Staff Project Engineer Air Dominance

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems; Poway (CA); On-site; USD 128,130 - 229,358; Full time

Job summary

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is a world leader in UCAVs, autonomy, AI, and sensing technologies.

This Project Engineering (PE) role leads air dominance combat solutions, missionization, and complex kill chains across UCAV platforms including CCA, Longshot, and MQ-1/MQ-9 variants. You will guide multi-disciplinary teams, develop end-to-end mission system architectures, and work with DoD stakeholders to ensure disruptive tactical advantages.

Qualifications

• Requires a bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field with extensive progressive engineering experience.
• Former military fighter pilot or weapon systems officer experience is a plus ( >1,000 hours ).
• Test Pilot School graduation is a plus (USNTPS, USAFTPS, NTPS).
• Proven ability to quickly understand new concepts and apply them in dynamic environments.
• Experience in integrating hardware/software across Mechanical, Electrical, RF, Cyber, Autonomy, AI/ML and Software.

Responsibilities

• Lead multi-disciplinary teams to innovate, design, integrate, test, qualify, and field advanced technologies and mission systems onto autonomous UCAV.
• Develop air-to-air tactics and doctrine for autonomous air dominance across UCAV platforms.
• Design engagement scenarios for autonomous agent training and define simulation environments.
• Drive end-to-end mission system architecture and data-link interfaces for UCAV platforms.
• Represent programs to customer stakeholders and lead technical proposals and system reviews.

Skills

Leadership

Program management

Systems engineering

Communication

DoD security clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Masters/PhD advantageous

Tools

Radar systems

Data links

Cybersecurity

Job description

Job Summary

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) is a world leader in Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAV), autonomy, AI solutions, defense technologies, and advanced sensing capabilities. With more than eight million flight hours, GA-ASI is committed to rapidly delivering disruptive and advanced autonomous aircraft, end‑to‑end mission solutions, and cutting‑edge technologies at scale to ensure the nation maintains strategic advantages through ISR and Air Dominance in contested environments.

In this Project Engineering (PE) role, you will lead Air Dominance combat solutions, provide end‑to‑end missionization, close complex kill chains, and reinforce autonomous solutions to ensure UCAV air dominance in sophisticated air‑to‑air engagements. You will also lead strategic objectives, influence multi‑level business strategies, resolve critical mission gaps, and drive missionized architectures to achieve disruptive tactical advantages. Your contributions will span across multiple UAS platforms including Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), Longshot, various Small and Expendable UAS, NexGen ISR, and Legacy Platform variants such as MQ‑1 & MQ‑9A/B.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead multi‑disciplinary teams to innovate, design, integrate, test, qualify, and rapidly field advanced technologies and mission systems onto autonomous UCAV.
• Leverage 4th or 5th Gen Fighter experience to develop air‑to‑air tactics, maneuvers, engagements, and define doctrine for autonomous air dominance initiatives across multiple UCAV platforms.
• Use fighter‑to‑fighter expertise to design realistic engagement scenarios for autonomous agent training and development, and establish frameworks for complex simulation environments. Provide recommendations and trades on UCAV tactics to increase air dominance and mission success.
• Drive selection of advanced technology and lead end‑to‑end mission system architecture focused on stitching systems‑of‑systems, resolving complex kill chains, and closing critical mission gaps for air dominance initiatives across multiple UCAV platforms.
• Create specifications, block diagrams, system interconnect diagrams, and define wire interfaces and ICDs for UCAV data link communication systems.
• Configure, integrate, simulate, test, and evaluate tactical data link networks and topologies.
• Lead subcontractor management through internal development teams, define subsystem requirements, select advanced technology hardware and software, and drive maturation of mission system to platform integration and test.
• Lead functional engineering teams, ensuring alignment with business and strategic objectives, and allocate technical resources to achieve stated and program objectives.
• Foster a collaborative environment and build consensus for technical solutions among GA functional engineering departments, program management, external GA P&Ls, and customer stakeholders.
• Lead diverse multi‑functional engineering teams to meet critical program milestones and execute programs within defined cost and schedule parameters. Establish and maintain consistent team expectations, ensuring resources and skill sets are available to support technical work products.
• Represent programs as the engineering lead, ensuring consistent and appropriate messaging to external customer stakeholders, PoR representatives across the DoD, industry partners, subcontractors, and senior internal/executive stakeholders.
• Support engineering estimates and proposals in response to customer and leadership directives.
• Perform system analysis, conduct trade studies, author technical white papers, and generate customer technical data packages. Complete, document, and present System Requirements Reviews (SRR), Preliminary Design Reviews (PDR), and Critical Design Reviews (CDR).

Job Qualifications

• Typically requires a bachelors degree, masters degree or PhD in engineering or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution and progressive engineering experience as follows: fifteen or more years of experience with a bachelors degree, thirteen or more years of experience with a masters degree, or ten or more years with a PhD. Equivalent engineering experience may substitute for education.
• Former military fighter pilot or weapon systems officer with >1,000 hours in 4th or 5th Generation platform.
• Graduate of a recognized Test Pilot School is a plus (USNTPS, USAFTPS, NTPS).
• Proven ability to understand new concepts quickly and apply them in a dynamic work environment.
• Demonstrates technical expertise in the application of engineering principles, concepts, theory, and practice as well as project management and leadership skills including organizing, planning, scheduling, and coordinating workloads to meet established deadlines or milestones.
• Experience in developing and integrating hardware and software across multiple engineering disciplines, including Mechanical, Electrical, RF, Cyber, Autonomy, AI/ML, and Software.
• Direct technical expertise and experience with one or more of the following: Link 16, TTNT, UHF, VHF, IFF‑T/I, SATCOM, Starshield, LPI/LPD waveforms, Encrypted Comms, and next‑generation data link communication networks.
• Experience in one or more of the following technologies: Multi‑Mode Radars, EO/IR systems, Advanced IRST, Electronic Warfare systems, Multi‑INT systems, Countermeasures, Communications, Tactical Datalinks, Automation, Autonomy & Artificial Intelligence (A3I), HMI/UI, Cybersecurity, Software Architectures, Open Architectures and Standards (AMS GRA, OMS, FACE, STANAG), Networking, Modeling & Simulation.
• Product Management, Proposal Development, Basis of Estimation, Earned Value Management Systems (EVMS); commercial and/or DoD product development experience.
• Skills:
  • Ability to resolve complex technical problems.
  • Strong leadership and team management skills.
  • Effective communication skills with the ability to build enterprise relationships and manage customer expectations.
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team; customer‑focused orientation.
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Security Clearance required (up to TS/SCI).

We recognize and appreciate the value and contributions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences and welcome all qualified individuals to apply.

Compensation

Job Type: Full‑Time Salary

Salary range: 128,130 – 229,358