Principal Avionics Systems Engineer

Posted 2 days ago

executive recruiting groupSan Luis Obispo (CA)

Aerospace Engineers Aircraft Manufacturing

SENIORITY

Lead

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About the role

We are seeking a Principal Avionics Systems Engineer will serve as a technical leader responsible for defining and delivering the aircraft avionics architecture. The scope includes flight-deck systems, displays, communication, navigation, surveillance, sensors, aircraft data networks, recording systems, and integration with the Automatic Flight Control Systems, Flight Management System, Vehicle Management System, Fly-by-Wire system, hybrid-electric propulsion system, electrical power system and other aircraft subsystems.

Duties: Lead the development and maturation of the Avionics architecture, functional decomposition, requirements allocation, and design-baseline development for our prototype and certification aircraft programs. Establish and maintain avionics system requirements, architecture and design descriptions, Interface Control Documents, performance requirements and bidirectional traceability. Coordinate across VMS/FBW, Electrical, Propulsion, Safety, EWIS, Flight Test, suppliers, and certification stakeholders; close interface gaps early. Address hybrid-electric aircraft considerations, including power availability, load shedding, propulsion and energy-status data, degraded operating modes, EMI/EMC and thermal constraints. Serve as the technical authority for avionics supplier selection, requirements flow-down, design reviews, deliverables, compliance, and issue closure. Evaluate supplier architectures and equipment for functional performance, interfaces, safety, environmental qualification, maintainability, and integration readiness. Manage technical risks, dependencies, actions, configuration changes, and supplier accountability against program milestones. Lead avionics integration and verification across simulation, SIL/HIL, lab, aircraft ground test, and flight test environments. Define verification methods, procedures, pass/fail criteria, coverage, and data-review expectations for system and interface requirements. Support FHA, PSSA, SSA, compliance plans/reports, certification evidence, SOI readiness, and SRR/IDR/PDR/CDR review packages.

Requirements: Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Electrical, Electronics, Computer, Software or Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline. Master's Degree in a technical and/or management discipline preferred.10+ years of aerospace avionics and aircraft systems development experience, including safety-critical integrated avionics. Demonstrated experience progressing an avionics system from concept and architecture through requirements development, supplier design, integration, ground and flight test, and certification readiness. Demonstrated experience serving as an Avionics architect, Principal Engineer, technical lead. Experience leading cross-functional engineering teams and technically managing avionics suppliers.

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