Flight Vehicles Systems Engineer

Leidos Holding$107K — $195K *
Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Systems Engineering or related field from an ABET-accredited university
  • 7+ years of experience with a Bachelor’s or 5+ years with a Master’s
  • Strong technical background in defense systems or subsystems
  • Knowledge of Systems Engineering-based requirements development and test planning
  • Experience with software/hardware architecture and design
  • Hands-on experience in developing and executing test processes for flight systems
  • Ability to collaborate within multi-disciplinary teams and lead engineers.

Responsibilities

  • Develop tailored Systems Engineering artifacts based on customer needs for DoD product development programs
  • Interface with program management and design engineers throughout the design life cycle
  • Create Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) models for flight systems
  • Engage in flight system design activities, including avionics software and hardware design
  • Lead team efforts in requirements development, system architecture design, and testing execution.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive healthcare and wellness programs
  • Retirement savings plans
  • Flexible work schedules and a supportive work environment
  • Opportunity to work on groundbreaking aerospace and defense projects
  • Professional development and training opportunities.
Full Job Description

The Small Airborne Effectors Division at Leidos, is seeking a talentedAvionics Systems Engineerto join a diverse team to create unique solutions for complex problems. With offices across the United States engaging in the defense, space, cyber and commercial fields, Leidos provides responsive, cost-effective engineering, scientific and IT solutions.

The focus of the Small Airborne Effectors Division is to apply core disciplines of modeling and simulation, aerodynamics design, guidance and control, software, integrated vehicle design and system integration in an agile approach based on tightly coupled engineering staff to meet and exceed our customers9 shared vision for affordable, effective and novel integrated flight systems while building effective, motivated teams of engineering and support staff.

TheAvionicsSystems Engineerwill support multiple programs at once in a variety of engineering fields with all different team environments. The Mission and Aviation Solutions Division has a diverse portfolio of projects and programs which specialize in strike systems, unmanned aerial vehicles and modeling & simulation of internally-developed, domestic, and foreign flight vehicles. The successful candidate will serve multiple key functions in leading the design evolutions of flight vehicles, to include Systems Engineering and Test and Avionics Software and Hardware Design.

The selected candidate will interface directly with program management, military and other government personnel, and a team of multi-discipline design and development engineers, both internal and external, to support the group9 agile, rapid, flexible, and tailored development process. A firm understanding of flight system architectures, system interfaces, performance requirements verification and validation techniques is essential for the role.

If this sounds like the kind of environment where you can thrive, keep reading!

Primary Responsibilities.

  • Develop tailored Systems Engineering artifacts derived from customer needs for product development programs associated with the DoD.

  • Interface with program management and design engineers to support a program9s systems engineering needs throughout its design life cycle, including modeling system behavior, defining the system architecture, dictating system interfaces, performing requirements verification, helping develop and execute test programs. Due to the nature of the programs that the Missile and Aviation Solutions Division supports, the willingness to tailor each program9s Systems Engineering approach is absolutely critical to the successful execution of this role.

  • Develop a Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) model of some programs9 flight systems. The Avionics Systems Engineer must possess a functional knowledge of interacting with MBSE models in order to support MBSE activities. Other programs may require a less formal Systems Engineering approach to facilitate their rapid, agile development efforts.

  • The successful candidate must also be able to perform other flight system design activities outside of Systems Engineering. Avionics Software and Hardware design will fall under the realm of the Avionics Systems Engineer, so a technical background in a related area (e.g., aerospace, mechanical, electrical, or software engineering) that can be utilized in flight system design and development is a must.

  • Specific duties may encompass team leadership, requirements development & derivation, system and subsystem architecture design, interface development & documentation, test planning, traceability, and test execution, including ground, hardware-in-the-loop, and flight testing. Oversight of mechanical & electronics design for flight vehicle avionics subsystems, as well as software design leadership, are included as well.

Basic Qualifications.

  • A Bachelor9s degree in Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent degree from an ABET-accredited university with 7+ years of experience or an MS with 5+ years.

  • Ability to accept potentially disparate, stated or implied, high-level objectives from multiple stakeholders and work collaboratively to translate into a vision for the design evolution of system

  • Strong technical background in defense systems (or subsystems)

  • Familiarity with Systems Engineering-based requirements development, derivation, and test planning, preferably for flight systems

  • Experience with software and/or hardware architecture and interface design

  • The ideal candidate will have hands-on work in developing, documenting, and executing test processes and procedures for flight systems.

  • Good organizational skills and attention to detail to document work and interface with team members to ensure flow of information.

  • Position requires candidates to be capable of performing in a collaborative engineering environment working closely with multi-disciplinary teams.

  • Demonstrated experience effectively leading a team of engineers.

  • Ability to work collaboratively with customers, subcontractors, and partner organizations to build consensus around high-level design decisions.

  • Resident of the North Alabama area or willing to relocate to the Huntsville - North Alabama, AL area.

  • DOW Secret clearance required.

Preferred Qualifications.

  • Model Based System Engineering (MBSE) modeling tools

  • Requirements database tools

  • Flight systems & understanding of flight principles

  • Establishing design artifacts, supporting or leading design reviews, assisting with Technical Data Packages (TDP) and supporting production and test of flight systems

  • Testing of flight system components, subsystems, systems and related test equipment, including sensor instrumentation and datalinks

  • Hardware-in-the-loop integration, testing and test planning in a real-time environment

  • Familiarity with software development, integration, and test and as well as requirements development and verification (modeling and simulation background a plus).

  • Candidates with 7-10 years of experience are preferred

If you9re looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo 9 because the mission demands it. We9re not hiring followers. We9re recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We9re already at step 30 9 and moving faster than anyone else dares.



Original Posting:
July 17, 2026

For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range:
Pay Range $107,900.00 - $195,050.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline onlyand not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

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