Senior Engineering Project Manager

Req Id: 381

Location:

AURORA, IL, US, 60504

Date: May 14, 2026

Thales Defense & Security, Inc. (TDSI) Headquartered in Clarksburg, MD, is a U.S. company that has been serving domestic and international defense Air, Land and Sea domains for 60 years. With over 1,000 employees, TDSI and its four subsidiaries (Advanced Acoustic Concepts, Digital Receiver Technology, Tampa Microwave, and Trusted Cyber Technologies), supports U.S. Joint Services, special operations forces and multi-national partners with a variety of communication, visualization, signal intelligence/electronic warfare, and sensor/sonar capabilities. TDSI’s key technologies include tactical handheld radios, expeditionary satellite terminals, helmet-mounted displays, optics and target recognition capability, advanced radars, undersea sensing and missile systems. Lives depend on what we do!

Top Benefits (Subject to terms of applicable policies/plans)

• Competitive Salary
• Yearly Incentive Compensation Plan
• Medical insurance for self and eligible family members
• Generous 401(k) program- up to 7% company contribution and 100% immediate vesting
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Paid wellness, vacation, and holiday leave
• Paid maternity, paternity, and parental leave
• 9/80 Work Schedule (every other Friday off)
• Hybrid working environment
  
  

We are excited to announce that we have an opening in our Aurora, IL office for a Senior Engineering Project Manager (EPM). The Senior Engineering Project Manager provides technical oversight and project monitoring on design activities and ensures projects remain on track. These challenges are broadly related to helmet mounted displays and cueing systems and can include firmware/software development, system integration, system testing and evaluation, and the supporting of field-testing operations.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership to Engineering project teams.
• Manage cross-functional engineering development teams throughout the product life cycle to design and develop new products and transition to full production.
• Responsible for all technical aspects of the product design and development for assigned project(s).
• Support Business Development with customer meetings, requirements elicitation, architecture development, and systems implementation.
• Support product development teams with use case analysis, requirements capture and allocation, architectural analysis and design, unit level testing, integration, verification and validation efforts, and transition to manufacturing.
• Represent engineering across product lines as a key stakeholder.
• Work with Program, Product Line and Engineering Management on schedule, resource loading and prioritizing assignments.
• Responsible for the monitoring, control, reporting, and success of the development of assigned projects, including achieving technical performance, development budget and schedule, and recurring cost requirements.
• Lead and support bid and proposal efforts, including managing technical teams to generate technical solutions and concepts, preparing cost estimates and generating material used in formal responses.
• Working with Business Development and Program Management provide technical support for customer interactions and customer deliverables (e.g. white papers, proposals, demos, meetings, etc.) for new business capture and product developments.
• Working with Business and Product Owners, Business Development, Program Management, and Engineering Management support the development and maintenance of product roadmaps and technology introduction.
• Manage and mitigate technical risks throughout the project.
  
  

Qualifications

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• U.S. Citizenship required. - Applicants selected may be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related technical field - MS preferred. MBA and/or PMP are a plus.
• 12 years of professional experience, to include:
• 6 - 8 years of experience with design of tactical products (mix of hardware and software) intended for manufacture. Avionics/ helmet-mounted display product experience highly desirable.
• 6 as an engineering project manager or equivalent experience
• Technical background and competence in design and development of complex electronic products requiring a mix of hardware and software.
• Experience in planning and managing technical projects that include engineering development teams, bid teams and other relevant personnel is a plus.
• Excellent organizational skills, ability to multi-task and strong work ethic required.
• Effective oral and written communication skills and the ability to manage multiple projects.
• Ability to work in a team environment and interact with employees in all departments and functions.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Project and Atlassian suite of tools are a plus.
• Ability to comply with all Company guidelines, policies, procedures and embrace Company Core Values.
• Ability to travel up to 20%.
  

The annualized pay range for this role is $137,663- $170,000 USD along with a target incentive compensation plan (ICP) of 10%. The pay range provided is a good faith estimate representative of the experience level for the role described above. TDSI considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, location, education/training, and key skills.

For specific questions about this job posting, candidates may contact talent acquisition at careers@thalesdsi.com.

Thales Defense & Security, Inc. is committed to non-discrimination as applicable under federal, state and local laws. We are an E-Verify Employer.

If you need an accommodation or assistance in order to apply for a position with Thales Defense & Security, Inc., please call Human Resources at 202-961-1016.

Nearest Major Market: Aurora

Nearest Secondary Market: Chicago