Senior Systems Engineer

Job Title: Principal Avionics Systems Engineer

Job Description

This position seeks a Principal Avionics Systems Engineer to lead the design, development, integration, testing, verification, and certification of complex avionics systems for advanced aerospace platforms. You will provide technical leadership across multidisciplinary engineering teams, shape top-level avionics architectures, and drive critical system-level decisions involving cockpit displays and controls, flight management systems, navigation sensors, communication systems, surveillance equipment, audio systems, and autopilot functionality. Throughout the product lifecycle, you will ensure that avionics solutions meet mission needs, regulatory expectations, and safety and performance requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of top-level avionics system architectures for advanced aerospace platforms.

• Define and manage system interfaces across avionics components and external systems to ensure seamless integration.

• Develop, allocate, and manage system-level requirements down to subsystem levels, ensuring clarity and completeness.

• Maintain full requirements traceability from mission needs through verification activities using tools such as DOORS and similar platforms.

• Define and oversee integration strategies across multiple avionics systems, including cockpit displays, flight management, navigation, communications, surveillance, audio, and autopilot subsystems.

• Lead system integration activities, including troubleshooting complex issues across hardware, software, and systems interfaces.

• Define verification methods, including analysis, test, inspection, and demonstration, to validate compliance with requirements.

• Lead system-level test planning and execution in System Integration Labs and on aircraft, ensuring thorough coverage of operational scenarios.

• Contribute to the preparation and execution of major design reviews, including System Requirements Review (SRR), Preliminary Design Review (PDR), Critical Design Review (CDR), and Test Readiness Review (TRR).

• Support system safety assessments, including activities such as Functional Hazard Assessment (FHA), Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), and related safety processes.

• Collaborate closely with electrical engineering, systems engineering, and software integration teams to ensure cohesive system designs.

• Drive alignment and effective communication across stakeholders, including customers, suppliers, contractors, and internal teams.

• Mentor and guide junior systems engineers, providing technical direction and fostering best practices in systems engineering and integration.

• Ensure that avionics architectures and designs adhere to applicable regulatory and industry guidelines throughout the development lifecycle.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering (such as Aerospace, Electrical, Mechanical, Computer Science, Systems) or another related technical field from an accredited institution.

• Minimum 10 years of systems engineering experience in avionics or complex aerospace systems.

• Demonstrated experience with systems integration in avionics or complex aerospace environments.

• Proficiency with requirements management and change tracking tools such as DOORS, Azure DevOps (ADO), or equivalent platforms.

• Strong knowledge of avionics architectures, including Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) and federated systems.

• Experience with avionics data buses such as MIL-STD-1553, ARINC 429, ARINC 664, and Ethernet.

• Expertise with regulatory and industry design guidelines, including ARP4754B, DO-178B/C, and DO-254.

• Experience with safety assessment process guidelines such as ARP4761A.

• Hands-on experience with System Integration Labs (SIL) for avionics systems.

• Ability to lead multidisciplinary engineering teams and make system-level technical decisions.

• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills in complex avionics systems.

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to clearly document, present, and defend technical decisions.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Advanced understanding of systems engineering processes applied to avionics and aerospace platforms.

• Experience collaborating with electrical engineering, software, and systems integration teams on complex projects.

• Experience in conducting or supporting safety analyses such as FHA, FTA, and FMEA for avionics systems.

• Familiarity with design review processes including SRR, PDR, CDR, and TRR.

• Experience mentoring and developing junior engineers in systems engineering best practices.

• Comfort working with multiple stakeholders, including customers, suppliers, contractors, and cross-functional internal teams.

• Ability to manage requirements traceability from high-level mission needs through detailed verification activities.

• Strong organizational skills to coordinate integration, verification, and certification activities across the product lifecycle.

Work Environment

The role operates within a highly technical aerospace engineering environment focused on the development of advanced avionics systems. You will work closely with multidisciplinary teams that include systems, electrical, software, and integration engineers, using modern requirements management and change tracking tools such as DOORS and Azure DevOps. The position involves extensive work in System Integration Labs (SIL), where you will plan and execute system-level tests, troubleshoot integration issues, and validate avionics performance in a controlled lab setting. You will also support testing on aircraft, which may require periodic presence in hangars, flight test facilities, or similar operational environments. The work follows established aerospace and avionics standards and guidelines such as ARP4754B, ARP4761A, DO-178B/C, and DO-254, emphasizing safety, reliability, and regulatory compliance. The schedule typically follows standard full-time engineering hours, with flexibility to support critical integration, test, or review milestones as needed. Attire is generally professional in office settings and may require appropriate safety or lab-specific clothing and protective equipment when working in labs or on aircraft.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Oak Creek, WI.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $75.00 - $100.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Oak Creek,WI.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 30, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email View email address on click.appcast.io for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.