Demo

Lead, Chief Engineer

Harris Corporation
Huntsville, AL Full Time
POSTED ON 9/1/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 10/1/2026
L3Harris is dedicated to recruiting and developing high-performing talent who are passionate about what they do. Our employees are unified in a shared dedication to our customers' mission and quest for professional growth. L3Harris provides an inclusive, engaging environment designed to empower employees and promote work-life success. Fundamental to our culture is an unwavering focus on values, dedication to our communities, and commitment to excellence in everything we do.

L3Harris is the Trusted Disruptor in defense tech. With customers' mission-critical needs always in mind, our employees deliver end-to-end technology solutions connecting the space, air, land, sea and cyber domains in the interest of national security.

Job Title: Lead, Chief Engineer
Job ID: 42642
Job Location: Huntsville, AL or Orange, VA,
Job Schedule: Huntsville, AL - 9/80: Employees work 9 out of every 14 days - totaling 80 hours worked - and have every other Friday off
Orange, VA - 4/10: Employees work 10 hour days, 4 days a week

Job Description:
L3Harris' Missile Solutions Segment is seeking a Chief Engineer with expertise in the development of missile systems and/or missile propulsion systems. This individual will be responsible for the technical strategy and execution of ongoing customer funded efforts, covering all phases of development-from pre award concept development and proposal preparation through design, testing, verification, production, deployment, and operational acceptance. The Chief Engineer will lead the engineering execution activities across all disciplines for both existing programs and new pursuits.

Essential Functions:
Lead vehicle and propulsion systems design with a strong focus on continuous improvement to meet design milestones on schedule and within budget.
Provide strong leadership and demonstrate agility by making decisive technical judgments and communicating strategic vision in development environments with incomplete requirements, aggressive schedules, and high quality standards.
Coordinate engineering activities with Supply Chain and Operations for development efforts.
Share ownership of metrics related to MRB and Nonconformance rates, closure timelines for Production Programs, and production delivery performance.
Identify IR&D efforts and align them with technical roadmaps to create technology differentiators.
Lead pursuits with emphasis on technical baseline rigor, cost justification, executability, and risk management.
Contribute to program risk and opportunity management, driving mitigation and realization actions.
Ensure technical issue resolution, root cause identification, and effective implementation of corrective actions.

Qualifications:
Bachelor's Degree and minimum 9 years of prior relevant experience. Graduate Degree and a minimum of 7 years of prior related experience. In lieu of a degree, minimum of 13 years of prior related experience.
Ability to obtain and maintain an active DoD Secret security clearance.
Proficiency in leading technical issue resolution through root cause investigation and implementation of corrective actions.
Expertise in communicating technical data to senior management and customers with varying levels of technical understanding.
Ability to travel up to 25%.

Preferred Additional Skills:
7 years of propulsion and vehicle systems domain knowledge.
Strong multidisciplinary technical breadth in missiles and propulsion.
Ability to quickly understand missions, customer needs, and drive strategy.
Experience with:
- Requirements elicitation, analysis, and functional allocation; systems requirements reviews; concept of operations development; interface standards; and performing technical/non technical assessments and management.
- Leading large, complex, multidisciplinary engineering development teams.
- Technology innovation, ownership of technology roadmaps, prototyping efforts, and reference architectures.
- Optimizing engineering processes for efficiency and compliance.
- Scaling engineering talent, growing technical teams, and staffing programs to meet customer and program needs.
- Design for manufacturability and cost.
- Successfully executing multi site engineering efforts.

In compliance with pay transparency requirements, the salary range for this role in Virginia (outside of Greater D.C. area) is $110,500 - $205,500. 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.

#LI-SP1

L3Harris Technologies is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. L3Harris is committed to treating all employees and applicants for employment with respect and dignity and maintaining a workplace that is free from unlawful discrimination. All applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or other related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, characteristic or membership in any other group protected by federal, state or local laws. L3Harris maintains a drug-free workplace and performs pre-employment substance abuse testing and background checks, where permitted by law.

Please be aware many of our positions require the ability to obtain a security clearance. In addition, applicants who accept a conditional offer of employment may be subject to government security investigation(s) and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

By submitting your resume for this position, you understand and agree that L3Harris Technologies may share your resume, as well as any other related personal information or documentation you provide, with its subsidiaries and affiliated companies for the purpose of considering you for other available positions.

L3Harris Technologies is an E-Verify Employer. Please click here for the E-Verify Poster in English or Spanish . For information regarding your Right To Work, please click here for English or Spanish .

Salary : $110,500 - $205,500

If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution. Compensation Planning
Enhance your organization's compensation strategy with salary data sets that HR and team managers can use to pay your staff right. Surveys & Data Sets

What is the career path for a Lead, Chief Engineer?

Sign up to receive alerts about other jobs on the Lead, Chief Engineer career path by checking the boxes next to the positions that interest you.
Income Estimation: 
$190,687 - $235,769
Income Estimation: 
$218,238 - $263,470
Income Estimation: 
$213,354 - $274,761
Income Estimation: 
$131,953 - $159,624
Income Estimation: 
$169,825 - $204,021
Income Estimation: 
$166,631 - $195,636
Income Estimation: 
$162,237 - $199,353
Income Estimation: 
$181,083 - $218,117
Employees: Get a Salary Increase
View Core, Job Family, and Industry Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles Skills Library

Job openings at Harris Corporation

  • Harris Corporation Washington, DC
  • L3Harris is dedicated to recruiting and developing high-performing talent who are passionate about what they do. Our employees are unified in a shared dedi... more
  • Just Posted

  • Harris Corporation Blackfoot, ID
  • Job Description The position is responsible for turn-key execution of projects up to $500,000 or as assigned. The Lead Building Automation System Specialis... more
  • Just Posted

  • Harris Corporation Blackfoot, ID
  • Job Description You will be joining the most qualified, diverse and capable service division in our area. This position provides the chance to work in crit... more
  • Just Posted

  • Harris Corporation Boise, ID
  • Job Description The purpose of your role as a Project Sales Representative This position requires the ability to market the company to new clients and deve... more
  • Just Posted


Not the job you're looking for? Here are some other Lead, Chief Engineer jobs in the Huntsville, AL area that may be a better fit.

  • Cushman & Wakefield Huntsville, AL
  • Job Title Chief Engineer Job Description Summary The Chief Engineer will be responsible for managing the daily operations, preventative maintenance and rep... more
  • 3 Days Ago

  • General Atomics Huntsville, AL
  • Job Summary General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) is a supplier of advanced electromagnetic systems, related power equipment and other high tech... more
  • 18 Days Ago

AI Assistant is available now!

Feel free to start your new journey!