About the role

The Technical Manager provides leadership for the development and integration of complex defense and aerospace systems across the full lifecycle. They are responsible for managing teams of systems engineers while ensuring alignment with customer requirements, mission assurance, and organizational objectives.

What they look for

Systems engineering Technical leadership Program lifecycle management Requirements analysis System architecture Integration and verification Risk management Model-based systems engineering DoD standards Aerospace engineering Mission assurance Root cause analysis Proposal development Team mentoring Stakeholder management Digital engineering

Requirements

Candidates must have a Bachelor's degree with at least 12 years of experience or a Graduate degree with 10 years of experience in systems engineering. Significant experience in defense, aerospace, or regulated environments and the ability to obtain a secret security clearance are required.

Benefits

Health insurance Disability insurance 401(k) match Flexible spending accounts Employee assistance program Education assistance Parental leave Paid time off Company-paid holidays

Full description

Job Title: Technical Manager – Systems Engineering Job Code: 42391 Job Location: Rochester, New York Job Schedule: 9/80 (Every Other Friday Off!)

Job Description: The Technical Manager - Systems Engineering provides technical and organizational leadership for the development, integration, and delivery of complex defense and aerospace systems. This role includes leadership of a team of Chief Systems Engineers who drive systems engineering activities across the full system lifecycle, from concept development and requirements definition through integration, verification, validation, production transition, and sustainment support. This hybrid management / practitioner role also includes practice as a Systems Engineer responsible for managing teams supporting mission-critical programs while ensuring alignment with customer needs, contractual obligations, airworthiness or mission assurance expectations, and organizational objectives. The ideal candidate brings strong people leadership, deep systems thinking, and demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary engineering efforts in a highly regulated aerospace and defense environment.

Essential Functions:

Lead, mentor, and develop a team of systems engineers supporting defense and aerospace programs, platforms, or technology initiatives.
Direct experience in a Lead systems engineer or Chief systems engineer role driving execution across the program lifecycle, including concept of operations, requirements analysis, system architecture, interface definition, integration, verification, validation, and operational support.
Ensure technical execution aligns with customer requirements, program cost and schedule constraints, mission performance objectives, and contract deliverables.
Oversee development and maintenance of system requirements, interface control documentation, verification traceability, and technical baselines.
Contribute directly to program performance leveraging technical expertise and experience to system architecture, design, implementation, test, integration and sustainment.
Lead root cause corrective action investigations, provides independent review team perspective, participate in non-advocate reviews.
Lead technical planning, risk management, trade studies, design decision support, and system-level problem resolution.
Support major program reviews and customer reviews, including SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, PRR, and related milestone events.
Collaborate with program management, chief engineers, software, hardware, test, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and field support teams to ensure integrated program execution.
Drive compliance with defense, aerospace, safety, quality, airworthiness, cybersecurity, and mission assurance requirements, as applicable.
Manage staffing, workload planning, performance management, employee development, and succession planning within the systems engineering organization.
Provide technical leadership for integration and test planning, requirements verification, anomaly resolution, and qualification activities.
Support proposal efforts, technical volume development, basis of estimate preparation, technology roadmaps, and capture activities for new business opportunities.
Identify and mitigate technical, programmatic, and integration risks across complex system-of-systems environments.
Promote continuous improvement in systems engineering processes, digital engineering practices, MBSE adoption, and technical rigor.
Serve as a key interface to customers, suppliers, subcontractors, and senior leadership on program status, technical issues, and strategic engineering matters.

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s Degree with a minimum of 12 years of prior related experience. Graduate Degree with a minimum of 10 years of prior related experience. In lieu of a degree, minimum of 16 years of prior related experience.
9+ years of progressive engineering experience, including significant systems engineering experience in defense, aerospace, avionics, mission systems, C4ISR, weapons, space, radar, communications, or other complex regulated environments.
5+ years of leadership experience managing technical teams, engineering organizations, or major engineering work scopes.
Ability to obtain and a secret security clearance

Preferred Additional Skills:

Experience supporting space systems programs.
Master’s degree in Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Engineering Management, or a related discipline.
Active security clearance.
Familiarity with model-based systems engineering tools and methods.
Experience with requirements and lifecycle management tools such as DOORS or similar platforms.
Knowledge of digital engineering, simulation, system modeling, and mission-level analysis approaches.
Experience with military standards, aerospace standards, mission assurance practices, and airworthiness or certification processes, as applicable.
INCOSE certification, PMP certification, or other relevant engineering leadership credentials.
Experience supporting competitive captures, proposal strategy, technical solution development, and customer briefings.
Understanding of cybersecurity, system safety, reliability, maintainability, and human systems integration considerations in defense systems.
Demonstrated success leading teams through complex integration, test, and fielding activities.
Ability to balance strategic technical leadership with day-to-day execution in a fast-paced, high-consequence environment.
Demonstrated experience applying systems engineering processes across the full lifecycle of complex aerospace or defense systems.
Experience with requirements decomposition, functional analysis, architecture development, interface management, integration, verification, validation, and configuration control.
Experience leading cross-functional engineering teams in a matrixed program environment.
Strong knowledge of DoD, aerospace, or other regulated development frameworks, technical review processes, and program execution disciplines.
Experience with technical risk management, failure analysis, root cause investigation, and corrective action planning.
Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to engage effectively with customers, program leadership, and executive stakeholders.
Familiarity with classified or export-controlled environments and the ability to work within those constraints.

In compliance with pay transparency requirements, the salary range for this role in New York is $133,000 - $247,000. This is not a guarantee of compensation or salary, as final offer amount may vary based on factors including but not limited to experience and geographic location. L3Harris also offers a variety of benefits, including health and disability insurance, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, EAP, education assistance, parental leave, paid time off, and company-paid holidays. The specific programs and options available to an employee may vary depending on date of hire, schedule type, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.

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