Senior Aerospace Engineer

Description

Are you an experienced aerospace engineer with extensive expertise in avionics and electronics development for advanced aerospace and defense systems?

Do you enjoy providing technical leadership, guiding complex development efforts, and working with government and industry partners to advance next-generation capabilities?

If so, we're looking for someone like you to join our team at APL.

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Aerospace Engineer to provide technical leadership and expertise in the development of avionics and electronics for advanced prototype reentry vehicles and related aerospace systems. In this role, you will help guide multiple hardware development efforts, evaluate emerging technologies, and provide technical insight to inform critical government sponsor decisions. You will work closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams, industry partners, and government organizations to advance future capabilities supporting our Nation's strategic deterrent.

As a senior member of our team, you will serve as a trusted technical advisor, helping shape development strategies, assess design approaches, identify technical risks, and guide complex engineering activities from early concepts through prototype demonstration. You will also play an important role in strengthening APL's technical relationships and engagement with government and industry partners in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area.

This position is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with regular engagement at Kirtland Air Force Base and other government and industry facilities in the region. The position will operate as part of a geographically distributed APL team, with occasional travel to APL's main campus in Laurel, Maryland, and other sponsor, contractor, or test facilities. Work may involve access to classified facilities and occasional support of laboratory, integration, or field test activities.

As a Senior Aerospace Engineer you wlll...

• Provide senior technical leadership and guidance for multiple avionics and electronics development efforts supporting prototype reentry vehicles and advanced aerospace systems.
• Serve as a technical advisor to government sponsors, helping evaluate development approaches, identify capability gaps, assess technical risks, and inform investment and acquisition decisions.
• Guide and assess the development of flight electronics, embedded systems, instrumentation, sensors, power systems, and related avionics technologies.
• Evaluate hardware architectures, subsystem designs, development plans, and test approaches to identify technical challenges and recommend solutions.
• Provide technical oversight of prototype development activities conducted by APL teams, industry partners, and other organizations, including design, fabrication, integration, and testing.
• Lead and contribute to technical trade studies, design reviews, risk assessments, and technology maturation planning.
• Collaborate with government sponsors, national laboratories, industry partners, and multidisciplinary engineering teams to develop innovative solutions to complex engineering challenges.
• Support the planning, execution, and evaluation of laboratory, environmental, ground, and flight testing to assess hardware performance and development readiness.
• Establish and maintain strong technical relationships with government and industry partners, particularly within the Albuquerque aerospace and defense community.
• Prepare and present technical findings, development recommendations, and strategic assessments to government sponsors, engineering leadership, and other stakeholders.
• Mentor developing engineers and serve as a technical resource across multiple projects and development teams.

Qualifications

You meet our minimum qualifications for the job if you...

• Have a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or another relevant technical discipline and at least 20 years of relevant engineering experience.
• Have extensive professional experience and demonstrated technical expertise in avionics and electronics development, including the ability to critically evaluate hardware architectures, subsystem designs, hardware/software interfaces, integration challenges, and development risks.
• Have demonstrated experience providing technical leadership or oversight for complex hardware development efforts, guiding multidisciplinary teams from early concept and requirements definition through prototype integration and testing.
• Have experience evaluating engineering designs, assessing development progress, identifying technical risks, and providing technically defensible recommendations to guide engineering decisions.
• Have demonstrated success working with government sponsors, industry partners, and other external organizations, including communicating complex technical findings and recommendations to technical leadership and stakeholders.
• Are comfortable working independently as part of a geographically distributed team, engaging directly with government sponsors, and mentoring developing engineers.
• Are willing and able to work at government facilities in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area and travel occasionally to APL and other partner locations.
• Hold an active Secret security clearance and be able to ultimately obtain a Top Secret clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

You'll go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you...

• Have an M.S. or Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or another relevant technical field.
• Have extensive experience developing avionics and electronics for reentry vehicles, ballistic missile systems, hypersonic vehicles, spacecraft, or other advanced aerospace platforms.
• Have specialized expertise in flight computers, embedded electronics, power distribution, inertial navigation systems, telemetry, instrumentation, or flight data acquisition, including development and qualification for demanding aerospace environments.
• Have served as a senior technical authority or advisor for major aerospace hardware development programs, including evaluating industry-developed hardware, participating in major design reviews, and guiding technical decisions.
• Have experience working with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (AFNWC), Department of Energy national laboratories, or other strategic weapon system organizations, with demonstrated ability to influence sponsor decisions related to technology development and future capabilities.
• Have established technical relationships within the Albuquerque aerospace and defense community.
• Hold an active Top Secret security clearance.

About Us

Why Work at APL?

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) brings world-class expertise to our nation’s most critical defense, security, space and science challenges. While we are dedicated to solving complex challenges and pioneering new technologies, what makes us truly outstanding is our culture. We offer a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere where you can bring your authentic self to work, continue to grow, and build strong connections with inspiring teammates.

At APL, we celebrate our differences of perspectives and encourage creativity and bold, new ideas. Our employees enjoy generous benefits, including a robust education assistance program, unparalleled retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance. APL’s campus is located in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. Learn more about our career opportunities at https://www.jhuapl.edu/careers.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, occupation, marital or familial status, political opinion, personal appearance, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. APL is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals of all abilities, including those with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in any part of the hiring process, please contact [email protected].

The referenced pay range is based on JHU APL’s good faith belief at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as geographic location, work experience, market conditions, education/training and skill level with consideration for internal parity. For salaried employees scheduled to work less than 40 hours per week, annual salary will be prorated based on the number of hours worked. APL may offer bonuses or other forms of compensation per internal policy and/or contractual designation. Additional compensation may be provided in the form of a sign-on bonus, relocation benefits, locality allowance or discretionary payments for exceptional performance. APL provides eligible staff with a comprehensive benefits package including retirement plans, paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, flexible spending accounts, education assistance, and training and development. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Minimum Rate

$105,000 Annually

Maximum Rate

$290,000 Annually