Sr. Systems Engineer

AeroVironment, Inc.; Simi Valley (CA); On-site; USD 101,000 - 153,000; Full time

Job summary

AeroVironment, Inc. is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer to join our Design Team in developing uncrewed systems for defense and commercial use.

You will work with design engineers to allocate requirements and shape system architecture across development stages, including concept, prototyping, verification, and testing. You will lead verification strategies, coordinate interfaces, and communicate progress to program managers.

Qualifications

• The candidate will develop and maintain system requirements across lifecycle.
• Experience allocating requirements from system to subsystem.
• Proven ability to verify and validate complex systems.
• Proficiency with office software and technical briefings.
• Strong written and verbal communication for reviews and boards.
• Experience with bidirectional requirements traceability.

Responsibilities

• Develop, analyze, allocate, and maintain system requirements throughout product lifecycle.
• Maintain traceability of requirements, verification methods, and test results.
• Provide weekly status on system development progress to leads.
• Evaluate performance thresholds and provide design recommendations.
• Define interfaces and coordinate changes across teams.
• Lead or coordinate activities of others as needed.
• Define V&V strategies and test methods for SB/bench/SIL/HIL/flight tests.
• Develop and support test plans and cases for Uncrewed Systems.
• Identify and communicate risks, assumptions, and dependencies.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Requirements allocation

System architecture

V&V planning

Technical reporting

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mathematics/CS/Engineering

Electrical/Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Jama Connect

IBM DOORS

JIRA

Confluence

Simulink

Ansys

SolidWorks

Cameo Systems Modeler

SysML modeling tools

Job description

Senior 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

• Develop, analyze, allocate, and maintain system, subsystem, and interface requirements throughout the product development lifecycle
• Maintain bidirectional traceability of system requirements, subsystem requirements, verification methods, and test results based on customer specification
• Provide weekly status of system development progress with requirements burndown to team leads and program managers
• Evaluate system performance thresholds and provide design recommendations
• Develop, document, and maintain internal and external system interfaces including Interface Control Documents (ICDs), and coordinate interface changes across cross-functional teams
• Determine methods and procedures on new assignments and may coordinate activities of other personnel (Team Lead)
• Define verification and validation (V&V) strategies, including test methods, success criteria, and requirements closure approaches
• Develop and support execution of test plans, procedures, and test cases for bench, SIL, HIL, integration, ground, and flight test activities for Uncrewed Systems
• Identify, communicate, and help mitigate technical risks, issues, assumptions, and dependencies
• 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
• 5–8 years of engineering design/development experience
• Experience in component and system-level testing
• Experience in requirements allocation from system to subsystem
• Proficiency with office software and computer-based productivity tools
• Able to communicate effectively and clearly present technical approaches and findings at technical and program reviews and boards.
• Strong written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to present technical information to customers, program leadership and engineering teams.

Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies

• Advanced degree preferred
• Experience with Systems Engineering Technical Reviews (SETR) such as System Requirements Review (SRR), System Functional Review (SFR), Preliminary Design Review (PDR), Critical Design Review (CDR), or Test Readiness Reviews (TRR).
• Experience with requirements management tools such as Jama Connect, IBM DOORS or similar is a plus
• Experience with JIRA Project Management Tool and Confluence is a plus
• Experience with software or programming skills is a plus
• Knowledge of Simulink, Ansys, and SolidWorks is a plus
• Interest in creating design engineering architectures using Model-Based Engineering tools
• Experience with applied SysML using Cameo Systems Modeler or Equivalent software
• 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.

Clearance Level No Clearance

The salary range for this role is: $100,500 - $153,250

ITAR Requirement

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 licence by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export licence will be conditional on AeroVironment’s determination that it will be able to obtain an export licence 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.

Benefits

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.

About AV

About AV: AV isn’t for anyone. 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, 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

About AV: AV isn’t for anyone. 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, 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. Must be willing to work on government contracts and have the ability to obtain a security clearance.

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