Technical Director Systems Engineering - Counter UAS

Technical Director Systems Engineering - Counter UAS

Location:

Goleta, CA, US, 93117

Job 114653

The Leonardo DRS Land Systems business is a recognized leader in the design and integration of complex technologies into new and legacy systems and platforms for global military and commercial customers. We are a 5 year running Top Workplace in the Greater St. Louis area.

Leonardo DRS Land Systems is seeking a full time Technical Director of Systems Engineering. This position is based out of our Goleta, CA facility and will have the option to work an in person or hybrid schedule. The Technical Director will serve as the senior technical authority for the Goleta site within the Advanced Technology team, responsible for overall technical performance, technical execution, and engineering excellence across rapid development efforts.

This role blends systems engineering leadership with hands‑on technical direction to drive requirements to implementation and guide the design of products in a fast‑paced, prototype-to-production environment.

• Act as the site Technical Director and primary technical authority for engineering performance at the Goleta location
• Own and drive technical execution, engineering rigor, and delivery quality across assigned programs and IRAD
• Establish and maintain technical processes, design reviews, and engineering governance appropriate for rapid development and transition to production
• Provide technical oversight of architecture decisions, integration approaches, verification strategies, and risk management

• Serve as an expert and provide technical direction for Counter UAS system development, including sensor integration, tracking, command and control, and effectors integration as applicable
• Lead requirements decomposition, interface definition, system architecture, and trade studies for C-UAS solutions
• Ensure solutions align with mission needs, operational constraints, and customer expectations, including SWaP and latency considerations where applicable

• Lead cross‑functional teams through the full lifecycle: concept, requirements, architecture, design, integration, test, demonstration, and transition
• Champion rapid prototyping best practices, including iterative development, early integration, digital engineering where applicable, and disciplined configuration control
• Drive technical planning for demos, customer evaluations, field tests, and capability drops

• Partner with Program Management to align scope, schedule, cost, and technical performance
• Coordinate across software, hardware, RF, mechanical, test, cyber, and operations teams to deliver integrated system outcomes; works closely with engineering management team to provide budget, cost, and schedule input for design assignments
• Engage with customers and stakeholders as a technical representative, often the DRS Chief Engineer, including technical interchange meetings, design reviews, and program briefings; participates in preparation of complex proposals and provides strategic insights to grow Goleta’s C-UAS business

• Mentor technical leads, systems engineers, and senior engineers; build bench strength for growth in Goleta
• Foster a culture of engineering accountability, innovation, and execution discipline; support, communicate, reinforce, and defend the mission, values and culture of the organization

• Master’s degree in engineering or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• 10+ years of relevant experience, with significant experience in systems engineering leadership (requirements, architecture, integration and test, verification, risk management)
• Demonstrated experience with Counter UAS programs (development, integration, fielding, test, or operational support)
• Experience leading rapid development efforts including prototypes, demos, and accelerated delivery timelines
• Proven ability to serve as a senior technical decision‑maker and lead multi‑disciplinary engineering teams
• Strong customer‑facing skills:…