Senior Manager, Systems Engineering

Acron Aviation designs, engineers, and manufactures certified avionics systems that support safety-critical flight operations across commercial and military aviation. Within Avionics, the Surveillance product line develops and sustains systems that enable aircraft awareness, collision avoidance, and airspace interoperability. Our portfolio includes TCAS, Mode S transponders, ADS-B, and integrated surveillance solutions deployed across commercial, military, and rotorcraft platforms. This work is performed in highly regulated environments and demands deep expertise across systems, hardware, software, and RF throughout the full product lifecycle.

As Senior Systems Engineering Manager for avionics, you will lead the organization responsible for translating customer and business needs into safe, certifiable, and supportable aircraft systems. You will guide systems architecture, requirements, interfaces, safety, integration, verification, and certification across the product lifecycle for commercial, military, rotorcraft, and emerging air mobility platforms.

You will shape systems engineering strategy, workforce capability, processes, tools, and execution priorities. Working across hardware, software, program management, product management, quality, manufacturing, airworthiness, customers, and regulatory authorities, you will ensure technical integrity while delivering to cost, schedule, quality, and performance commitments.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary systems engineering team, including systems architects, requirements engineers, integration and verification engineers, and technical leaders.
• Build a high-performing engineering culture through coaching, mentoring, succession planning, workforce planning, performance management, and employee engagement.
• Own systems engineering execution for new product development, product enhancements, certification programs, and sustaining engineering across the full lifecycle.
• Provide technical oversight of system architectures, requirements decomposition, interface definitions, trade studies, design reviews, integration, verification, validation, and certification evidence.
• Ensure effective application of SAE ARP4754A and ARP4761A principles, including development assurance, functional hazard assessment, system safety assessment, and requirements-based verification.
• Establish and improve requirements management, configuration control, traceability, review, and change-control practices using tools such as IBM Engineering DOORS, Jama Connect, or equivalent platforms.
• Advance model-based systems engineering practices using SysML and architecture tools such as Cameo Systems Modeler or equivalent solutions.
• Partner with hardware and software leaders to align system requirements and assurance activities with RTCA DO-178C, DO-254, DO-160, and applicable FAA, EASA, and customer expectations.
• Drive system integration and verification planning, including test strategy, test readiness, laboratory and aircraft integration, anomaly resolution, and objective evidence closure.
• Partner with senior leaders, program managers, customers, suppliers, and functional stakeholders to resolve technical risk and deliver successful program outcomes.
• Support proposals, product roadmaps, basis-of-estimate development, technical planning, and customer or regulatory technical engagements.
• Own systems engineering process health, metrics, lessons learned, and continuous improvement, balancing rigor with efficient program execution.
• Use AI-enabled engineering workflows responsibly to improve requirements quality, traceability, review efficiency, knowledge reuse, and team productivity.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Systems, Electrical, Computer, Software, Mechanical, Aerospace, or a related engineering discipline.
• 12+ years of engineering experience in aerospace, avionics, defense, or another safety-critical industry.
• 5+ years of engineering leadership or management experience, including responsibility for direct reports and technical leaders.
• Demonstrated success leading complex avionics systems development through requirements, design, integration, verification, certification, production, and field support.
• Strong working knowledge of systems engineering methods, requirements management, interface control, verification and validation, and technical risk management.
• Experience with aircraft or avionics certification and development assurance practices, including SAE ARP4754A and system safety processes aligned with ARP4761 or equivalent.
• A people-first leadership record that includes talent development, coaching, performance management, organizational planning, and building inclusive, accountable teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, sound technical judgment, and the ability to lead through influence in a matrixed, multi-site organization.

Additional Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Engineering Management, or an MBA.
• Commercial or military avionics product development experience, particularly with integrated surveillance, communications, navigation, flight display, or aircraft connectivity systems.
• Hands-on familiarity with RTCA DO-178C, DO-254, DO-160, SAE ARP4754A, SAE ARP4761A, MIL-STD-810, and related FAA or EASA certification guidance.
• Experience with IBM Engineering DOORS, Jama Connect, Cameo Systems Modeler, MATLAB/Simulink, or comparable requirements, MBSE, and analysis tools.
• Experience leading system safety, reliability, cybersecurity, human factors, environmental qualification, or aircraft integration activities.
• Experience managing geographically distributed teams and engineering partners, including outsourced or international development organizations.
• INCOSE Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP) or Expert Systems Engineering Professional (ESEP) certification.

Why this role:

• Significant organizational impact and broad responsibility for systems engineering across complex, safety-critical avionics products.
• Ownership of systems engineering strategy, capability, processes, culture, and execution for a growing portfolio.
• Opportunity to develop future technical and people leaders while advancing modern MBSE, digital engineering, and AI-enabled workflows.
• Visibility with senior leadership, customers, and regulatory stakeholders, with direct participation in growth and transformation initiatives.