Eleven Recruiting is seeking a Head of Engineering for a growing aerospace and defense company developing supersonic munitions, multi-mission missiles, and autonomous vertical launch systems. This role will own system architecture, technical decisions, and engineering execution across multiple sites and programs, guiding products from development through testing and production.
This is a hands-on leadership role for someone with deep experience in complex hardware, embedded software, and systems integration. You will lead multidisciplinary teams, resolve critical technical trade-offs, and build the engineering capabilities needed to scale. The company’s approach emphasizes rapid iteration, operational feedback, and production through a distributed network of manufacturing partners.
Own system architecture and technical baselines across airframe structures, propulsion, guidance, navigation and control (GNC), embedded software, and avionics.
Serve as the final technical authority for architecture decisions, requirements allocation, and technical risk acceptance.
Oversee the integration of embedded guidance, controls, and mission software with vehicle hardware.
Provide technical sign-off at key readiness gates, including ground testing, qualification, and flight/live-fire testing.
Align engineering leaders across sites around shared architectures, technical standards, and program priorities.
Build and mentor multidisciplinary engineering teams, identify capability gaps, and develop staffing plans.
Establish engineering processes that support rapid development and continuous improvement while maintaining technical rigor.
Partner with software and data platform teams to incorporate operational performance and cost-per-effect data into design decisions.
Communicate technical trade-offs, risks, and recommendations to executives, government customers, and program partners.
Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, or software engineering, or a related technical field.
~12+ years of engineering experience, including system-level ownership of a complex hardware/software product.
~ Experience as a Chief Engineer, Head of Engineering, Systems Architect, or equivalent technical authority.
~ Demonstrated technical depth in systems architecture, embedded software, and hardware integration.
~ Strong leadership and communication skills, including experience guiding multidisciplinary teams and explaining technical decisions to executives and customers.
~ S. citizenship and the ability to obtain a Department of Defense security clearance.
Master’s degree or PhD in a related technical field.
Experience transitioning hardware/software products from prototype to production, ideally through a distributed manufacturing model.
Background in embedded real-time systems, GNC, or avionics software.
Familiarity with model-based systems engineering (MBSE) tools and formal systems engineering practices.
Experience applying continuous deployment or iterative development methods to hardware programs.
Active TS/SCI or a previously held security clearance.
This is a hands-on leadership role for someone with deep experience in complex hardware, embedded software, and systems integration. You will lead multidisciplinary teams, resolve critical technical trade-offs, and build the engineering capabilities needed to scale. The company’s approach emphasizes rapid iteration, operational feedback, and production through a distributed network of manufacturing partners.
Own system architecture and technical baselines across airframe structures, propulsion, guidance, navigation and control (GNC), embedded software, and avionics.
Serve as the final technical authority for architecture decisions, requirements allocation, and technical risk acceptance.
Oversee the integration of embedded guidance, controls, and mission software with vehicle hardware.
Provide technical sign-off at key readiness gates, including ground testing, qualification, and flight/live-fire testing.
Align engineering leaders across sites around shared architectures, technical standards, and program priorities.
Build and mentor multidisciplinary engineering teams, identify capability gaps, and develop staffing plans.
Establish engineering processes that support rapid development and continuous improvement while maintaining technical rigor.
Partner with software and data platform teams to incorporate operational performance and cost-per-effect data into design decisions.
Communicate technical trade-offs, risks, and recommendations to executives, government customers, and program partners.
Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, or software engineering, or a related technical field.
~12+ years of engineering experience, including system-level ownership of a complex hardware/software product.
~ Experience as a Chief Engineer, Head of Engineering, Systems Architect, or equivalent technical authority.
~ Demonstrated technical depth in systems architecture, embedded software, and hardware integration.
~ Strong leadership and communication skills, including experience guiding multidisciplinary teams and explaining technical decisions to executives and customers.
~ S. citizenship and the ability to obtain a Department of Defense security clearance.
Master’s degree or PhD in a related technical field.
Experience transitioning hardware/software products from prototype to production, ideally through a distributed manufacturing model.
Background in embedded real-time systems, GNC, or avionics software.
Familiarity with model-based systems engineering (MBSE) tools and formal systems engineering practices.
Experience applying continuous deployment or iterative development methods to hardware programs.
Active TS/SCI or a previously held security clearance.
Principal Engineering-Systems Architecture in orange county at Unknown Company
This position is listed as full time and onsite.