Associate Project / Systems Engineer

This role supports complex, cross-functional technical programs across the full hardware development lifecycle for UAS products, from early concept and architecture through validation, production ramp, and lifecycle sustainment. The Project Engineer under Technical Program Management oversight will assist in owning program execution across technical scope, schedule, resources, risks, dependencies, and cross-functional deliverables, ensuring engineering and operational teams remain aligned to program objectives.

The ideal candidate is interested in all facets of new product development and thrives in a highly dynamic hardware development environment and can help drive ambiguous, technically complex programs toward execution with guidance from Technical Program Management. This individual will partner closely with Engineering, Product, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, and Operations to establish priorities, resolve cross-functional issues, drive technical tradeoffs, and ensure delivery against committed cost, schedule, quality, and performance objectives.

This role also contributes to the evolution of the organization's program execution framework, helps monitor the effectiveness of program practices, and supports continuous improvement in hardware development and delivery processes.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Support new product programs across the full lifecycle (requirements, architecture, design, integration, verification, validation, production ramp, and release), with a focus on requirements traceability.
2. Work alongside the Product team to review PRDs (Product Requirements Documents), Development Build Plans and ensure alignment across technical and business teams to drive execution.
3. Assist in building detailed engineering program plans, including Gantt schedules, resource allocation, and risk mitigation strategies, using Agile methods (Scrum, Kanban) where appropriate.
4. Facilitate cross-functional peer reviews and support design reviews (PDR/CDR/MRR) to ensure timely execution across mechanical, electrical, firmware, software, and manufacturing teams.
5. Identify and manage interdependencies between engineering disciplines, supply chain, and external partners.
6. Track and report program status, tradeoffs, and decisions — escalating risks and unblocking teams as needed.
7. Help maintain program-level visibility across multiple concurrent workstreams, ensuring critical-path activities, dependencies, risks, and decisions are actively managed to deliver program commitments.
8. Facilitate technical trade studies and decision-making across disciplines when there is conflict between performance, cost, schedule, or requirements.
9. Drive DFMEA activities with engineers to ensure manufacturing feedback supports iterative product development.
10. Support adoption of the Product Development Process (PDP) and identify improvements to gated hardware development processes and delivery methodologies to help accomplish program goals.
11. Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications