Systems Project Engineer Quick Reaction Capabilities QRC

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems; Poway (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 188,000; Full time

Job summary

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) seeks a Senior Systems / Project Engineer to join the Quick Reaction Capabilities (QRC) team.

You will provide end-to-end project and technical leadership for GA‑ASI UAS and ground systems, spanning software and hardware updates. This role requires ownership of budgets, schedules, and outcomes, with the ability to translate complex technical information into concise updates for customers and senior leadership.

Qualifications

• Engineering degree required.
• Progressive engineering experience in aerospace/defense or mission-system programs.
• Experience leading software/hardware integration projects is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary Systems/Project Engineer for QRC efforts from concept through development, integration, test, and field support.
• Develop and maintain understanding of the full UAS and cross-system impacts.
• Manage software development, requirements, testing, and delivery to the field.
• Lead HMI feature development for ground and airborne systems and validate usability.
• Oversee hardware design/integration coordinating with electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing engineering.
• Support fielded systems including field activities, troubleshooting, and customer contact.
• Lead technical investigations, root cause analysis, and corrective actions across the system.
• Own systems engineering activities from requirements to validation and trade studies.
• Maintain low-level technical understanding to guide functional teams, and manage integrated project plans and costs.
• Coordinate and lead integration/test activities (lab, ground, flight) and review results.
• Prepare concise technical/project status briefings for customers and leadership.
• Support business development and proposal efforts for QRC capabilities.

Education

Bachelor’s/Master’s/PhD in engineering

Job description

Job Summary

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a world leader in proven, reliable remotely piloted aircraft and tactical reconnaissance radars, as well as advanced high-resolution surveillance systems.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a world leader in proven, reliable remotely piloted aircraft and tactical reconnaissance radars, as well as advanced high-resolution surveillance systems.

We are seeking an experienced and driven Senior Systems / Project Engineer to join our Agile Mission Systems Quick Reaction Capabilities (QRC) team. This team rapidly delivers new capabilities to the field in response to urgent customer needs. We are looking for high‑performing engineers who take full ownership, work with urgency, and are comfortable driving both technical and project outcomes.

Under limited direction, the Senior Systems / Project Engineer in the QRC group provides end‑to‑end project and technical leadership for capabilities that span software and hardware updates on GA‑ASI Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and associated ground systems.

In this role, you will:

• Manage hardware/software development and system integration and test efforts.
• Oversee hardware design and integration.
• Support fielded systems and lead issue investigations.

To be effective, you must develop and maintain a strong understanding of the full unmanned aircraft system, including core avionics systems, aircraft flight controls, ground control station (GCS) architecture, datalinks, propulsion and fuel systems, video systems, communication systems, and various payloads. This role requires strong attention to detail and the ability to understand lower‑level technical aspects (such as software behavior, interfaces, and hardware design details) while also stepping back to manage the overall project execution and present clear, high‑level summaries to customers and internal leadership.

This position is ideal for a hands‑on systems engineer and project leader who:

• Takes ownership of technical solutions, budgets, schedules, and outcomes.
• Can challenge and guide functional engineering disciplines using a solid understanding of the details.
• Can translate complex, system‑wide technical information into concise, mission‑focused updates for customers and stakeholders.
• Thrives in a fast‑paced QRC environment with evolving requirements and aggressive timelines.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as the primary Systems / Project Engineer for QRC efforts from concept through development, integration, test, and field support/sustainment.
• Develop and maintain a working understanding of the full UAS (aircraft, GCS, datalinks, propulsion/fuel, video, communications, payloads) and cross-system impacts and dependencies.
• Manage software development and release cycles, including requirements definition, prioritization, coordination with software teams, integration/regression testing, and delivery to the field.
• Lead HMI feature development for ground and/or airborne systems, ensuring user needs and operational workflows are captured, implemented, and validated.
• Oversee hardware design and integration, coordinating with electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing engineering to ensure designs meet component and system‑level requirements.
• Support fielded systems, including coordination and occasional participation in field activities, troubleshooting, and issue resolution; act as an engineering point of contact for field and customer support teams.
• Lead technical investigations for issues and anomalies: reproduce problems, drive root cause analysis and corrective actions, and verify fixes across the full system.
• Own systems engineering activities from requirements and architecture development through integration, verification, and validation, including requirements traceability and system analysis/trade studies to balance performance, cost, schedule, and mission objectives.
• Maintain/develop sufficient low‑level technical understanding (software/hardware interfaces, message formats, HMI behaviors, control logic) to effectively guide and challenge functional engineering teams.
• Develop and maintain integrated project plans, schedules, and engineering cost estimates; track progress, manage risks and dependencies, and drive actions to keep efforts on track.
• Coordinate and lead integration and test activities (lab, ground, and flight as applicable), including test planning, procedure development, execution oversight, and results review.
• Prepare and deliver clear, concise technical and project status briefings for customers, program management, and senior leadership.
• Support or lead business development and proposal efforts for QRC capabilities, contributing to technical scope, engineering estimates, and schedules.
• Perform other duties as assigned or required.

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

Job Qualifications

• Typically requires a bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD in engineering or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution and progressive engineering experience as follows:
  • 9 or more years with a bachelor’s degree, or
  • 7 or more years with a master’s degree, or
  • 4 or more years with a PhD. Equivalent engineering experience may be substituted in lieu of education.
• Proven experience as a Systems Engineer and/or Project Engineer on complex aerospace, defense, or mission system programs, with responsibility for both technical content and project execution.
• QRC or experience working in a lean, fast‑paced engineering environment is highly desirable.
• Experience managing software development and releases, including coordination with software teams, integration/test, and delivery to operational users.
• Experience with HMI or user interface feature development (e.g., ground control stations, operator consoles), including capturing user needs and validating usability and user experience.
• Experience overseeing hardware design and integration and working with electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing engineering disciplines.
• Strong systems engineering background, including requirements development and management, system architecture design, integration, verification and validation, and root cause/corrective action.
• Demonstrated ability to operate at both low‑level technical detail and high‑level system view, and to provide clear summaries and recommendations to customers and leadership.
• Strong project management skills: planning, scheduling, risk management, coordination of cross‑functional teams, and tracking to cost/schedule/performance in a fast‑paced environment.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to clearly communicate complex technical topics and project status to customers, management, and cross‑functional teams.
• Strong sense of ownership and work ethic; takes responsibility for outcomes and is willing to put in the effort required to meet QRC schedules and mission needs.
• Customer‑focused, with a commitment to supporting the mission and continuously improving both technical solutions and processes.
• Able to work independently with minimal direction and excel in a collaborative, high‑performing team environment.

Desired experience in one or more of the following

• Embedded or real‑time software and software integration.
• Test and verification techniques and tools.
• Manufacturing engineering principles and design for producibility.
• Systems engineering, system test and integration, and subcontractor/supplier management.
• Proposal development, basis of estimates (BOEs), and EVMS or similar project tracking methods.
• Commercial and/or DoD product development lifecycles.
• Familiarity with Linux/UNIX and Windows environments; experience with development, integration, or system administration tools is a plus.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance is required.

Job Type: Full-Time Salary

Salary range: 109,500 - 187,875