Infrastructure / Hardware Integration Project Engineer II

Sierra Nevada Corporation•Lone Tree, CO

11d•Hybrid

About The Position

The ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance), Aviation, and Security (IAS) business area is a leader in ISR and aviation, it is a leading prime manned and unmanned aircraft systems integrator for innovative, high-performance ISR and aviation systems. Its end-to-end Command, Control, Computers, Communications and Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities encompass design, integration, test, certification, ground/flight training and complete logistics support. IAS tailors solutions to customer cost, performance, and schedule requirements and designs to consistently exceed expectations – with an unrivaled record of on time and on (or under) budget deliveries. SNC has led thoughtful and disruptive change in the aerospace and defense industry for the past 60 years and now, we’re applying this tenacity and expertise to the U.S. Air Force’s (USAF) Survivable Airborne Operations Center (SAOC) mission. Join the SNC-led SAOC team and be a part of exciting and meaningful work to modernize and deliver the next-generation SAOC aircraft trusted by the President, Secretary of Defense and Chairs of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to ensure continued critical command, control and communication during national emergencies. If you’re passionate about building the airborne command post of the future, consider SNC for your next mission. Learn more about NC3 and SAOC here. Are you looking to use your engineering capabilities, project management and collective skills in your next position? We could use your expertise on our team! As the Infrastructure / Hardware Integration Project Engineer II, you will be responsible for the planning, coordination, and execution of complex hardware integration efforts within multi-disciplinary engineering programs. This role serves as the primary technical interface between hardware engineering teams, system architects, and external customers — ensuring that infrastructure requirements are properly defined, tracked, and realized through rigorous integration processes. The Infrastructure / Hardware Integration Project Engineer owns the full lifecycle from requirements decomposition through hardware verification and validation, maintaining schedule, cost, and technical baseline integrity throughout. This role requires a strong technical background, project management skills, and the ability to interface with both internal teams and external customers to ensure successful project execution.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, or closely related field.
10+ years of progressive engineering experience, including 2+ years in a technical lead or project lead role.
Hands-on experience with physical hardware integration — including servers, embedded systems, networking equipment, and/or lab infrastructure build-out.
Demonstrated experience creating and managing integration procedures, ICD documentation, and hardware verification test plans.
Proficiency with project scheduling tools (e.g. MS Project, Primavera, or equivalent) and tracking project cost/schedule baselines.
Experience managing hardware requirements using formal requirements management tools (e.g. DOORS, Jama, or similar).
Familiarity with configuration management processes and hardware baseline control (e.g. ECO/ECN processes).
Strong communication skills — ability to brief technical content clearly to both engineering teams and non-technical customers.
Experience working within a formal systems engineering lifecycle (Milestone reviews: SRR/PDR/CDR/TRR/FCA/PCA).
Experience working in multi-disciplinary design and development team.
Detailed understanding of requirements management, system design, and integration.

Nice To Haves

4–6 years of project leadership or program management experience in an engineering-intensive environment.
Experience in the Aerospace & Defense industry with hardware development programs.
Knowledge of rack-mount server platforms, high-density compute clusters, GPU infrastructure, or ruggedized electronics.
Experience with power/thermal analysis for infrastructure environments (data center or deployed compute).
INCOSE CSEP/ASEP certification or PMP certification.
Ability to read and interpret technical drawings, schematics, wire harness diagrams, and parts lists.
Active DoD TS clearance with SCI Eligibility.
Experience with trade study development, AoA (Analysis of Alternatives), and hardware selection decisions.
Experience with advanced project management tools and methodologies.
In-depth knowledge of industry standards and regulations.
Experience leading a multi-disciplinary design and development team and communicating with program management and customers.
Familiarity with preparation and development of project estimates, technical proposals, and program cost and schedule management.
Past history of leading baseline definition and maturation in a complex development setting, including the use of highly integrated trade studies and analysis of alternative.
Ability to read and interpret technical drawings and schematics, parts lists, specifications, instructions and test procedure.

Responsibilities

Develop, maintain, and manage detailed project plans, WBS, schedules, and budgets for hardware integration activities.
Track performance against baseline using earned value management (EVM) concepts and report variances with corrective action plans.
Coordinate multi-disciplinary team efforts across mechanical, electrical, software, and systems engineering disciplines.
Lead hardware integration planning including rack/stack architecture, cabling, power, cooling, and physical interconnect design.
Define and maintain hardware interface control documents (ICDs), integration procedures, and test plans.
Conduct integration readiness reviews (IRRs) and support hardware acceptance testing and system verification events.
Oversee endpoints buildouts, server/compute infrastructure, networking gear, and embedded hardware bring-up activities.
Ensure hardware configurations are controlled and documented per configuration management (CM) processes.
Act as the primary technical liaison with external customers for all hardware integration matters.
Present integration status, technical findings, and risk posture at program reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, etc.).
Capture and flow down customer hardware requirements into actionable engineering tasks.
Prepare comprehensive status reports, including progress updates, risk assessments, and mitigation strategies.
Maintain accurate artifact traceability from requirements through test results.
Identify hardware integration issues early; develop resolution plans, workarounds, and escalation paths.
Own the program Hardware Risk Register — maintain risk identification, probability/consequence scoring, and mitigation planning.
Execute contingency strategies when hardware failures, supply chain delays, or scope changes arise.
Proactively seek opportunities for process improvements and implement best practices in project management.
Champion hardware integration best practices and lab operational standards across the team.
Lead lessons-learned reviews post-integration events and institutionalize improvements.
Develop and manage risk identification, documentation, and mitigation planning.