Avionics Engineer - ASL

Project/Unit Description

The Applied Systems Lab (ASL) Autonomy Technology Transition Division (ATTD) is currently seeking an Avionics Engineer for a full-time research faculty position. ATTD conducts research supporting sponsors across the Department of Defense and focuses on autonomous uncrewed aircraft programs. Expertise includes autonomous systems, systems engineering, avionics engineering, embedded software development, test and evaluation, and hardware- and software-in-the-loop development and test environments and laboratories.

The Avionics Engineer defines and designs military avionic systems and systems-of-systems. Specifically, the Avionics Engineer develops integrated system-level designs, and hardware and software subsystems designs. These designs are associated to avionic functions such as navigation, tactical data links, electronic warfare, defensive countermeasures, intelligence, and integrated system functions like data fusion and resource management. These design efforts include integrating the avionics systems within the aircraft, aircraft-to-aircraft, and aircraft-to-ground systems.

The Avionics Engineer applies knowledge specific to aircraft such as safety (e.g., FAA standards), security, robustness, and performance. Additionally, the Avionics Engineer analyzes laboratory and flight test data for functionality and performance. The Avionics Engineer also provides expertise and technical leadership to programs and sponsors to achieve overall goals through the full development life cycle (i.e., requirements development to final delivery).

Tools and methodologies used by the Avionics Engineer include Model Based System Engineering, laboratory analysis hardware, software development environments, and Agile methodologies.

• Decompose, develop, and allocate requirements into system-of-systems performance design criteria.
• Collaborate to develop technical solutions and ensure products meet allocated requirements and design criteria as well as comply with military, safety, and security standards.
• Integrate and test system components in a laboratory or on-aircraft environment and analyze test data to determine if system requirements are met and identify deficiencies.
• Develop technical reports, test plans, memos, and diagrams detailing product or system attributes.
• Begin to participate in sponsor engagement contacts.

• Develop and integrate new capabilities and subsystems into military systems, including the design of inter-software interfaces, inter subsystem interfaces (e.g., data, interconnects, messaging, middleware), aircraft to subsystem integration, pilot vehicle interface and test/instrumentation systems integration.
• Execute on assigned projects and systems including keeping up to date on use cases, system capabilities, system interfaces, engineering tools, and road maps for current and future updates.
• Contribute to a specific engineering specialty (e.g. safety engineering, hardware/software interface, digital engineering).
• Isolate hardware and software component anomalies.
• Analyze flight and laboratory data to ensure system requirements are satisfied.
• Develop scripts and tools to analyze flight and laboratory data.
• Ensure that all technical work is developed to meet military, safety, and security standards.
• Design and manage the laboratory configurations for assigned projects.

• Hands‑on experience with Linux and embedded systems.
• Experience developing complex, software‑intensive, systems using system engineering processes and methodologies.
• Experience designing/developing software‑based systems that integrate multiple subsystems, and/or integrate multiple software applications and hardware.
• Experience integrating and troubleshooting systems to determine functional correctness, completeness, and/or effectiveness.
• Experience developing, integrating, and/or testing unmanned autonomous robotic system capabilities.

• Active Secret Clearance.
• Experience processing and analyzing data with tools such as Python or R.
• Experience with avionic data buses (e.g., MIL‑STD‑1553, ARINC 429, Ethernet,…