Boeing · 14 hours ago
Principal Aerospace Systems Architect/Engineer (Directed Energy)
USA - Albuquerque, NM
Full-time
Onsite
Lead/Staff
$165K/yr - $223K/yr
10+ years expThe Boeing Company is seeking a Principal Aerospace Systems Architect/Engineer with expertise in directed energy weapon systems to provide technical leadership and strategic direction. This role will involve system architecture and engineering execution from concept maturation through fielding, as well as mentoring engineering teams to deliver effective DE capabilities for the warfighter.
AerospaceIndustrial
No H1B
Security Clearance RequiredU.S. Citizen Only
Responsibilities
Provide technical leadership and vision for directed energy system architectures, advancing technology roadmaps to meet near-term and future warfighter needs
Act as the primary technical interface with senior customer stakeholders, program leadership, and external partners to translate operational needs and doctrine into capability-level requirements and measurable success criteria
Lead development of high-level concepts of operation, mission use cases, and architecture trade studies that balance lethality, throughput, range, power/energy budgets, survivability, and cost
Drive functional decomposition and requirements derivation for complex DE systems and subsystems (laser source, power electronics, energy storage, beam director, beam control, sensors, thermal management, safety systems), ensuring traceable, verifiable requirements
Leverage extensive, demonstrable experience leading directed energy weapon system development (solid-state, fiber, slab, or other high-energy laser technologies) through PDR/CDR to successful integration, test, and fielding
Apply deep knowledge of beam control, optical propagation physics, atmospheric effects modeling, power/thermal subsystem scaling, and laser safety/regulatory regimes
Champion MBSE adoption and governance across program portfolios: establish modeling standards, manage MBSE configuration and workflows, and integrate engineering toolchains to support program scalability and decision-making
Lead cross-functional technical teams to produce physical decompositions and detailed design solutions; resolve architecture-level hardware/software partitioning, define interfaces, and allocate performance requirements
Own verification and validation strategy across programs: define verification logic, acceptance criteria, test architectures, and demonstration plans for optical performance, energy-on-target, tracking/pointing accuracy, reliability, and safety
Lead and prioritize modeling & simulation and algorithm development activities (beam propagation, atmospheric effects, target interaction, opto-electrical behavior) to inform design trades and operational employment decisions
Ensure incorporation of safety, product assurance, regulatory, and certification considerations into architecture and program plans—particularly laser safety standards, range operations, and environmental/EMC requirements
Direct risk management, technical maturation plans, and mitigation strategies for key DE uncertainties (atmospheric propagation, scaling of power/thermal, beam control latency, countermeasures)
Prepare technical content for SRR/SDR/PDR/CDR and other milestones; respond to review findings, drive corrective actions, and maintain configuration and documentation to support audits and program reviews
Drive cost-, schedule-, and resource-informed engineering decisions; support technical input to program cost estimates, trade studies, and roadmap prioritization
Mentor and develop engineering leads and cross-disciplinary teams; set technical standards, review critical designs, and cultivate a culture of rigorous analysis and engineering best practices
Represent the program and company at technical forums, customer briefings, industry consortia, and advanced technology strategy discussions
Support deployment and sustainment strategies, including integration with host platforms (airborne, shipboard, ground), logistics tail planning, and field validation under operationally relevant conditions
Qualification
Required
Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering, Engineering Technology (including Manufacturing Technology), Computer Science, Data Science, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry or non-US equivalent qualifications directly related to the work statement
10+ years of experience in systems engineering
This position requires an active U.S. Top Secret Security Clearance (U.S. Citizenship Required). (A U.S. Security Clearance that has been active in the past 24 months is considered active)
Employer will not sponsor applicants for employment visa status
Preferred
Experience leading large, multi-disciplinary engineering efforts, influence program strategy, and interact effectively with senior government stakeholders and prime contractor leadership
Experience overseeing and validating electronic/electrical system requirements and subsystem designs, including PWB layouts, power distribution architectures, thermal management strategies, EMI/EMC mitigation, and grounding for high-power DE environments
Experience integrating cybersecurity and product security concerns at the architecture level: assessing vulnerabilities, defining protections, and coordinating with security and product assurance teams
Experience directing assembly, integration, and test planning and execution at system and subsystem levels; ensure AIT approaches de-risk fielding and produce defensible test evidence for program milestones and contractual reviews
Benefits
Health insurance
Flexible spending accounts
Health savings accounts
Retirement savings plans
Life and disability insurance programs
Several programs that provide for both paid and unpaid time away from work
Company
Boeing
Boeing offers commercial, defense airplanes, space, security systems, and global services.
10001+ employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
CJ Nothum
CEO & Executive Communications, Senior Manager
Colton Engelke
CEO and Executive Communications
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