Leadership, System Engineering

About the Role

Lead the Systems Engineering function for UAV/UAS platform development. This senior leadership role involves building and leading a high-performing team of systems engineers, owning end-to-end system architecture, requirements management, and verification & validation across unmanned aerial platforms—including hybrid VTOL/fixed-wing systems. The role acts as the technical authority bridging mechanical, electrical, propulsion, avionics, software, and payload sub-disciplines.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish, lead, and continuously mature the Systems Engineering function, defining processes, tools, and governance for requirements management, system architecture, interface control, and verification & validation (V&V) across the UAV product portfolio.
• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of systems engineers across requirements, architecture, integration, and test disciplines.
• Own system-level architecture and trade studies for hybrid VTOL/fixed-wing UAV platforms, balancing payload, endurance, propulsion, structural, and mission performance requirements.
• Drive requirements engineering and traceability from customer/stakeholder needs through system, subsystem, and component-level specifications, ensuring full bidirectional traceability.
• Lead integration and verification & validation planning across propulsion, avionics, GNC/flight controls, EMI/EMC, structures, and payload subsystems, ensuring compliance to applicable standards (MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-810, ARP4754A, STANAG, DO-160 where applicable).
• Own technical risk management at the system level—identifying, assessing, and tracking design and integration risks, and driving mitigation through design reviews and test campaigns.
• Chair and govern technical design reviews (PDR, CDR, TRR) and serve as the senior technical interface with program management, quality, certification bodies (CEMILAC/DGQA), and customers.
• Partner with PMO, manufacturing, supply chain, and procurement to ensure system designs are manufacturable, testable, and aligned with program schedules and cost targets.
• Drive root-cause analysis and design improvements from flight test, field deployment, and reliability/endurance data, closing the loop into the engineering baseline.
• Lead make-vs-buy and vendor technical evaluations for critical subsystems (propulsion, avionics, payload, navigation) and manage technical relationships with external partners and consultants.
• Drive systems engineering tooling and infrastructure investments (requirements management, model-based systems engineering (MBSE), configuration management, simulation platforms).

Requirements & Tech Stack

• UAV/UAS platform development
• Hybrid VTOL/fixed-wing systems
• Systems Engineering
• Requirements Management
• System Architecture
• Verification & Validation (V&V)
• Mechanical, Electrical, Propulsion, Avionics, Software, and Payload sub-disciplines
• MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-810, ARP4754A, STANAG, DO-160 compliance
• Technical Risk Management
• Design Reviews (PDR, CDR, TRR)
• Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)
• Configuration Management
• Simulation Platforms
• Propulsion subsystems
• Avionics subsystems
• Payload subsystems
• Navigation subsystems
• EMI/EMC