Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, or a related Science, Engineering or Mathematics field, plus a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience; or Master's degree, plus a minimum of 6 years of relevant experience.

CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Department of Defense Secret security clearance is obtainable within a reasonable amount of time after hire. Applicants selected will be subject to a U.S. Government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Due to the nature of work performed within our facilities, U.S. citizenship is required.

Responsibilities

• Provide subject matter expertise in ISR and OWA mission requirements, including environmental constraints, EMI considerations, and operational integration challenges.
• Assess and articulate the future evolution of UAS platforms and associated payload capabilities, identifying technology gaps and emerging requirements.
• Leverage established relationships within the operational and acquisition communities to facilitate customer engagement, requirements elicitation, and solution validation.
• Capture and communicate the pain points and unmet needs of platform operators and mission crews, translating them into system-level problem statements for engineering teams.
• Serve as a payload systems architect, defining capability requirements, interface standards, and integration approaches across multi-domain payload configurations.
• Collaborate with systems engineers and program managers to ensure customer requirements are reflected in program baselines and technical roadmaps.
• Support capture activities, Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) development, and proposal efforts as a technical resource.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent experience).
• 8+ years of experience in aviation, UAS, or airborne mission systems.
• Demonstrated experience with ISR and/or OWA mission environments, including knowledge of environmental and EMI/RF considerations.
• Hands-on understanding of payload systems architecture: capabilities definition, interface standards, and system integration.
• Established network within the UAS operator, program office, or requirements community, with demonstrated ability to engage key stakeholders.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret clearance.

Desired Qualifications

• Prior U.S. military service, particularly in aviation, ISR operations, or UAS operations.
• Familiarity with current and emerging UAS programs of record and associated acquisition strategies.
• Experience translating operational mission requirements into systems engineering artifacts (ConOps, ORDs, ICDs, etc.).
• Active relationships with program offices, major commands, or FFRDC/UARC organizations relevant to UAS and ISR.
• Recent operational experience (within the last 3–5 years) providing direct insight into current user pain points and capability gaps.

Why This Role