Acoustic Engineer Jobs in Reston, VA (NOW HIRING)

Job Title: Lead, Systems Engineer

Job Code:  39926

Job Location: Millersville, MD or Herndon, VA (on-site)

Schedule: 9/80 Regular Schedule (9/80 Employees work 9 out of every 14 days - totaling 80 hours worked - and have every other Friday off)

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Exercise your passion for engineering by engaging in rapid development and deploying new and innovative, next generation solutions that sets L3Harris apart from our competitors.

We are seeking a motivated individual to join our team as a Lead, Systems Engineer as an acoustics modeling and simulation subject matter expert within the Seabed Systems Business Unit. This individual will play a vital role in engaging with external and internal customers in the support of multiple subsea programs providing capabilities in underwater acoustics sensor infrastructure as well as acoustics communications (ACOMMS). With general supervision, this individual will be responsible for acoustics analysis in support of hardware/software requirements definition, decomposition, allocation, management, and verification / validation of technical products and systems. 

Essential Functions:

        Responsibilities include review, analysis, and understanding of program level objectives, system concept of operation, system and subsystem equipment, functions, interfaces, and operations.

        Responsible for requirements definition, flow-down and traceability for complex electronic systems embracing model-based systems engineering (MBSE) processes to enhance development speed and quality

        Develop and maintain computer models of sonar system performance based on principles of ocean sound propagation, source and receiver characteristics, and signal detection algorithms.

        Collaborate with other Systems Engineers in the development of work products, including System Specifications, Logically Derived and Linked Requirements, Interface Definitions, System Diagrams, Systems Analyses, Trade Studies, and Detailed Designs.

        Development and coordination of engineering artifacts for program design reviews.  Participate in technical exchanges with customers and subcontractors.

        Supports Systems Engineering execution within the business area (cost, schedule, technical)

        Experience architecting, analyzing, developing, and integrating end-to-end systems

        Evaluate overall systems project risks and support risk mitigation planning and execution with program and functional leadership.

        Conduct analysis and design tests to validate system designs.  Support testing activities by developing plans, providing data recording and analysis requirements, and producing analysis reports.

        Analyze data from design verification test efforts and maintain test results

        Able to effectively brief status and results to program and customer.

        Other duties as required

        Participate in sea trials and system installations.

        Ability to obtain and maintain U.S. DOD security clearance which requires U.S. Citizenship.

        Ability to obtain and maintain any additional clearances as required.

        Up to 15% of travel.  Up to four weeks of continuous travel from home and aboard ships at sea

Qualifications:

        Bachelor's Degree and minimum 9 years of prior relevant experience,  or Graduate Degree and a minimum of 7 years of prior related experience. Or in lieu of a degree, a minimum of 13 years of prior related experience.

        Demonstrated mastery of underwater acoustic propagation modeling using tools such as BELLHOP/BELLHOP3D, RAM/PE, CASS, SST, Acoustics Toolbox, KRAKEN, SCOOTER/SPARC, OASES, or equivalent physics-based solvers.  Expert fluency in ocean acoustics, including sound speed structure, volume and boundary interactions, signal propagation and coherence, ambient noise structure and coherence, and the traditional models and databases used to characterize them analytically.

        Proven experience building end to end analysis workflows that integrate acoustic propagation models, MATLAB processing, environmental databases, and wrappers such as Bash script and C-language programming.  Experience validating such modeling outputs by cross checking against established legacy tools and physics-based benchmarks to ensure model fidelity and traceability.

        Expertise in analyzing acoustic system design and performance, including ocean signal propagation and noise properties, sensor transduction, front-end signal conditioning, phased array design and performance, short- and long-haul telemetry, sonar and communications signal processing, and operator interfaces and data display.  Experience analyzing customer requirements and allocate performance specifications among all these end-to-end system elements is required; design expertise in one or more of these end-to-end system elements is a plus.

        Experience applying acoustic modeling to deployed seabed sensor systems, mobile platform sonar systems, or underwater acoustic communications channels.  Experience translating raw model outputs into actionable system engineering artifacts such as performance budgets, detection range estimates, coverage assessments, and operational scenario analyses.

        Familiarity and experience with experimental methods for characterizing ocean acoustic environments and sonar or communication system performance.  Experience planning at-sea activities, including defining sea test objectives and metrics, specifying acoustic sources and receivers, specifying at-sea recording and analysis for quality assurance, defining participant roles and responsibilities, defining platform capabilities, and managing data collection, analysis, and reporting.

        Leadership experience in defining modeling standards, advancing internal toolchains, mentoring junior engineers, and shaping long term modeling and simulation strategy for undersea systems.

        Demonstrated experience in systems engineering and the government program acquisition lifecycle.

        Working knowledge of any standard system engineering process including MIL-STD-499, EIA-632, IEEE 1220 or IEEE/ISO/IEC 15288.

        Experience using Microsoft Office products.

        Knowledge with DOORs and Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE).

Preferred Additional Skills:

        Active DoD SECRET clearance with current 6-year update

        Experience with DOORS, Cameo suite of MBSE tools or similar, MS Visio.

        Experience with Earned Value Management.

        Familiarity with underwater products and acoustics.

        Working knowledge of Cisco routers and switches.

        RF communication theory experience.

        Excellent communication skills (written, verbal, & presentation).

        Outstanding work ethic and commitment to organizational success.

        Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to work well with individuals within and outside of the organization and have a strong drive and sense of ownership.

In compliance with pay transparency requirements, the salary range for this role is $127,500 - $236,500. This is not a guarantee of compensation or salary, as final offer amount may vary based on factors including but not limited to experience and geographic location. L3Harris also offers a variety of benefits, including health and disability insurance, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, EAP, education assistance, parental leave, paid time off, and company-paid holidays. The specific programs and options available to an employee may vary depending on date of hire, schedule type, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.

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