Project Engineer, Systems Engineer

Published 07.09.2026

Company :
Safran Electronics & Defense Job field :
Architecture and systems engineering Location :
Irvine , California , United States Contract type :
Permanent Contract duration :
Full-time Required degree :
Bachelor's Degree Required experience :
More than 8 years Professional status :
Professional, Engineer & Manager Salary range : $105K - $155K ITAR : ITAR Controlled position# Published 07.09.2026

Job Description

Job Summary:

The Project Engineer leads and oversees a cross-functional team of engineers in the development of new products, the improvement and sustainment of products and processes, and guiding them throughout the product life cycle. This role serves as the technical project leader, responsible for planning, organizing, and executing complex engineering projects, from initial design through qualification, certification, and production transfer. The Project Engineer also manages sustaining projects, addressing design changes, supplier, and customer requests, and providing production support.

This position requires close coordination with other departments, particularly Program Management, to ensure alignment on budgets, schedules, milestones, and deliverables for engineering projects.

Essential Job Function:

Coordinate engineering activities and projects with other departments. This includes project schedule(s), cost management, scope control, milestones, performance metrics (earned value, SPI/CPI), deliverables, perform risk management and mitigation, manage product assurance, scope, and change.

Collaborate with engineering managers to assemble the skillsets needed for each project and provide forecast of resources needs.

Provide leadership, technical guidance, and training for engineering teams assigned to a specific project and/or related activities.

Responsible for ensuring the engineering execution of the program tailored PROMPT activities.

Responsible for the overall technical compliance of the products to the customer specification and the fulfillment of the technical statement of the work. Able to manage engineering scope, recognize scope growth and incomplete work.

Technical project leader and Company engineering representative in front of the customers.

Review project-related documentation package(s) to ensure accuracy.

Ensure the timely and efficient completion of projects to achieve the company's strategic and financial goals.

Lead formal design reviews. Prepare and present technical information for Technical Interface Meetings (TIMs), Preliminary Design Reviews (PDRs), Critical Design Reviews (CDRs), etc.

Ensure project complies with company policies and processes.

Lead and manage estimates and proposals.

Oversee continuous improvement projects for existing products, manage project plans, and track work packages.

Set expectations for task completion & deliveries to the Project Management Office (PMO) or the customer.

Lead Engineering Review Board.

Make technical decisions with support from manager and technical leads.

Lead the development of the engineering portions of the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) and update the schedule to reflect execution and workarounds.

Utilize Earned Value (EV) to track project performance and make informed decisions based on data.. Other Duties assigned.

Job Requirements

Required Competencies:

Education/Experience Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited course of study in engineering, aerospace, electrical, engineering technology, manufacturing, industrial, mechanical, or systems engineering.

Experience in a new product development environment.

Typical experience:

Project Engineer: 7 or more years' related work experience or an equivalent combination of technical education and experience.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes ing principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

Strong knowledge of the fundamentals of aerospace, electrical, or mechanical design.

Strong understanding of system engineering development processes, such as ARP 4754 or IEEE 632.Understanding of basic electrical and/or mechanical design.

A deep understanding of root cause corrective action.

Knowledge of change control management.

Experience with DO-160, ARP
4761, and MIL-STD-810 preferred.

Familiar with Advance Product Quality Planning is a plus but not required.

Leadership Skills / Management Skills / Personal Skills Inductive reasoning

Integrity

Judgement and problem solving

Leadership

Communication, both verbally and written and through active listening and reading comprehension.

Customer oriented

Adaptable and flexible

Ability to summarize complex information

Analytical thinking

Dependability

Change agent

Planning, organization and prioritizing

Travel Specificity:

Potential travel between Irvine, California and other locations up to 25%.Physical Demands:

While performing the duties of the job, the employee is regularly required to remain in a…