Principal Systems Engineer

Worker Type

Regular

Summary

The Principal Systems Engineer works with our Design team to develop a variety of innovative Unmanned Systems for defense and commercial applications. This position will interact with Controls Engineers to allocate requirements and develop architectures to drive simulation models. These development efforts will generally be small focused design teams, which will require engineers to use a range of skills and tools across traditional engineering, computer science, and mathematical disciplines. Because of the nature of the development efforts, the engineer will need to work on a variety of stages of development including requirements definition, concept design, prototyping, detailed design, validation and verification testing.

Position Responsibilities

• Oversee requirements traceability and evolution through the system development cycle
• Provide weekly status of system development progress with requirements burn down
• Allocate requirements to subsystem & engineering coordination
• Evaluate system performance thresholds and providing direction
• Develops instrumented flight test vectors and data acquisition
• Provide input for model development and simulation analysis
• Develop systems test plans, procedures and reports
• Review and interpret customer specification effectively
• Identifies, analyzes and resolves system design weaknesses. Influences the shaping of future products by contributing to the framework (architecture) used across multiple products or systems
• Work on significant issues where analysis of situations or data requires an evaluation of intangibles
• Acts independently to determine methods and procedures on new or special assignments
• Provide guidance and mentorship to others in both their discipline and on company values
• Other duties as assigned

Basic Qualifications (Required Skills & Experience)

• Bachelors in Mathematics, Computer Science/Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace, or Mechanical Engineering is required or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience
• 12 - 15 years of experience in a systems engineering role (Aerospace systems engineering preferred)
• Proficiency with C/C++ and Matlab required
• Has managed requirements traceability and evolution through the system development cycle
• Demonstrated prior experience in providing effective weekly status of system development progress with requirements burn down
• Has developed systems test plans, procedures and reports and reviewed and interpreted specifications
• Experienced in writing Systems Safety protocols and ensuring personnel safety during field testing
• Strong Matlab skills and is proficient with office software and computer based productivity tools
• Familiarity with electronics and systems related to image collection and analysis
• Ability and interest in creating Architectures using Model Based Engineering tools

Other Qualifications & Desired Competencies

• Advanced degree is preferred
• Experienced in taking a product from concept to production with contract manufacturers is preferred
• Knowledge of Simulink, Ansys and Solidworks preferred
• Exposure to Guidance Navigation and Control Systems along with Modeling Simulation and Control is preferred. Exposure to Model Based Systems Engineering is helpful but not required
• Understanding of Aircraft Terminology is a plus as is familiarity with Python or ROS (Robot Operating System) a plus
• Able to excel in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment, where small teams share a broad variety of duties
• Displays strong initiative and drive to accomplish goals and meet company objectives
• Takes ownership and responsibility for current and past work products
• Is committed to learning from mistakes and driven to improve and enhance performance of oneself, others, and the company
• Has effective problem-solving, analytical, interpersonal and communication skills.
• Focuses on teamwork, collaboration and puts the success of the team above one's own interests

Physical Demands

• Ability to work in an office and manufacturing environment (Constant)
• Required to sit and stand for long periods; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone keyboard (Frequent)

Clearance Level

No Clearance

The salary range for this role is:

$133,500 - $203,750

AeroVironment considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the location, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills.

ITAR Requirement

This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on AeroVironment’s determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with AeroVironment’s business requirements. A “U.S. person” according to the ITAR definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. See 22 CFR § 120.15. Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.

Benefits

AV offers an excellent benefits package including medical, dental vision, 401K with company matching, a 9/80 work schedule and a paid holiday shutdown. For more information about our company benefit offerings please visit:

We also encourage you to review our company website at to learn more about us.

About AV

AV isn’t for everyone. We hire the curious, the relentless, the mission-obsessed. The best of the best.

We don’t just build defense technology—we redefine what’s possible. As the premier autonomous systems company in the U.S., AV delivers breakthrough capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. From AI-powered drones and loitering munitions to integrated autonomy and space resilience, our technologies shape the future of warfare and protect those who serve.

Founded by legendary innovator Dr. Paul MacCready, AV has spent over 50 years pushing the boundaries of what unmanned systems can do. Our heritage includes seven platforms in the Smithsonian—but we’re not building history, we’re building what’s next.

If you're ready to build technology that matters—with speed, scale, and purpose—there’s no better place to do it than AV.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans. AeroVironment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants. Qualified applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic data, sexual orientation, gender identity or other legally protected status.

ITAR

U.S. Citizenship required. Must be willing to work on government contracts and have the ability to obtain a security clearance.