On-Site Lead Engineer for Systems Engineering, Integration, and Test

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory•Hill AFB, UT

32d•Onsite

About The Position

APL is seeking an On-Site Lead Engineer for Systems Engineering, Integration and Test efforts for the Sentinel strategic missile system. This will be an on-site position, working at Hill AFB, Utah alongside other on-site APL personnel, our government sponsor, other government mission partners, and the Sentinel Prime Contractor. The primary responsibility will be to serve as a technical leader in APL’s forward-based team supporting the Sentinel program. This on-site location facilitates daily interaction with the sponsor and the Prime Contractor and enhances APL’s ability as an organization to support our government sponsor. In doing so, you will maintain regular communications with APL’s program and project managers, line-side leaders and organizations, and fellow members of the KBY on-site technical team to increase awareness of Sentinel activities, developments, decisions, areas of concern, and opportunities where APL can help the Sentinel program. You will work directly with the sponsor to understand their needs, and collaborate with key APL technical leaders to recommend, support, and execute APL work in support of the Sentinel Program Office’s desire to “own the technical baseline.” You will support and influence program-level decision making by developing and communicating technical positions, risk assessments, and trade-offs to senior government and program leadership. You will serve as a technical advisor, integrator, and trusted agent to government leadership, providing subject matter expertise and independent assessment to the government for the execution of systems engineering, integration, and test activities for the Sentinel strategic missile system. This includes communicating results of systems engineering assessments and engineering methodologies and processes and acting as a liaison between the government and the APL home campus team. You will lead and collaborate with other APL SMEs, both at Hill AFB and main campus, to provide unique analyses of the Sentinel Weapon System and recommendations from a systems-level viewpoint. You will work with the Sentinel Prime Contractor and other industry partners to advise, review, recommend and contribute to assessments supporting systems engineering processes and technical management processes. You will help define, coordinate, and, when required, lead integration activities across multiple technical and programmatic domains, ensuring coherence across system elements, organizations, and program phases. This includes participation in, and, as required, presentations at program technical reviews and acquisition milestone events. You will contribute to technical baseline definition, acquisition and systems engineering strategy development, program restructuring activities, and governance frameworks. You will use APL-developed tools, processes, and methodologies, and Prime Contractor generated design artifacts, test data and analysis results to evaluate system fulfillment of stakeholder needs and government requirements.

Requirements

Possess a bachelors in engineering, mathematics, physics or related technical field.
Have 5+ years of technical professional experience including experience leading or influencing technical efforts across teams or organizations.
Demonstrate technical and organizational thought leadership with a track record of influencing others across various organizations.
Able to effectively shape the day-to-day tasking to meet sponsor needs, multi-task, and adapt to changing demands with minimal guidance.
Proven experience performing systems engineering in the design, development or evaluation of complex systems.
Employed exceptionally strong interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills, and the ability to regularly interface with senior military and civil service leaders.
Especially strong verbal and written communication skills, as well as demonstrated strong critical thinking skills.
Experience operating in ambiguous, high-tempo environments requiring self-directed tasking and prioritization across competing demands.
Demonstrate a strong sense of curiosity to understand how and why a system works and the ambition to follow up on that curiosity.
Well-experienced in requirements analysis, design, test and evaluation, and risk management/assessment.
Experience using tools for tradespace analysis, performance analysis, requirements analysis, requirements management, and system architecting.
Literate in Systems Modeling Language (SysML).
Willing to relocate to Utah in the vicinity of Hill AFB, with periodic travel (potentially 5-6 trips per year of duration one week or less) to APL Laurel campus, contractor sites, and other locations.
Hold an active Secret security clearance and are able to obtain a Top Secret/SCI level clearance.
Subject to a government security investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information.
U.S. citizenship.

Nice To Haves

A graduate degree in aerospace engineering, systems engineering, or related technical field with 10+ years of technical experience applying systems engineering.
Experience in systems engineering for missile systems.
Experience with DoD acquisition processes and/or Air Force ICBM programs.
Experience with, and an understanding of Air Force strategic weapons systems including the Minuteman or Sentinel weapon systems.
Currently hold an active Top Secret clearance (or above).

Responsibilities

Serve as a technical leader in APL’s forward-based team supporting the Sentinel program.
Maintain regular communications with APL’s program and project managers, line-side leaders and organizations, and fellow members of the KBY on-site technical team to increase awareness of Sentinel activities, developments, decisions, areas of concern, and opportunities where APL can help the Sentinel program.
Work directly with the sponsor to understand their needs, and collaborate with key APL technical leaders to recommend, support, and execute APL work in support of the Sentinel Program Office’s desire to “own the technical baseline.”
Support and influence program-level decision making by developing and communicating technical positions, risk assessments, and trade-offs to senior government and program leadership.
Serve as a technical advisor, integrator, and trusted agent to government leadership, providing subject matter expertise and independent assessment to the government for the execution of systems engineering, integration, and test activities for the Sentinel strategic missile system.
Develop and assess CONOPS and requirements, develop architectures, develop test plans and analyze test data, and perform trade studies, failure root cause analyses, risk management, verification and validation, requirements analyses, functional analyses, and performance assessments.
Communicate results of systems engineering assessments and engineering methodologies and processes and act as a liaison between the government and the APL home campus team.
Lead and collaborate with other APL SMEs, both at Hill AFB and main campus, to provide unique analyses of the Sentinel Weapon System and recommendations from a systems-level viewpoint.
Work with the Sentinel Prime Contractor and other industry partners to advise, review, recommend and contribute to assessments supporting systems engineering processes and technical management processes.
Help define, coordinate, and, when required, lead integration activities across multiple technical and programmatic domains, ensuring coherence across system elements, organizations, and program phases.
Participate in, and, as required, present at program technical reviews and acquisition milestone events.
Contribute to technical baseline definition, acquisition and systems engineering strategy development, program restructuring activities, and governance frameworks.
Use APL-developed tools, processes, and methodologies, and Prime Contractor generated design artifacts, test data and analysis results to evaluate system fulfillment of stakeholder needs and government requirements.