Chief Engineer - Navy Strategic Systems

Draper•Cambridge, MA

4d•$180,000 - $340,000•Onsite

About The Position

Draper is seeking a senior-level technical professional to be the Chief Engineer for the Navy Strategic Systems (NSS) Business Area. This role involves providing and coordinating engineering support for program execution, business development, and strategic planning for the Business Area, which develops, tests, delivers, and supports advanced guidance, navigation & control systems, radiation-hardened electronics, precision sensors, and cyber resilience. The Chief Engineer for NSS will report directly to the Vice President of Engineering and will manage a team of 4-10 direct reports. This is a technical leadership role responsible for a designated product line, acting as the technical conscience for projects within the portfolio. The Chief Engineer ensures that systems, products, and services are viable, fit for purpose, and meet customer needs and mission requirements. They also serve as the technical interface to external customers, partners, internal executive leadership, product line directors, project managers, engineering teams, and other supporting functions.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a technical discipline.
Minimum 15 years of professional experience directly related experience reflecting increased responsibilities over time.
Minimum of 10 years of demonstrated strong leadership, coaching and mentoring skills with the ability to achieve results through others. This includes leading large technical teams, preferably including leadership of leaders.
Proven track record of leading technical teams to ensure the success of the technical solutions across a full lifecycle portfolio with a full range of contract vehicles to challenging external and internal customer requirements with viable architectures, designs, development, testing, fielding, and sustainment.
Demonstrated thought leadership in Draper’s markets with well-established customer relationships across the National Security ecosystem.
Proven track record of translating thought leadership into new programs by providing technical leadership across complex shaping, capture, and proposals using industry standard Shipley Business Winning processes.
Demonstrated subject matter expertise with the product line’s specific capabilities, projects, technologies, and applications.
Proven skills partnering across the business and the ability to collaborate within and across organizational boundaries.
Ability to be persuasive and a strong relationship builder.
Executive level communication skills with experience presenting complex information in a concise and appropriate manner to senior leaders.
Ability to travel up to 50% of the time to engage with current and prospective customers and partners.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Applications.
Broad and deep knowledge and experience that span the business, customer and engineering/technical needs of the Navy Strategic Systems.
Deep understanding of the Engineering organization.
Technical excellence in Draper’s core competencies.
Exceptional communicator.
Demonstrated successful leadership on one or more large scale programs.
Deep understanding of strategic systems customers (e.g., Air Force, Navy, MDA) perspectives.
Keen awareness of the competitive market and Draper’s differentiators.
Ability to formulate a successful pursuit strategy that results in successful business capture.
Applicants selected for this position will be required to obtain and maintain a US government security clearance.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute multi-year strategic technical plans, including Contract Research and Development (CRAD) and Internal Research and Development (IRAD), to scale mission impact consistent with Business Area and Corporation strategies.
Analyze market technology trends, incorporate customer mission knowledge, identify technology gaps, and opportunities for product line innovation.
Ensure the success of technical solutions across a full lifecycle portfolio, managing various contract vehicles to meet challenging customer requirements with viable architectures, designs, development, testing, fielding, and sustainment.
Cultivate relationships with the customer community to support current projects and shape future growth opportunities, demonstrating thought leadership in the mission and market space.
Support project leadership in staffing engineers by coordinating with engineering management on skill needs and staff sharing across projects within the product line area.
Mentor and coach the product line engineering team in project leadership, communication, adherence to processes, and technical performance.
Encourage and facilitate the development of reusable common components across projects within the product line area and shared outside the area.
Ensure adherence to all corporate policies and procedures defined in Draper’s Operational Framework.
Create, demonstrate, and promote a positive culture, ensuring an environment of collaboration, inclusivity, and respect in alignment with company goals and values.
Excellence in program execution including phase gate reviews.
Engineering proposal coordination.
Responsible for the technical baseline, including review and approval of technical changes ensuring that modifications to the system do not violate performance or design requirements.
Coordination of critical program resource allocation including staff, facilities, and capital equipment.
Business development and domain awareness.
Strategic planning and coordination including critical capabilities and technologies development.