Secret Lead Systems Engineer

Job Description

One of our small Pax River federal customers is seeking a motivated and experienced Lead Systems Engineer to lead the MQ 9 Common Control Environment (CCE) engineering team supporting a NAVAIR led U.S. Marine Corps MQ 9 program. In this role, you will serve as the technical authority and team lead for a group of approximately 10 systems and software engineers, driving the design, integration, and certification of ground control station (GCS) control software and associated capabilities. The ideal candidate brings strong experience with unmanned aircraft control systems, software intensive systems engineering, and DoD acquisition programs, along with a passion for mentoring engineers and shaping technically sound, operationally relevant solutions. This position offers the opportunity to work closely with government engineers and program leadership, influence system architecture and technical decisions, and see your work directly impact fleet operations. Candidates who thrive in a collaborative, fast paced environment and are eager to deliver innovative, mission critical capabilities to the warfighter will find this role both challenging and highly rewarding.

This position supports tasking at the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Program Executive Office, Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons (PEO(U&W)), located in Patuxent River, MD. The selected candidate will provide technical leadership for the integration, testing, and sustainment of the Common Control Environment (CCE) on the MQ‑9 MUX MALE platform. Responsibilities include developing and managing requirements, planning and executing lab and flight tests, ensuring interoperability with other mission systems supporting engineering change proposals, analyzing technical risks, and recommending solutions to enhance CCE integration. There will also be close collaboration with program managers, engineers, test teams, and industry partners to ensure the CCE meets performance, safety, and certification standards.

Skills and Requirements

• Active Secret clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain Top Secret/SCI.

• Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related discipline

• 10+ years of experience in systems engineering or software intensive defense programs

• Hands on experience with unmanned systems, ground control stations, or avionics control software

• Prior experience leading engineering teams (technical lead, IPT lead, or manager)

• Strong understanding of: o Requirements management (DOORS or equivalent) o Interface definition and control o V model systems engineering practices

• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary technical teams

• Comfortable making technical decisions in a fast moving acquisition environment

• Strong communication skills with both engineers and senior government stakeholders

• Mission focused, collaborative, and customer oriented mindset

• Master’s degree in Engineering

• Certification in Systems Engineering

• Experience with NAVAIR Systems Engineering Technical Review (SETR) process.

• Familiarity with DoD aviation development, production, sustainment, and/or testing

• Knowledge of U.S. Government, DoD, and/or USN correspondence development practices, along with the ability to write formal engineering reports and construct briefing materials using MS Office tools (Word, PowerPoint, Excel).

• Direct experience with MQ 9, Predator class UAS, or similar Group 4/5 UAS platforms

• Familiarity with Common Control Environment (CCE) or equivalent UAS control software

• NAVAIR, USMC, or USAF acquisition program experience with knowledge of: o Open systems architectures (MOSA) o Agile/DevSecOps

• Prior experience supporting PMA 266 or Marine Corps aviation programs

• Active TS/SCI or SCI eligible clearance

We are a company committed to creating diverse and inclusive environments where people can bring their full, authentic selves to work every day. We are an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer that believes everyone matters. Qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, genetic factors, age, disability, protected veteran status, military or uniformed service member status, or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request to [email protected].