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L3Harris Technologies

Global defense contractor delivering aerospace tech

Senior Systems Engineering Manager

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/12/2026
$153k - $284k
Expert
Bachelor's, Master's
San Diego, CA, USA
In Person
Engineering ManagementEngineering Leadership

About the job

Requirements
  • A Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, or a related technical field with at least 12 years of related experience; alternatively, a graduate degree with at least 10 years of related experience, or at least 16 years of related experience in lieu of a degree.
  • An active Secret Security Clearance.
Responsibilities
  • Lead, mentor, and develop a systems engineering team of 10 to 12 direct reports supporting multiple T&RF programs, independent research and development efforts, and capture and proposal activities.
  • Own system requirements decomposition, concept of operations, architecture definition, interface control, verification planning, and technical baseline management from capture through production and sustainment.
  • Drive adoption and practical use of model-based systems engineering and digital engineering methods, including SysML-based modeling, to improve requirements traceability, architecture communication, and verification readiness.
  • Partner with Program Management, Chief Engineers, Product Line Leaders, Software, Field-Programmable Gate Array, Electrical, Mechanical, Test, Manufacturing, Quality, and Supply Chain teams to achieve cost, schedule, and technical objectives.
  • Support customer engagements, technical interchange meetings, design reviews, and proposal activities for Department of Defense, intelligence community, civil, and commercial space opportunities.
  • Balance team staffing, priorities, budgets, and development plans across multiple efforts while maintaining execution against milestones and commitments.
  • Ensure systems engineering artifacts comply with contract requirements, internal processes, and applicable military, aerospace, communications security, and space standards.
  • Lead technical trade studies, risk and opportunity management, and issue resolution involving mission radio frequency links, secure communications, terminal architectures, payload performance, and command and control solutions.
  • Guide integration and test strategy, verification closure, and problem resolution across development laboratories, qualification activities, and fielded environments.
  • Build a culture of technical rigor, accountability, collaboration, and mission focus while representing systems engineering to senior leadership and customers.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience leading systems engineering activities for radio frequency communications, satellite communications, space payloads, terminals, or other complex aerospace and defense systems.
  • Working knowledge of the systems engineering lifecycle, including requirements management, architecture development, interface definition, integration and test, verification and validation, and technical reviews.
  • Demonstrated ability to incorporate model-based systems engineering into product development, program execution, or technology roadmaps.
  • Ability to communicate effectively with internal and external customers and to lead cross-functional technical teams through ambiguity and change.
  • An advanced degree in a related technical field or prior formal engineering management experience.
  • Experience with tracking, telemetry, and command systems, crosslinks, mission radio frequency data links, software-defined radio frequency payloads, satellite command and control, high power amplifiers, tactical satellite communications terminals, integrated broadcast service receivers, embedded information assurance and communications security, specialized waveforms, or mission-specific terminals.
  • Experience with model-based systems engineering tools such as Cameo, MagicDraw, Rhapsody, Capella, or similar, and requirements tools such as DOORS, Jama, or equivalent.
  • Familiarity with digital engineering, open systems approaches, interface standards, and model-driven verification planning.
  • Experience supporting staffing plans, basis of estimates, proposal volumes, and strategic growth activities.
  • Experience in highly regulated defense or aerospace environments with export-controlled or classified programs.

About the company

L3Harris Technologies provides aerospace, defense, and space systems for governments and commercial customers, including sensors, communications, propulsion, and space assets. Its products combine hardware and software into integrated systems used for missions, from tactical radios and night vision to satellite payloads and missile defense. The company blends two legacies—Harris and L3—plus an acquisition strategy to deliver quick, field-ready capabilities, with a focus on space, missiles, and resilient satellite communications. Its goal is to deliver mission-ready defense and intelligence technology at scale for national security and related customers.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Melbourne, Florida

Founded

1895

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • July 2026 backlog hit $42 billion after $7.3 billion orders and raised guidance.
  • June 2026 Camden groundbreaking expands PAC-3 capacity as missile inventories stay depleted.
  • August 2026 Intuitive Machines contract deepens L3Harris's SDA Tranche 3 missile-defense platform.

What critics are saying

  • Christopher Kubasik's August 2026 ouster exposed governance fragility and succession disruption.
  • Aerojet Rocketdyne integration and Camden expansions must execute flawlessly before 2030 demand spikes.
  • Lockheed and Pentagon pricing pressure can compress margins if delivery slips or defects emerge.

What makes L3Harris Technologies unique

  • PAC-3 and THAAD propulsion make L3Harris irreplaceable in U.S. missile defense.
  • Space & Mission Systems plus Missile Solutions give Sam Mehta 80% revenue control.
  • Roman telescope optics and NGI motors show unmatched breadth across space and interceptors.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Disability Insurance

401(k) Retirement Plan

401(k) Company Match

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Mental Health Support

Relocation Assistance

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

15%

1 year growth

15%

2 year growth

15%
Yahoo Finance
Sep 19th, 2026
L3Harris stock drops 35% despite breakthrough $22K anti-drone system beating $50K Shaheds

L3Harris stock has fallen 16% over the past month following the firing of CEO Christopher Kubasik over conduct issues, despite the company's progress in drone defence technology. The defence contractor's VAMPIRE launcher system, firing BAE Systems' APKWS rockets costing $22,000 each, has successfully shot down Russian Shahed drones worth $50,000, reversing the cost dynamics of drone warfare. The stock now trades below 16 times forward free cash flow, having underperformed defence peers by over 20 percentage points. Sam Mehta stepped in as CEO following Kubasik's departure. L3Harris also supplies solid rocket motors for advanced interceptor missiles including the Patriot system. The company's shares are down 35% from their all-time high set earlier this year.

Yahoo Finance
Sep 11th, 2026
L3Harris lands $4.7B Patriot missile deal to boost US interceptor production to 2,000 units by 2030

L3Harris Technologies has secured a seven-year, $4.7 billion contract with Lockheed Martin to manufacture Patriot missile defence components. The Melbourne, Florida-based defence contractor will produce advanced two-pulse solid rocket motor propulsion systems for the PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement interceptor, designed to neutralise aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic threats. This marks L3Harris's largest PAC-3 propulsion contract. The company operates a facility in Northampton, Massachusetts, through its KEO division, which produces naval technology including US periscope systems and radar systems for surface ships and submarines. To meet production demands, L3Harris broke ground on two new facilities in Camden, Arkansas, in June. The expansion supports the US Department of Defense's goal to increase annual interceptor production from approximately 600 units to 2,000 units by 2030.

Business Wire
Aug 30th, 2026
L3Harris tech powers NASA's Roman Space Telescope to map universe 1,000 times faster than Hubble

L3Harris Technologies has provided key components for NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which recently launched successfully. The company supplied the 2.4-metre Optical Telescope Assembly and radiation-hardened electronics for the observatory, which will operate approximately 1 million miles from Earth. The telescope is designed to survey the cosmos 1,000 times faster than the Hubble Space Telescope. Once operational, it will conduct three primary surveys, including scanning roughly 12% of the entire sky in under 18 months to measure the universe's expansion rate and study supernova explosions from up to 8 billion years ago. The project represents more than a decade of collaboration between L3Harris and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. L3Harris has previously contributed technology to missions including the James Webb Space Telescope and Mars rovers.

Yahoo Finance
Aug 22nd, 2026
L3Harris taps Intuitive Machines to build 18 spacecraft for $1.8B missile defence mission

L3Harris Technologies selected Intuitive Machines on 4 August to build 18 advanced spacecraft platforms for the Space Development Agency's Accelerated Missile Defense Tranche 3 mission. Intuitive Machines will manufacture and deliver the satellite platforms to host L3Harris' payload technology for national security space operations. L3Harris reported Q2 2026 revenue of $5.9 billion, an 8% year-over-year increase, with net income of $600 million. The company raised its full-year 2026 revenue guidance to $23.2 billion–$23.7 billion, backed by a $42.0 billion backlog. Intuitive Machines reported Q2 2026 revenue of $206 million, more than four times its prior-year level. However, the company posted an operating loss of $47 million and burned $84 million in cash during the quarter, leaving $367 million in cash. Its backlog expanded to a record $1.8 billion.

Yahoo Finance
Aug 18th, 2026
L3 Harris CEO ousted amid misconduct allegations, echoing 2012 Lockheed Martin exit

Christopher Kubasik has been ousted as CEO of L3 Harris following allegations of misconduct. According to Semafor, citing sources familiar with the matter, an investigation found he was engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. This marks the second time Kubasik has been forced out of a leadership position under similar circumstances. In 2012, he was set to become CEO of Lockheed Martin but resigned after an ethics investigation confirmed he had a close personal relationship with a subordinate employee. L3 Harris, headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, announced Kubasik's departure on 17 August. The company said the misconduct was unrelated to financial reporting, controls, customer relationships or operational performance. Kubasik will retain some vested stock options but won't receive severance payments.