Title: Systems Engineer
Company: Heven AeroTech
Location: Bingen, Washington
FLSA: Exempt

Role Summary:
The Systems Engineer will support the analysis, requirements definition, and design verification of our unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) platforms. This role applies core systems engineering processes - system architecture, modeling and trade studies, requirements development, and verification and validation - to help mature Heven West's UAS products from concept through fielded operation.

The Systems Engineer will work cross-functionally with Product, Business Development, and engineering discipline leads (mechanical, electrical, software, propulsion, avionics) to translate system-level needs into well-defined, testable requirements and verified designs. This is a hands-on, individual-contributor role suited to an engineer with 4-10 years of aerospace or UAS experience who is comfortable operating in a fast-moving, developing systems engineering environment and helping stand up the processes and tools the function will rely on as the product line matures.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Define system-level use cases, requirements, interfaces, and architecture for Heven UAS products, systems, and subsystems, including Concepts of Operations (CONOPs), Interface Control Documents (ICDs), interconnect diagrams, and block diagrams.
• Perform system modeling and simulation to evaluate performance and design trade-offs, using tools such as Autopilot logs, MATLAB, and other data analysis methods.
• Conduct design studies, trade studies (e.g., JETX trade studies), market surveys, and competitive analysis in support of product development, contract proposals, and business strategy.
• Author and execute Design of Experiments; lead data collection and analysis; and support Root Cause and Corrective Action (RCCA) investigations for air vehicle and flight test findings.
• Design with reliability, manufacturability, modularity, adaptability, and reduced logistics burden as core system-level objectives.
• Collect, organize, and interpret available end-user and operational data to inform design decisions and product roadmap discussions as this data becomes accessible.
• Lead scoped system integration efforts - for example, motors, propellers, servos, and related subsystems - collaborating across engineering disciplines to ensure subsystem readiness and alignment with platform requirements.
• Support integration of avionics, payloads, propulsion, communications, and ground control systems as platform maturity and program needs evolve.
• Develop, perform, and document system verification and validation activities, including flight test planning and reporting, to confirm designs meet operational and functional requirements.
• Partner with Business Development and Product teams to understand customer and operational needs, and translate them into system-level performance, functional, and regulatory requirements.
• Coordinate with engineering functions to interpret user-experience and mission needs and define traceable, testable lower-level requirements, including top-down and bottom-up traceability.
• Contribute to establishing and maintaining requirements management tools and processes for Heven West as the function's supporting infrastructure is put in place.
• Support project planning and milestone execution, including coordination on program schedules and task tracking (e.g., Jira).
• Contribute and lead trade studies and architecture decisions that optimize system performance and reliability, participating in structured design reviews as program processes are formalized.
• Mentor peers and junior engineers on systems engineering best practices and tools.
• Participate in technical reviews (e.g., SRR, PDR, CDR) and serve as a technical point of contact for internal stakeholders and, as applicable, customers and partners.
• Support Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), hazard analysis, and risk assessments at the system and, where scoped, component level to identify cross-disciplinary failure effects.
• Contribute to ensuring product designs align with relevant airworthiness, cybersecurity, and regulatory standards (e.g., MOSA, applicable MIL-STDs, and other airworthiness/certification frameworks) as they apply to the program.
• Professional working proficiency in English (spoken and written) is required to perform the responsibilities of this role.
• This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship, now or in the future.
• If this role requires access to information controlled under U.S. export control laws (ITAR/EAR), applicants must also qualify as a "U.S. person" under 22 CFR a7120.62 (U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual such as an asylee or refugee).

Qualifications & Experience:

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 4-10 years of systems engineering experience, ideally within UAS, aerospace, or defense programs.
• Demonstrated experience defining system architecture, interfaces, and requirements (e.g., CONOPs, ICDs, block diagrams).
• Working knowledge of system modeling, trade study methodology, and engineering data analysis (e.g., MATLAB or similar tools).
• Experience developing and executing verification and validation plans, including test planning, execution, and reporting.
• Familiarity with FMEA, hazard analysis, or system-level risk assessment methods.
• Strong cross-functional communication skills and the ability to work effectively with mechanical, electrical, software, and program teams.
• Comfort operating with evolving processes and ambiguity typical of a maturing product line.
• Professional working proficiency in English (spoken and written) is required to perform the responsibilities of this role.
• This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship, now or in the future.
• If this role requires access to information controlled under U.S. export control laws (ITAR/EAR), applicants must also qualify as a "U.S. person" under 22 CFR a7120.62 (U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual such as an asylee or refugee).

Preferred:

• Experience with flight test planning and execution on fixed-wing, rotary-wing, or multirotor UAS platforms.
• Exposure to requirements management tools (e.g., DOORS, Jama, or similar).
• Familiarity with airworthiness, cybersecurity, or open-systems standards relevant to UAS (e.g., MOSA, MIL-STD-882, MIL-STD-3072).
• Experience supporting or leading technical reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR).
• Prior experience mentoring junior engineers or supporting systems engineering process development within a growing organization.

Physical Requirements:

• Regularly required to sit, stand, walk, bend, stoop, kneel, crouch, and reach while working in office, laboratory, production, and UAS test environments.
• Frequently uses hands and fingers to operate computers, test equipment, instrumentation, tools, and UAS hardware with precision.
• Must be able to work for extended periods at a computer performing systems engineering analysis, requirements development, modeling, data analysis, documentation, and technical reviews.
• Must have sufficient vision to read engineering drawings, schematics, technical documentation, computer displays, instrumentation, and test data.
• Must have sufficient hearing to communicate effectively in an active laboratory, production, and flight-test environment and to recognize audible alarms, warnings, and equipment cues.
• May be required to lift, carry, push, or pull up to 50 lbs occasionally and 25 lbs regularly, with assistance or lifting equipment available for heavier loads.
• Must be able to work safely around operating UAS, propulsion systems, batteries, electronics, test equipment, and other laboratory and flight-test hardware while following applicable PPE and safety requirements.
• May be required to work outdoors and in varying environmental conditions during UAS testing, integration, field demonstrations, and flight-test activities.
• Must be able to travel periodically to customer, test, demonstration, and field locations to support system integration, testing, and technical activities.

Benefits Overview:
Heven AeroTech offers a competitive benefits package designed to support the health, financial security, and overall well-being of our employees and their families. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage, retirement plans, paid time off/sick, and additional protections such as critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident coverage, and short- and long-term disability.

Salary Range:

$100,000-$150,000 USD