Airborne Tactical Radios – Portfolio Chief Engineer

Job Description
BAE Systems is seeking an experienced and energetic Chief Engineer (CE) to help lead our Airborne Tactical Radios product area. In this role you will be the ‘hands on’ technical lead of a product area ensuring the system(s), product(s), and service(s) being developed and delivered are viable, fit for purpose, and will satisfy customer needs, product/system requirements, and the mission and/or application. ATR is a growing business area with several development programs as well as high-rate production programs with a common mission to protect the warfighter.

As a Portfolio Chief Engineer, you are a technical leader for a portfolio of products within the ATR product area, you will be the technical conscience of the program, ensuring the system(s), product(s), and service(s) being developed and delivered are viable, fit for purpose, and will satisfy customer needs, product/system requirements, and the mission and/or application. With the ability to develop and drive a cohesive technology roadmap across the airborne communications portfolio, balancing customer needs, modernization, obsolescence management, and future mission capability growth. The PCE is the primary owner of the technical solution and the technical interface to Program, Engineering, Functional and Executive leadership.

Job Responsibilities

• Serves as a technical advocate across a diverse portfolio, guiding engineering teams, influencing customer discussions, and supporting strategic business growth
• Leads (system) architecture design and optimization activities, trades and analyses
• Strong systems engineering mindset with the ability to oversee complex integrated radio systems, ensuring technical rigor, interoperability, performance, and mission effectiveness across airborne platforms
• Ensures system design and implementation meet technical requirements and customer/mission needs within allocated engineering cost & schedule
• Drives technical risk and opportunity definition, identification, and mitigation/realization
• Technical interface to Customer, Program Management Office, and executive leadership
• Understand requirements, missions, use cases, and constraints

Required Education, Experience, & Skills

• Familiarity with airborne HF radio systems and ARC-231 tactical radio capabilities, including operational use cases, modernization challenges, and future technology evolution.
• Proven ability to serve as a technical advocate across a diverse portfolio, guiding engineering teams, influencing customer discussions, and supporting strategic business growth.
• Understanding of tactical datalink and airborne networking environments, including integration considerations for next-generation communications and interoperability requirements.
• Bachelor's Degree (or equivalent experience in a relevant field) with a minimum work experience of: 10 years
• Active Secret DoW clearance with ability to obtain Top Secret with SCI accesses
• Technical leader for significant size team (Chief Engineer, Project Engineering Manager, or equivalent)

Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills

• Experience maximizing technical leverage and reuse across products, identifying common architectures, shared waveform capabilities, and scalable engineering approaches to improve affordability and execution.
• Technical leadership in continuous improvement initiatives, including development process maturity, engineering efficiency, design reuse, and risk reduction across the portfolio.
• Ability to connect emerging industry and DoD technology trends to actionable product strategy and investment priorities for future airborne communications capabilities.
• Formal Root Cause and Corrective Action training or equivalent experience
• Model based systems engineering experience with tools such as MagicDraw
• Active Top Secret DoW clearance with ability to obtain SCI accesses

Pay Information
Full-Time Salary Range: $153377 - $260743

Please note: This range is based on our market pay structures. However, individual salaries are determined by a variety of factors including, but not limited to: business considerations, local market conditions, and internal equity, as well as candidate qualifications, such as skills, education, and experience.

Employee Benefits: At BAE Systems, we support our employees in all aspects of their life, including their health and financial well-being. Regular employees scheduled to work 20 hours per week are offered: health, dental, and vision insurance; health savings accounts; a 401(k) savings plan; disability coverage; and life and accident insurance. We also have an employee assistance program, a legal plan, and other perks including discounts on things like home, auto, and pet insurance. Our leave programs include paid time off, paid holidays, as well as other types of leave, including paid parental, military, bereavement, and any applicable federal and state sick leave. Employees may participate in the company recognition program to receive monetary or non-monetary recognition awards. Other incentives may be available based on position level and/or job specifics.


About BAE Systems Electronic Systems
BAE Systems, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of BAE Systems plc, an international defense, aerospace and security company which delivers a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, security, information technology solutions and customer support services. Improving the future and protecting lives is an ambitious mission, but it’s what we do at BAE Systems. Working here means using your passion and ingenuity where it counts – defending national security with breakthrough technology, superior products, and intelligence solutions. As you develop the latest technology and defend national security, you will continually hone your skills on a team—making a big impact on a global scale. At BAE Systems, you’ll find a rewarding career that truly makes a difference. Electronic Systems (ES) is the global innovator behind BAE Systems’ game-changing defense and commercial electronics. Exploiting every electron, we push the limits of what is possible, giving our customers the edge and our employees opportunities to change the world. Our products and capabilities can be found everywhere – from the depths of the ocean to the far reaches of space. At our core are more than 14,000 highly talented Electronic Systems employees with the brightest minds in the industry, we make an impact – for our customers and the communities we serve.

This position will be posted for at least 5 calendar days. The posting will remain active until the position is filled, or a qualified pool of candidates is identified.

Salary : $153,377 - $260,743