Principal Chief Engineer & System Architect

Own the capability for integrated architecture, cross-disciplinary technical decisions, design maturity, and product-level technical risk for a single platform. Partner with functional engineering leaders rather than replacing their subsystem ownership., Chief Engineer Leadership:

• Define delegated technical decision rights, architecture ownership, design maturity expectations, and escalation thresholds.
• Review and challenge product technical risk assessments, readiness recommendations, and architectural decisions; resolve cross-product conflicts.

Systems Architecture and Technical Integration:

• Guide system decomposition, hardware/software/autonomy partitioning, interfaces, performance budgets, trade studies, and architecture baselines.
• Drive modular, reusable platform architectures while allowing product-specific tradeoffs.
• Work with Hardware, Software, and Aero and Autonomy leaders to resolve integration issues and maintain discipline-level design ownership.

Technical Maturity and Portfolio Leadership:

• Establish lightweight, evidence-based design reviews (e.g., PDR/CDR where appropriate), technical baselines, and risk registers.
• Lead cross-product technical health reviews and provide concise readiness/risk recommendations to the VP of Engineering.
• Partner with Product Management on technical realization of customer needs and Program Management on schedule/technical tradeoffs.

AI-native engineering and builder mindset

• Personally use approved AI tools to accelerate architecture exploration, trade-study preparation, interface analysis, technical research, design-review preparation, and engineering knowledge retrieval. Know when to question and validate AI-driven results.
• Build and deploy practical AI-enabled workflows and lightweight internal tools that help product teams work faster, improve traceability, surface technical risk, and reduce administrative burden., * 90 days: named technical authority for every active product; initial Chief Engineer operating cadence and readiness criteria.
• 6 months: Chief Engineers independently drive architecture and product technical risk with fewer routine escalations to SVP.
• 12 months: measurable reduction in recurring design/integration issues and stronger reuse of platform architectures.

System Architecture, Systems Engineering, Risk, Technical/Engineering Design, Product Design, Architectural Services, Risk Analysis, Product Reviews, System Architecture, Trade Studies, * 10+ years building complex integrated hardware/software systems, including substantial system architecture ownership.

• Experience acting as a product Chief Engineer, lead Systems Architect, or equivalent final integrated technical authority.
• Demonstrated experience mentoring or managing senior technical leaders and influencing multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Hands-on expertise in architectural trade studies, interface design, system integration, risk management, and technical readiness.
• Ability to make evidence-based decisions amid uncertainty and balance speed, reliability, cost, and manufacturability., * UAS, autonomy, aerospace/defense, robotics, or expeditionary manufacturing experience.
• Experience across multiple products or common-platform architectures.
• Familiarity with MBSE/SysML and requirements/verification traceability as enabling tools, not ends in themselves.
• Experience moving prototypes into manufacturing and field operations.

• This role requires an on-site presence
• We welcome candidates who are local or open to relocating; relocation assistance is available and may be included in the offer package where appropriate.

Compensation US Salary Range: $212,000 - $247,000 USD The posted salary range reflects an estimate based on a variety of compensation factors, including but not limited to relevant experience, education, certifications, specialized skills, geographic location, and business needs. Actual compensation may vary, and this range is subject to change as our compensation structure or market conditions evolve. Benefits & Perks Our culture fosters collaboration, respect, and trust, empowering passionate people to do their best work. We offer a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for career growth. In addition to an opportunity to take part in an innovative, collaborative and fast-growing business with a highly motivated and skilled team, we also take pride in taking care of our employees. Here are just a few ways that we show our appreciation:

• We offer comprehensive medical, dental, and visions plans
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan to invest in your long-term retirement goals
• Equity grants for new hires
• Unlimited PTO
• Extremely generous company holiday calendar, including a holiday hiatus in November, & December
• Generous Parental Leave
• Lifestyle Spending Account
• FSA
• DCFSA
• HSA
• Hospital Indemnity insurance
• Critical Illness insurance
• Accident insurance
• Basic Life/AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance, 100% covered by Firestorm. Plus, the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your family
• Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy and more. Additional work-life services, such as free legal and financial support, are available to you as well