Principal Project Engineer

Principal Project Engineer

Location: Eagan, MN

The Leonardo DRS Naval Electronics business provides leading naval computing infrastructure, network and data distribution and middleware enterprise services, as well as world-class manufacturing and support capabilities.

Career Functional Area: Engineering - Project Engineering

Telework Type: Hybrid

Type: Full Time Schedule: 9/80

Job Summary

DRS Naval Electronics is seeking a Principal Project Engineer to lead design and development programs, proposals, and Internal Research & Development (IRAD) efforts at our Engineering Center of Excellence in Eagan, MN. This senior role combines accountability for program technical, cost, and schedule performance with direct functional management of Development Project Engineers. Proven development project leadership and people-management experience is required.

Job Responsibilities

- Program Technical Leadership & Execution

• Lead multidisciplinary engineering teams on highly complex programs.
• Develop/own engineering scope, plans, budgets, schedules, and performance.
• Own the technical baseline of the program, ensuring requirements compliance, configuration control, and delivery of customer technical data packages.
• Serve as the primary customer technical contact and engineering interface to the Program Office.
• Coordinate with functional leaders, manufacturing, supply chain, suppliers and subcontractors.
• Direct requirements analysis, design decisions, and supplier component, subsystem, and service evaluations.
• Drive design-to-cost and Design for X (DfX) objectives.
• Identify, mitigate, and retire development and technical risks.
• Provide technical guidance and resolve complex issues across engineering disciplines.
• Oversee system/subsystem test environments, plans, procedures, and schedules, including environmental qualification, factory acceptance testing, and failure resolution.
• Lead engineering contributions to complex proposals and IRAD efforts, including technical approaches, estimates, resource plans, and risk assessments.
• Work with Chief Engineers to develop and execute technology roadmaps across products and lines of business.
• Support annual discretionary planning (IRAD and CapEx) and lead reporting of IRAD project execution and forecasting to leadership team.
• Identify and capture opportunities for technology reuse across products and engineering collaboration across DRS business units.

- Functional Management & People Leadership

• Directly manage Development Project Engineers.
• Forecast staffing needs, allocate work, and balance priorities across assigned programs and the Development Project Engineering team.
• Identify and resolve capacity and skill gaps.
• Coach and develop direct reports through career planning, training, and stretch assignments.
• Support hiring and onboarding to strengthen team capability.
• Foster an accountable, collaborative, and inclusive team.
• Model integrity and DRS values and improve Project Engineering tools, processes, and practices.
• Ensure positive, collaborative working relationships with stakeholders inside and outside the company.

Qualifications

Bachelor's in engineering or a related technical field and at least 15 years of relevant engineering development and project leadership experience. Advanced degree in a technical field and/or MBA preferred but not required. Prior people-management experience is required. Demonstrated success delivering complex development projects against technical, cost, and schedule objectives while leading cross-functional engineering teams. Mastery of relevant technologies and domain knowledge, with broad technical experience sufficient to lead systems, software, electrical, mechanical, and specialty engineering activities. Strong functional management skills in staffing forecasts, resource allocation, prioritization, delegation, conflict resolution, and team development. Expert-level judgment, independent decision-making, customer focus, and strong written and verbal communication. Ability to build trust and influence employees, senior leaders, program sponsors, subcontractors, and customers.

Additional Relevant Skills

Experience across the following areas is valued. Candidates need not possess every listed skill:

• Program management for Aerospace and Defense (A&D) development projects.
• Project planning and scheduling tools (e.g., MS Project) and budget formulation.
• Requirements management processes and tools (e.g., DOORS), and configuration management of customer technical data packages.
• DoD environmental military standards and specifications, environmental qualification, factory acceptance testing, and troubleshooting.
• Agile development methodologies applied to software and hardware development projects.
• Program Management Professional (PMP) certification.
• U.S. Citizenship required. This position requires an active DOD security clearance or the ability to obtain such clearance within a reasonable time after commencement of employment.

The salary range for this position is ($150,000/year - $225,000/year). This range reflects the good faith estimate of pay the employer is willing to offer at the time of posting. Several factors can influence the pay scale, including but not limited to: Federal contract labor categories and contract wage rates, collective bargaining agreements, geographic location, business considerations, scope, and responsibilities of the position, local or other applicable market conditions, and internal equity. Other factors include the candidate's qualifications such as prior work experience, specific skills and competencies, education/training, and certifications.

In addition to base pay, employees may be eligible for: annual performance-based bonuses, equity awards, and overtime pay (for non-exempt employees as applicable. Our benefits package includes comprehensive health insurance (medical, dental, vision), employer matching 401(k) retirement plan, paid time off including vacation, holidays, and sick leave (including ant state-mandated paid sick leave), parental leave benefits, tuition reimbursement, professional development support, and life and disability insurance coverage.

Taking care of our people is a top priority at Leonardo DRS. We are proud to offer competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, a company contribution to a health savings account, telemedicine, life and disability insurance, legal insurance, and a 401(k) savings plan. We champion wellness programs that focus on physical, emotional, and financial well-being. We develop our talent by offering programs and activities to support career-growth, professional development, and skill enhancement. And we understand there is more to life than work, and the importance of offering flexible work schedules with our 9/80 program, competitive vacation, health/emergency leave, paid parental leave, and community service hours.

*Some employees are eligible for limited benefits only

Leonardo DRS, Inc. and its subsidiaries provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.