Aircraft Systems Engineering Jobs (NOW HIRING)

About the Team:

AeroTEC’s Engineering Services Department supports and provides comprehensive, full-service aerospace engineering services to customers in aircraft design, test, and certification. The Engineering Services Department is responsible for providing engineering consulting services related to aircraft design, performance, similarity analysis, reviewing and supporting certification activities, determining test requirements, and planning and documenting testing to meet customer needs. These services vary, depending on the customer needs and objectives. The Engineering Services Department provides areas of expertise such as Flight Sciences, Electrical Systems, Mechanical Systems, Powerplant & FIFA, Air Systems, Cabin Safety, Structures, Flight Control, and Liaison Engineering.

About the Role:

The Manager, Systems Engineering is responsible for leading the Systems Engineering function across all programs and projects within AeroTEC’s portfolio. This includes providing technical leadership and ownership across the core systems engineering domains of requirements management, development and process assurance, safety, security, certification, and development planning, as well as related domains such as verification and validation (excluding flight and ground test, but including integration lab testing), configuration baseline support, airworthiness, environmental qualification, reliability/maintainability/availability, and cybersecurity coordination.

The Manager, Systems Engineering is responsible for the development, maintenance, and consistent application of systems engineering processes, for managing a team of Group Leads and Engineers, and for overseeing the cost, schedule, and quality performance of systems engineering scope across a portfolio of projects. This role requires the significant exercise of independent discretion and judgment in matters of significance.

In This Role You Will:

1. Provide technical leadership across all Systems Engineering domains for every program and project, including:
   1. Requirements management – origination, decomposition, allocation, traceability, validation, verification, and change control of system and sub-system requirements.
   2. Development and process assurance – establishing, monitoring, and continuously improving the systems engineering lifecycle, work products, and gate reviews.
   3. Safety – leading the system safety process, including FHA, PSSA, SSA, common cause analysis, and particular risks, and ensuring closure of safety-driven requirements.
   4. Security – ensuring information and aircraft system security (including cyber-airworthiness considerations) are addressed in architecture, requirements, and certification artifacts.
   5. Certification – ownership of the systems aspects of certification plans, means of compliance, regulator engagement, and the production of compliance evidence.
   6. Development planning – producing and maintaining systems engineering plans, schedules, and resource forecasts that integrate with overall program plans.
   7. Additional domains as applicable: verification & validation excluding flight and ground test (analysis, inspection, similarity, review-based methods, and integration lab testing), configuration baseline support, environmental qualification, reliability/maintainability/availability, cybersecurity, and supplier technical management.
2. Develop, maintain, and continuously improve AeroTEC’s systems engineering processes, procedures, templates, and tools; mentor and support other engineering disciplines in the correct application of those processes.
3. Lead cross-functional collaboration with internal and external stakeholders, including:
   1. Flight Test – to align test requirements, instrumentation needs, and verification approaches.
   2. Design Teams (Mechanical, Electrical, Structures, Powerplant, Avionics, Interiors, etc.) – to ensure system requirements are correctly flowed, allocated, and implemented.
   3. Configuration and Data Management – to maintain the integrity of requirements, interfaces, and certification baselines.
   4. Program Management – to integrate systems engineering scope, deliverables, and risks into program plans and customer reporting.
   5. Customers, suppliers, and certification authorities – representing AeroTEC’s systems engineering position with technical authority and professionalism.
4. Manage and support a portfolio of projects from a Systems Engineering perspective – own the cost and schedule performance of systems engineering scope, applying Earned Value Management (EVM) principles to plan, baseline, measure (BCWS, BCWP, ACWP, CV, SV, CPI, SPI), forecast, and recover work; produce variance analyses and corrective action plans.
5. Oversee the quality of systems engineering work products across all domains, ensuring artifacts (requirements, safety analyses, certification plans, integration lab test plans/procedures/reports, V&V evidence, etc.) meet AeroTEC, customer, and regulatory standards prior to release.
6. Identify the need for, scope, source, and manage the work product of contractors, consultants, and external service suppliers supporting Systems Engineering activities; ensure their deliverables meet technical, quality, schedule, and budget expectations.
7. Manage the Systems Engineering team – Group Leads and Engineers – including:
   1. Day-to-day direction, workload balancing, and ensuring teams are correctly loaded against program needs.
   2. Performance management, including feedback, performance reviews, and recovery plans for under-performance.
   3. Professional development, mentoring, training plans, and succession planning.
   4. Recruiting, onboarding, and retention of systems engineering talent.
   5. Administrative tasks: shift/coverage scheduling, timesheet review, and approvals.
8. Identify, communicate, and actively manage technical and programmatic risks within the Systems Engineering scope; report key metrics, status, and issues to the Head of Engineering, Program Management, and customers as appropriate.
9. Develop and execute strategic plans for capability growth in Systems Engineering, including tooling, methods (e.g., model-based systems engineering), training, capacity, and cost optimization.
10. Complete special projects and other duties as assigned by the Head of Engineering.

The Skills You Bring (Minimum):

Education

• Four (4) year degree in Engineering (Aerospace, Avionics, Electrical, Mechanical, Systems, or related). Other Engineering fields may be considered.

Experience

• Minimum ten (10) years of aerospace engineering experience, including substantive systems engineering work across multiple of the listed domains (requirements, safety, certification, etc.).
• Minimum three (3) years of experience leading other technical personnel and managing a project to completion, including responsibility for cost, schedule, and quality outcomes.
• Preferred: experience with Earned Value Management on aerospace programs, and experience managing external contractors, consultants, or service suppliers.

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and/or hear. The employee is frequently required to sit, stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle or feel, and reach with hands and arms. Must have the ability to sit for long periods of time.
• The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance, and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
• Travel (flying and driving) to various domestic and international worksites and client offices is required. Frequent travel to the Moses Lake Facility for extended periods of time during scheduled flight test operations may be required.

AeroTEC Ways of Working and Benefits:

At AeroTEC, we are on a mission to Accelerate the Evolution of Aerospace. We lead the market in the integration and testing of sustainable propulsion technologies, pioneering the future of sustainable aerospace. 

AeroTEC is building a culture where personal and professional growth are just as important as business growth. We invest in our people, supporting their career development by offering customized career development plans, in-house learning, mentorship, and up to $5,250.00/year in education reimbursement.

We are committed to our employee’s well-being, providing Unlimited Time-Off (for salaried employees), employer paid premiums for our employees’ Health coverage (PPO/HDHP plans), Dental, $40,000 Life Insurance Policy, and complementary access to our Employee Assistance and Health Advocate Program’s.

Additional Benefits include (but not limited to): 401(k) and Employer Match for the Employee, Vision, Additional Life Insurance Options, Critical Illness, Accident, Hospital Indemnity, Cell Phone Cost Reimbursement, Pet Insurance, ID Watchdog, Legal Shield, and Perk Spot Discounts.

Hard work doesn’t go unnoticed, at AeroTEC we reward outstanding performance with quarterly bonus schemes (for salaried employees), manager’s bonuses (for management roles), and SIP (for sales positions).  Positions may or may not qualify for sign-on bonus or relocation assistance. 

But we are more than just a team; we’re a family that works hard and plays hard! From AeroTEC AeroTEC’s own Flying Club, Softball League, Seattle Mariners Tickets, to Team Bike Rides, Karting, Golf Scrambles and more. We’re committed to creating a workplace where fun and work are not mutually exclusive!

This position must meet export control compliance requirements. To meet export control compliance requirements, a “U.S. Person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. §120.15 is required.  “U.S. Person” includes U.S. Citizen, Lawful Permanent Resident, Refugee, or Asylee.