Sr. Manager, Systems Engineering

AeroVironment•Simi Valley, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Manager, Systems Engineering is a technical and people leader responsible for driving systems engineering execution across the full product lifecycle for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and related aerospace/defense platforms. This role owns Systems Engineering and Integration & Test (I&T) execution and is accountable for requirements management, architecture and interface definition, technical planning, system integration, verification and validation, and customer-facing technical engagement. The position also supports airworthiness, system safety, and reliability objectives to ensure the product is technically sound, testable, and ready for fielding and production. This leader is responsible for building and leading a high-performing functional organization with the technical depth and execution discipline to support development, qualification, production, and sustainment in a competitive environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Systems, Electrical, Computer, Aerospace, Mechanical, or related field) or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience
10+ years of progressive systems engineering experience, with at least 5 years of leadership or management experience
Experience leading systems engineering activities across the product lifecycle, including requirements management, decomposition, traceability, integration, and V&V
Experience owning or leading Integration & Test execution for complex aerospace, defense, embedded, or mission-critical systems
Strong customer-facing skills, including the ability to lead technical discussions, present clearly to customers and leadership, and resolve issues across organizational boundaries
Experience developing systems test plans, procedures, reports, and objective evidence packages
Experience supporting system safety and field test safety activities
Experience providing clear technical status, risk, and progress reporting to internal and external stakeholders
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including concise technical documentation and professional presentations
Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive execution to program deadlines

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field
Aerospace, defense, or UAS systems engineering experience strongly preferred
Experience with EVMS or similar program execution frameworks, including technical status integration with cost and schedule performance
Experience with Agile, SafeAgile or similar program execution frameworks, including technical status integration with cost and schedule performance
Background in embedded systems development, integration, or test
Experience with flight dynamics, flight sciences, flight controls integration, instrumented flight test vectors, or simulation/model development and analysis
Experience supporting airworthiness, certification-related activities, or other regulated flight approval processes
Experience supporting reliability activities such as FRACAS, root cause investigation, corrective action tracking, or reliability growth efforts
Experience taking products from development or prototype phase into production
Familiarity with mission systems, payload systems, imaging/sensing systems, or related aerospace subsystems
Ability to assess technical risk and opportunity, establish mitigation strategies, and drive closure across functional teams
Demonstrated ability to build trust, influence decisions, and lead through change in a fast-paced environment

Responsibilities

Lead and manage a team of systems engineering and integration/test professionals, including staffing, workload planning, performance management, mentoring, and career development
Own systems engineering execution from requirements development and decomposition through system integration, verification, validation, and transition to production
Own I&T planning and execution, including integration readiness, test planning, procedure development, test conduct, data review, issue resolution, and reporting
Manage requirements traceability, allocation, verification planning, and technical baseline evolution throughout the system development lifecycle
Lead development of system-level artifacts such as requirements, interface definitions, technical plans, test plans, procedures, reports, and customer-facing technical presentations
Coordinate across software, hardware, manufacturing, quality, reliability, safety, flight test, and program management teams to achieve cost, schedule, and technical objectives
Support airworthiness, system safety, and reliability activities, including field test safety, hazard-related technical coordination, and reliability growth / issue closure as applicable
Provide clear and timely status of technical progress, risks, issues, and mitigation plans to internal leadership and external customers
Serve as a primary customer-facing technical representative for systems engineering matters, including reviews, status discussions, technical issue resolution, and execution alignment
Support development planning and execution in coordination with program management, including schedule, resource, and technical performance considerations
Ensure adherence to company processes, engineering discipline, and operational policies while driving practical, executable solutions
Other duties as assigned