Senior Staff Engineer, Actuation Systems Architecture & Design (RX) (R6003)
About The Position
As a Senior Staff Engineer (L4/L5), you will take full technical ownership of actuation systems architecture, design, and integration for actuated systems and mechanisms on a Group 5 UAV fighter aircraft. You will work from first principles to define requirements, make sound design decisions, and drive the selected solutions through detailed design, integration, qualification, and production. This position requires a balance of technical rigor, rapid decision-making, and hands-on engineering to efficiently transition concepts into operational capability. The ideal candidate is comfortable solving complex problems, taking ownership, working within an accelerated aircraft development environment, and is motivated by getting meaningful capability into the hands of operators quickly.
Requirements
- US Citizens Only & Must have an Active Secret or higher clearance.
- 8 to 15 years in aircraft actuation systems design, with hands-on depth in electric actuation, including EMA or EHA, or centralized hydraulics and working knowledge of the other.
- B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- Proven track record sourcing COTS/custom aerospace components, driving suppliers to schedule, and assembling benchtop or vehicle-level test setups.
- Demonstrated ability to self-direct, prioritize technical tasks without oversight, and deliver functional hardware under tight timelines.
- Demonstrated depth in actuator sizing, power and thermal interfaces, FMEA, redundancy management, and mechanical mechanism integration.
- Demonstrated experience leading multi-disciplinary actuation design and integration efforts with electrical power, thermal management, structures, and adjacent mechanical systems stakeholders.
- Familiarity with MIL-HDBK-516 and MIL-STD-810 as applied to actuation and mechanical systems, and experience supporting SRR, PDR, and CDR on a DoD or fighter-class aircraft program.
Nice To Haves
- Prior fighter or fighter-adjacent program experience, manned or unmanned.
- Experience developing electric actuation architectures for aircraft control surfaces or other mechanisms.
- Weapons bay mechanism or store separation-adjacent mechanical systems experience.
Responsibilities
- Lead the architecture, requirements definition, and detailed design of actuation systems across bay doors and other airframe mechanisms.
- Own actuator selection and sizing, sequencing, redundancy management, failure mode analysis, and interfaces with the mechanisms they actuate.
- Drive integration of actuation systems with control surfaces, weapons bay doors, and other vehicle mechanisms, including timing, load, sealing, and structural interface requirements.
- Own actuator power architecture and load-analysis interfaces with EPS, and heat-generation and heat-rejection interfaces with thermal management.
- Define, allocate, and own verification traceability for actuation system requirements with FCAS, EPS, thermal management, structures, and propulsion IPTs.
- Perform focused technology assessments when needed to resolve specific actuation design and integration risks.
- Define and execute qualification test plans per MIL-STD-810, using results to mature the design into production-ready hardware and support MIL-HDBK-516 Airworthiness Certification.
- Lead design-maturity and qualification-status reviews at SRR, PDR, and CDR.
Benefits
- Bonus
- Benefits
- Equity
- Temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
