Principal Avionics Systems Engineer, IPT Lead

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats.

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, and London. For more information, please visit  .

Role Overview:We are seeking an experienced Principal Principal Avionics Systems Engineer who will own the end-to-end avionics architecture for the Massed Modular Aircraft (MMA) program — spanning onboard (air vehicle) avionics and the associated Ground Control Station (GCS) — for an unmanned aircraft system. This role carries single-threaded technical ownership of the avionics system across both segments, ensuring the onboard avionics and GCS are designed, developed, integrated, and qualified as a coherent, interoperable system rather than as separately managed efforts.

The ideal candidate brings direct unmanned aircraft system (UAS) experience, a strong systems-level view of air vehicle/ground segment interaction, and a producibility mindset suited to a modular, mass-producible aircraft architecture.
Responsibilities:

• Own the overall avionics architecture spanning both the air vehicle (onboard avionics) and the Ground Control Station (GCS), ensuring end-to-end consistency across the air-ground system boundary.
• Define avionics system architecture including flight management, navigation, data links/command-and-control (C2) links, sensor/payload interfaces, power distribution to avionics, and health monitoring/diagnostics.
• Define and own the GCS architecture, including operator interfaces, mission planning functions, vehicle command/control functions, telemetry display, and data link ground equipment.
• Establish and maintain interface control documents (ICDs) governing the air-ground data link, command/telemetry protocols, and other critical avionics interfaces.
• Drive a modular avionics architecture (open architecture / modular open systems approach, where applicable) that supports interchangeable avionics line replaceable units (LRUs) and scalable configuration variants across the platform family.
• Lead design and integration of onboard avionics subsystems: flight control computer interfaces, navigation sensors (GPS/INS or equivalent), communications/data link equipment, avionics bus architecture (e.g., MIL-STD-1553, ARINC 429, Ethernet-based avionics buses), and payload/sensor integration interfaces.
• Define avionics packaging, wiring, and installation approach in coordination with Structures/Mechanical to support modular production and maintainability.
• Oversee avionics software/hardware integration with flight control, propulsion, and mission systems as applicable.
• Own GCS hardware and software architecture, including operator workstation design, mission planning and command/control software, and data link ground terminal integration.
• Ensure GCS human-machine interface (HMI) design supports safe, effective command and control of the unmanned aircraft across all mission phases (launch/takeoff, mission execution, recovery/landing).
• Define GCS interoperability requirements with relevant command and control networks, as applicable to the program's operational concept.
• Lead integration and test activities validating air vehicle/GCS interoperability prior to flight test and qualification.
• Apply…