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Senior Project Engineer Tactical Data Links

Poway, California

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Overview

General Atomics pioneers technologies with the potential to change the world. Behind a talented global team of engineers, GA delivers safe, sustainable, and economical solutions to meet growing global demands. Our Engineers have an opportunity to work on first of a kind product lines within an incredible, dynamic environment.

Engineering positions typically require a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or PhD in engineering or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution and progressive engineering experience. Candidates from mechanical, electrical, and aerospace engineering backgrounds must know the fundamentals of engineering system developments, requirements, testing, and integration before getting to the final stages of customer interface and project management.

  • Schedule: Full-Time Salary

  • Job Level: Senior (8+ years)

  • Travel: 0 - 25

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Success Profile

What makes a successful Senior Project Engineer Tactical Data Links at General Atomics? Check out the top traits we’re looking for and see if you have the right mix.

  • Analytical
  • Collaborative
  • Inventive
  • Problem Solver
  • Team Player
  • Creative

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Job ID 46384BR Company General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Experience Level Senior (8+ years) Job Title Senior Project Engineer Tactical Data Links City Poway State California Workstyle Hybrid Full-Time/Part-Time Full-Time Salary Salary Range $128,130 - $229,358

Job Summary General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), is a world leader in Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAV), autonomy, AI-solutions, defense technologies, and advanced sensing capabilities. With more than eight million flight hours, GA-ASI is committed to rapidly delivering disruptive and advanced autonomous aircraft, end-to-end mission solutions, and cutting-edge technologies at scale to ensure the nation maintains strategic advantages through ISR and Air Dominance in contested environments.

The Agile Mission Systems (AMS) at GA-ASI in San Diego, CA is a growing center of excellence seeking high-performing technical contributors, unique talent, and future leaders in the Project Engineering (PE) role. Through the PE role, this candidate will be responsible for leading Tactical Data Link (TDL) solutions providing end-to-end missionization and autonomous mission suite capable of connecting critical Line-of-Sight (LOS) and Beyond-Line-of-Sight (BLOS) communication networks. Additionally, this candidate will lead strategic objectives, stitch together systems-of-systems, influence multi-level business strategies, close complex kill chains, resolve critical mission gaps, and drive missionized architectures to achieve disruptive tactical advantages and effects on adversarial competition. This candidate’s contributions will span across multiple UAS platforms to include; Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), Longshot, a variety of Small UAS, Expendable UAS, NexGen ISR, and Legacy Platform variants such as MQ-1 & MQ-9A/B.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
  • Project Engineering: lead multi-disciplinary teams, innovate, design, integrate, test, qualify, and rapidly field advanced technologies and mission systems onto autonomous UCAV.
  • Data Link Expertise: Represent the tactical data links, communication, and networking sub-systems architecture and optimization across the platform sub-systems; Link 16, TTNT, UHF, VHF, IFF-T/I, SATCOM, Starshield, LPI/LPD waveforms, Encrypted Comms, and Next-Generation data link communication networks.
  • Fighter Expertise: leverages fighter-to-fighter tactical data link expertise to design and architect UCAV air dominance network topologies, network management, and digital data Interoperability.
  • Mission Architect: Lead design, drive selection of hardware & software, integrate and test communications networks across a variety of platforms and systems with a focus on battlespace awareness, C2, and digital data Interoperability. Support mission architecture implementations and designs, focused on driving interoperability through Open Architectures (e.g. AMS GRA), and Autonomy & AI.
  • Develop Artifacts: create specifications block diagrams, system interconnect diagrams, and define wire interfaces and ICDs for UCAV data link communication systems.
  • Test & Evaluate: Configure, integrate, simulate, test, and evaluate tactical data link networks and topologies.
  • Team Leadership: Lead Functional Engineering teams, ensuring alignment with business and strategic objectives, and allocating technical resources to achieve stated and program objectives.
  • Collaboration: Foster a collaborative environment and build consensus for technical solutions between GA functional engineering departments, program management, external GA P&Ls, and customer stakeholders.
  • Program Execution: Lead diverse multi-functional engineering teams to meet critical program milestones and successfully execute programs within defined cost and schedule parameters. Establish and maintain consistent team expectations, ensure resources and skillsets are available to support technical work products.
  • Customer Engagement: Represent programs as the engineering lead, ensuring consistent and appropriate messaging to external customer stakeholders, PoR representatives across the DoD, industry partners, subcontractors, and senior internal/executive stakeholders.
  • Proposals: Support engineering estimates and proposals in response to customer and leadership directives.
  • Technical Reviews: Perform system analysis, conduct trade studies, author technical white papers, and generate customer technical data packages. Complete, document, and present System Requirements Reviews (SRR), Preliminary Design Reviews (PDR), and Critical Design Reviews (CDR).
We recognize and appreciate the value and contributions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences and welcome all qualified individuals to apply.

Job Qualifications:
  • Typically requires a bachelors degree, masters degree or PhD in engineering or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution and progressive engineering experience as follows; fifteen or more years of experience with a bachelors degree, thirteen or more years of experience with a masters degree, or ten or more years with a PhD. May substitute equivalent engineering experience in lieu of education.
  • Proven ability to understand new concepts quickly and apply them in a dynamic work environment.
  • Demonstrates technical expertise in the application of engineering principles, concepts, theory, and practice as well as project management and leadership skills including organizing, planning, scheduling, and coordinating workloads to meet established deadlines or milestones.
  • Experience in developing and integrating hardware and software with various engineering disciplines, including Mechanical, Electrical, RF, Cyber, Autonomy, AI/ML, and Software.
  • Direct Technical expertise and experience with more than one of the following; Link 16, TTNT, UHF, VHF, IFF-T/I, SATCOM, Starshield, LPI/LPD waveforms, Encrypted Comms, and Next-Generation data link communication networks.
  • Experience in one or more of the following technologies: Multi-Mode Radars, EO/IR systems, Advanced IRST, Electronic Warfare systems, Multi-INT systems, Countermeasures, Communications, Tactical Datalinks, Automation, Autonomy & Artificial Intelligence (A3I), HMI/UI, Cybersecurity, Software Architectures, Open Architectures and Standards (AMS GRA, OMS, FACE, STANAG), Networking, Modeling & Simulation.
  • Product Management, Proposal Development, Basis of Estimation, Earned Value Management Systems (EVMS); Commercial and/or DoD Product development experience.
  • Skills:
    • Ability to resolve complex technical problems.
    • Strong leadership and team management skills.
    • Effective communication skills with the ability to build enterprise relationships and manage customer expectations.
    • Must be customer-focused, able to work independently and in a team environment.
    • Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Security Clearance desired (up to a TS/SCI).

Salary:$128,130 - $229,358
Travel Percentage Required 0 - 25 Relocation Assistance Provided Not Provided US Citizenship Required? Yes Clearance Required? Desired Clearance Level Secret
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Benefits

  • Healthcare

  • Pension, 401(k)/Retirement Plans

  • Competitive Pay

  • Multiple product lines means a variety of work

  • Paid Time Off

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Image of Peter, Senior Staff Engineer
“The company is growing, has a very good reputation and had open positions in my area of expertise (aircraft design/design methodology development).”
– Peter, Senior Staff Engineer
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“We don't ascribe to quotas; we do ascribe to securing the BEST talent to enrich our culture toward healthy diversification and active/viable community service. We are STEM advocates.”
– Debra, CSSBB: Staff Engineer
Image of Scott, Laser Scientist
“Every day is different, with different problems to solve and many programs to support. I am a problem solver and have always been motivated by the tough questions.”
– Scott, Laser Scientist
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“I work in the Components Engineering and Obsolescence Management Dept. Our efforts are saving General Atomics several millions of dollars by proactively leading and informing the company of all these decisions which significantly impact production, sustainment and new designs.”
– John, Staff Engineer

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