What are the responsibilities and job description for the LEAD ENGINEER - PRINCIPAL ENGINEER - Senior Avionics Systems Engineer - Oklahoma City, OK position at Southwest Research Institute?
Who We Are:
The Strategic Aerospace Department within the Defense & Intelligence Solutions Division delivers cutting-edge engineering services to enhance the warfighter’s capabilities across bomber, tanker, and heavy aircraft platforms. We specialize in world-class research, design, and support, providing innovative solutions to modern challenges and legacy systems for the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command, Department of Defense, allied nations, and the U.S. Government, ensuring mission readiness and technological superiority.
Objectives of this Role:
Work assignment is in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Applicant selected will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Applicant must be a U.S. citizen.
Job Locations: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
The Strategic Aerospace Department within the Defense & Intelligence Solutions Division delivers cutting-edge engineering services to enhance the warfighter’s capabilities across bomber, tanker, and heavy aircraft platforms. We specialize in world-class research, design, and support, providing innovative solutions to modern challenges and legacy systems for the U.S. Air Force Global Strike Command, Department of Defense, allied nations, and the U.S. Government, ensuring mission readiness and technological superiority.
Objectives of this Role:
- Define end-to-end avionics system architectures and requirements for complex LRUs/SRUs, ensuring full traceability and compliance to platform, safety, and customer mission needs across the program lifecycle.
- Lead integration planning and execution from concept through flightworthy fielding—interfaces, verification strategy, airworthiness artifacts, and risk reduction—accelerating delivery with predictable outcomes.
- Serve as the technical integrator across multidisciplinary teams, providing direction to avionics, software, electrical, and test staff to resolve issues, control interfaces, and drive decisions to closure.
- Ensure government process readiness by shaping compliance evidence (V&V plans, ICDs, reviews, test readiness) and aligning engineering execution to customer approvals, enabling smooth certification and operational acceptance.
- Drive modernization and sustainment roadmaps by assessing obsolescence, upgrade options, and technical tradeoffs for avionics LRUs/SRUs, translating insights into executable plans that improve reliability, maintainability, and mission readiness.
- Translate customer/platform needs into actionable avionics requirements; update traceability, ICDs, and architecture artifacts; resolve requirement conflicts and drive decisions to closure.
- Lead integration execution across LRU/SRU, software, EE, and test teams—manage interfaces, troubleshoot system issues, and coordinate lab/aircraft integration activities.
- Maintain the program’s technical “battle rhythm” (standups, action tracking, risk/RAID), ensuring blockers are removed and engineering products stay aligned to the baseline and schedule.
- Conduct architecture and requirements reviews (SRR/PDR/CDR support), publish verification plans/matrices, and ensure V&V evidence is collected, controlled, and audit-ready for customer approval.
- Lead integration/test readiness and compliance cadence—review DT/OT plans, coordinate airworthiness/flightworthiness artifacts, and brief customer/stakeholders on status, risks, and next steps.
- Requires a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or Electrical Engineering.
- 10 years: Expert avionics systems engineering: develop architecture, allocate requirements, and maintain end-to-end traceability for complex LRUs/SRUs; strong interface definition (ICDs) and configuration discipline across the lifecycle.
- 10 years: Proven integration/flightworthy fielding experience: lead V&V strategy, test readiness, and airworthiness artifacts; navigate USAF/government reviews and acceptance processes to deliver operationally ready systems.
- 10 years: Strong multi-disciplinary technical leadership: drive decisions across avionics, software, EE, ME, and test teams; resolve integration issues quickly with structured problem-solving and clear technical direction.
- 10 years: Systems integration rigor: manage interfaces, timing/data buses, power/thermal constraints, and lab-to-aircraft integration; produce clear technical baselines, risk management, and customer-ready documentation/briefs.
- A valid/clear driver's license is required.
Work assignment is in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Applicant selected will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Applicant must be a U.S. citizen.
Job Locations: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma