cycle
• Provide weekly status of system development progress with requirements burndown
• Allocate requirements down to subsystems and establish traceability
• Evaluate system performance thresholds and provide direction
• Work with Senior Engineers in developing instrumented flight test vectors and data acquisition
• Provide input for model development and simulation analysis
• Review and interpret customer specifications
• Identify, analyze, and resolve system design weaknesses; influence the shaping of future products by contributing to the framework (architecture) used across multiple products or systems
• Determine methods and procedures on new assignments and may coordinate activities of other personnel (Team Lead)
• Analyze complex data against performance criteria and determine root causes of failures
• Perform other duties as assigned

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience)

• Bachelor{s} degree in Mathematics, Computer Science/Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace, or Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience
• 12-15 years of relevant experience in a systems engineering or system design role
• Experience as a systems architect to influence overall system design
• Experience in flight test execution and standardization of flight test processes
• Experience in component and system-level testing
• Proficiency with C/C++ and MATLAB
• Proficiency with office software and computer-based productivity tools
• Experience in requirements compliance during test
• Experience in requirements allocation from system to subsystem
• Experience managing requirements traceability and evolution throughout the system development cycle
• Experience providing effective weekly status of system development progress with requirements burndown
• Experience evaluating system performance thresholds and providing direction
• Familiarity with electronics and systems related to image collection and analysis
• Experience developing system test plans, procedures, and reports, and reviewing and interpreting specifications
• Experience writing and conducting safety hazard assessments
• Experience writing system safety protocols and ensuring personnel safety during field testing
• Experience leading and presenting technical content at systems engineering gate reviews to the customer

Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies

• Advanced degree preferred
• Experience leading a team of Systems Engineers to support overall execution of Verification & Validation (V&V) campaigns
• Experience as a Systems Engineer Integrated Product Team Lead (IPTL)
• Experience in risk assessment and risk mitigation
• Experience taking a product from concept to production with contract manufacturers and subsystem suppliers
• Exposure to Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) systems along with Modeling, Simulation & Control, and Model-Based Systems Engineering is helpful but not required
• Knowledge of Simulink, Ansys, and SolidWorks preferred
• Interest in creating architectures using Model-Based Engineering tools
• Ability to excel in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment, where small teams share a broad variety of duties
• Strong initiative and drive to accomplish goals and meet company objectives
• Takes ownership and responsibility for current and past work products
• Committed to learning from mistakes and driven to improve and enhance performance of oneself, others, and the company
• Effective problem-solving, analytical, interpersonal, and communication skills
• Consistently demonstrates teamwork and collaboration and puts the success of the team above one’s own interests

Physical Demands

Ability to work in an office and manufacturing environment (constant) Required to sit and stand for long periods; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard (frequent)

Special Requirements

U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (Green Card holder), or asylee/refugee status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) required. Must be able to travel within the continental U.S. and internationally, as required.

Benefits:

AV offers an excellent benefits package including medical, dental vision, 401K with company matching, a 9/80 work schedule and a paid holiday shutdown. For more information about our company benefit offerings please visit: http://www.avinc.com/myavbenefits. We also encourage you to review our company website at http://www.avinc.com to learn more about us. Principals only need apply. NO agencies please.

About AV:

AV isn’t for everyone. We hire the curious, the relentless, the mission-obsessed. The best of the best. We don’t just build defense technology—we redefine what’s possible. As the premier autonomous systems company in the U.S., AV delivers breakthrough capabilities across air, land, sea, and space, and cyber. From AI-powered drones and loitering munitions to integrated autonomy and space resilience, our technologies shape the future of warfare and protect those who serve. Founded by legendary innovator Dr. Paul MacCready, AV has spent over 50 years pushing the boundaries of what unmanned systems can do. Our heritage includes seven platforms in the Smithsonian—but we’re not building history, we’re building what’s next. If you’re ready to build technology that matters—with speed, scale, and purpose—there’s no better place to do it than AV.

About AV:

AV isn’t for everyone. We hire the curious, the relentless, the mission-obsessed. The best of the best. We don’t just build defense technology—we redefine what’s possible. As the premier autonomous systems company in the U.S., AV delivers breakthrough capabilities across air, land, sea, and space, and cyber. From AI-powered drones and loitering munitions to integrated autonomy and space resilience, our technologies shape the future of warfare and protect those who serve. Founded by legendary innovator Dr. Paul MacCready, AV has spent over 50 years pushing the boundaries of what unmanned systems can do. Our heritage includes seven platforms in the Smithsonian—but we’re not building history, we’re building what’s next. If you’re ready to build technology that matters—with speed, scale, and purpose—there’s no better place to do it than AV.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans. AeroVironment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants. Qualified applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic data, sexual orientation, gender identity or other legally protected status.

ITAR U.S. Citizenship required

Salary

The salary range for this role is: $147,000 - $224,250 AeroVironment considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the location, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills.

ITAR Requirement

This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations (ITAR) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on AeroVironment’s determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with AeroVironment’s business requirements. A \"U.S. person\" according to the ITAR definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. See 22 CFR § 120.15. Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.

Careers at AeroVironment