Acquisition Program Engineer - Mission Planning

Job Description

Job Description

Overview
Join a team where innovation meets mission. Our AI, cloud, cyber, and modernization solutions save agencies thousands of hours, safeguard national security, and strengthen health and humanitarian missions worldwide. With more than 1,700+ team members, 1,500+ AI & data experts, and 100+ prime contracts, we deliver on a scale and with purpose.

We’ve been recognized as a Top Workplace by The Washington Post for six consecutive years and named to the Inc. 5000 list of Fastest-Growing Private Companies in 13 of the past 14 years. Credence is a welcoming environment for those looking to grow and make a meaningful impact. We encourage employees to push boundaries and help solve critical, world-changing federal challenges.

Position Summary

Credence has an immediate need for an Acquisition Program Engineer – Mission Planning at the senior level supporting the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at  Eglin AFB, Florida. The Agile Weapons Division, AFLCMC/EBX, has responsibility for delivering weapon capabilities with speed and agility by designing, testing, fielding, producing, and sustaining in an integrated digital environment and manages the Air Force’s leading hypersonic weapons programs. These programs include the Future Hypersonic Program (FYHP), Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW), and the Hypersonic Air-Launched Cruise Missile (HACM). EBX fully leverages Open, Agile and Digital concepts, often from program inception, to shorten acquisition timelines and deliver capabilities at the speed of relevance.

This job is onsite at Eglin AFB, FL.  

Responsibilities include but are not limited to the duties listed below:

• Apply knowledge and experience in the design, development, production, operation, and sustainment of air armament systems across the acquisition life cycle, from requirements analysis through disposal.
• Provide experienced engineering and technical resources with armament domain experience to support required program tasks.
• Conduct and support engineering and technical activities during material solution analysis, technology development, engineering and manufacturing development, production and deployment, and operations and support phases, including requirements definition and analysis, architecture design, implementation, integration, verification/validation, transition, decision analysis, requirements management, risk management, interface management, and configuration management.
• Develop and prepare engineering and technical documentation, systems review and analysis reports, briefings, technical artifacts, technical reviews, audits, systems engineering technical reviews, assessments, and technical interchange meetings.
• Implement robust processes to address life-cycle requirements for each product support area.
• Produce architecture that assesses user needs, documents planned and existing systems, identify deficiencies, develop alternative solutions, recommend solutions, and support implementation planning.
• Provide developmental planning support by evaluating the military mission to be accomplished and related requirements documentation.
• Compare the ability of existing and derivative systems to meet mission needs and requirements.
• Advise and assist with detailing operational requirements and functional interactions within the system and with other systems, considering life cycle costs, logistics supportability, human factors, and related considerations.
• Plan the integration of existing engineering technology into systems and support analyses of alternatives for aircraft, cruise missile, and weapon systems in compliance with applicable DoD and Air Force acquisition guidance.
• Translate DoD user requirements into system requirements for designing, developing, testing, and evaluating systems and subsystems.
• Perform reviews, studies, audits, evaluations, and analyses and provide technical recommendations to the Government.
• Review and analyze proposals or modifications for technical feasibility, compatibility, and cost effectiveness.
• Provide engineering analysis of system training, training equipment, and simulator requirements; prepare technical documentation; and evaluate equipment and simulator designs.
• Conduct engineering performance, effectiveness, cost effectiveness, cost performance, life cycle cost, producibility, reliability and maintainability, risk, and schedule trade-off studies.
• Conduct simulation studies to evaluate armament system development and acquisition, including system and component performance, engineering trade-offs, system effectiveness, and logistics.
• Conduct make-or-buy analyses for systems, subsystems, and components of principal, support, and test equipment; evaluate time and engineering cost estimates in support of research, development, test, training, and acquisition of armament-related systems.
• Perform engineering tasks related to advanced aircraft, cruise missiles, weapon systems, munitions systems, and range systems requirements and performance.
• Develop and use analytical and simulation techniques to optimize system performance and effectiveness, establish system sensitivities, define system parameters, evaluate hardware, and validate flight test results.
• Review, evaluate, and monitor weapon system prime contractor and supplier drawings for completeness, currency, technical accuracy, and conformance to requirements, specifications, regulations, and quality control standards.
• Advise and assist with weapon system contractor-related source selection tasks, including recommendation of evaluation areas, development of source selection documentation, proposal analysis in a non-decision-making advisory role, and preparation of related reports, summaries, memorandums, briefings, and responses.
• Develop, prepare, review, integrate, and recommend changes to selected milestone review documentation, periodic reports, and certifications identified in DoDI 5000.02 and applicable Air Force supplements.
• Develop munition or subsystem proposal technical trade studies and documentation for integration, upgrade, and modification efforts, including aircraft integration.
• Provide independent analysis of system readiness for production and risk management.
• Provide FMS case management support and support international armaments cooperation and FMS activities integral to development, production, fielding, and sustainment.
• Conduct armament program portfolio reviews; evaluate or recommend alternative plans; improve systems engineering programs and processes; manage and sustain the program technical baseline; and design or perform system-level tests to assure subsystem and system performance is achieved in accordance with approved specifications.
• Prepare technical documents defining, specifying, and recommending system and subsystem characteristics; prepare management reports and conduct technical presentations for planning, implementation, and corrective actions.
• Validate systems, including development of criteria and procedures, and analyze or evaluate results of major engineering weapon systems.
• Provide system and program engineering, technical support, and technical training for acquisition, development, integration, sustainment, continued evolution, deployment/fielding, installation, and operations oversight.
• Support program and project risk management activities in compliance with Air Force Systems Engineering Assessment Model processes.
• Provide proposal analysis support comparing and quantifying proposed systems, components, and approaches for technical feasibility, compatibility, and cost effectiveness.
• Provide concepts and requirements analysis support, including review and analysis of Initial Capabilities Documents, Capability Development Documents, Capability Production Documents, Analyses of Alternatives, Military Utility Assessments, CONOPS, Technology Development Strategies, Functional Configuration Audits, Physical Configuration Audits, and Technology Standards Profiles.
• Review and analyze approved system concepts and user requirements entered into functional, allocated, and product system requirements baselines.

Requirements

• Must have an active or current Top Secret security clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) eligibility, verifiable in the Defense Information System for Security (DISS
• PhD (Doctorate) degree in a related field and at least five (5) years of experience in the respective technical / professional discipline being performed
• Or a master’s degree in a related field and at least fifteen (15) years of experience in the respective technical/professional discipline being performed
• Or bachelor’s degree in a related field and twenty (20) years of experience in the respective technical/professional discipline being performed.
• Knowledge and experience with DoD munitions safety regulations and processes, including USAF Nonnuclear Munitions Safety Board approvals and certifications, USN Weapon Systems Explosive Safety Review Board certification, MIL-STD-1316, and AFI 63-104 Aircraft Stores Compatibility Certification.
• Knowledge and experience with acquisition documentation as it pertains to system safety, including Systems Engineering Plans, System Safety Analyses, Programmatic Environmental Safety and Health Evaluations, and Life Cycle Sustainment Plans.
• All engineering support requiring a bachelor’s degree or greater must have an Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredited college of engineering degree. Degrees in engineering technology are not considered qualifying for these requirements.
• Knowledge and experience in weapon planning systems and subsystems, including analysis of weapon and user requirements for derived subsystem requirements associated with navigation and guidance systems.
• Understanding of operational real-time planning and preplanning systems for employment of weapon systems in tactical aircraft and unmanned aerial systems, and development of mission planning support systems for active and passive weapon guidance systems.
• Strong knowledge and experience in software engineering processes; mapping data, mapping data sources, and accuracy and precision of map products; photogrammetric development of mapping products; imagery products; NGA product specifications, production sources, requirements processes, and distribution methods.
• Knowledge of guided weapons accuracy, sources of error associated with total weapon error budget, the role of mission planning systems in guided and unguided weapon system error budgets, national and tactical sensor systems, targeting sensors, and their use in weapon planning and operational use on tactical aircraft and unmanned aerial systems.
• Knowledge and experience with DoD mission planning systems, requirements, acquisition, integration, testing, and fielding processes.
• Relevant experience with air tasking order methods and processes, air operations centers, software interfaces, software verification and validation, Joint Mission Planning System and other mission planning systems, weapon fly-out modeling, and network-centric operations in tactical data links, including Link-16, CNR/Variable Message Format networks, unit-level C4I systems, and network connectivity/interoperability.
• Knowledge and experience supporting air armament and conventional munitions systems, including air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, guided and unguided bombs, cruise missiles, cluster bomb units, nuclear payload guidance and control, directed energy systems, warheads, fuzes, seekers/sensors, ammunition, bomb racks, pylons, aerial targets, airborne test and air combat training systems, integrated instrumentation systems, radars, threat generators and simulators, Munitions Material Handling Equipment, containers, air base operability equipment, artillery, CAD/PAD, offensive and defensive aircraft countermeasures, rockets, explosive release devices, and other conventional munitions utilized by the USAF in class of supply Five.

Why This Role Matters

• Real-World Impact —  Your work will support defense and health agencies where AI solutions directly contribute to national security and public well-being.
• Growth-Oriented Environment —  Learn from technical leaders, innovate within Agentic AI, and mentor those around you in AI best practices.
• Culture of Empowerment —  You’ll be part of a team that values innovation, trust, collaboration, and mission success.

Please join us, as together we build a better world one mission at a time powered by technology and its people!  

Benefits

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development