Senior Systems Engineer, UAV Architecture

$140,000 - $200,000 a year

Irvine, CA Salary:
On-site Full-time

Ondas Sentinel, an Ondas company, delivers multi-domain intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) solutions across air, land, sea, space, and the stratosphere. Built on a combined legacy of pioneering stratospheric platforms and proven unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), we provide mission-tailored capabilities that help customers collect, connect, and act on critical information.

By integrating autonomous aircraft, high-altitude platforms, satellites, terrestrial sensors, and AI-powered analytics, Ondas Sentinel transforms data from multiple sources into a unified operating picture. The result is actionable intelligence that enables defense, government, and commercial customers to make faster, more informed decisions in dynamic and contested environments.

As a Senior Systems Engineer, UAV Open Architecture, you will lead the systems engineering activities for Long Endurance ISR UAS Platform(s). This role will interface closely with mechanical, electrical, software, and test teams to ensure timely and effective delivery of mission-critical capabilities.

• Participate in the development of requirements and systems architecture that adhere to applicable government open and common architecture standards
• Translate mission needs and technical objectives into clear, actionable system requirements
• Define and manage system requirements and interfaces from early concept through integration and flight test
• Lead the planning and coordination of system validation activities, ensuring alignment with design and operational goals
• Execute system-level validation, including environmental testing, to ensure real-world readiness
• Partner with multidisciplinary teams across engineering, integration, and test functions to ensure seamless system development
• Lead failure modes, reliability analysis, and risk management efforts across the development lifecycle
• Contribute to system reviews and documentation to support safety, performance, and reliability
• Travel Required:
  
  Less Than 10%

• Bachelors of Engineering in Mechanical, Electrical or Aerospace degree preferred
• 10+ years relevant experience in aerospace, defense or government contracting environments
• Basic understanding of modular open systems approaches (MOSA) in defense systems
• Experience in Aircraft / UAV development programs as Systems Engineer
• Familiarity with one or more Government Reference Architectures (GRAs) such as AMS GRA, A-GRA, or OMS/UCI
• A strong foundation in Systems Engineering principles, especially as applied to complex, multidisciplinary systems
• Experience in creating and validating environmental requirements (e.g., temperature, vibration, altitude)
• Familiarity with the full system development lifecycle, from concept and design through test and delivery
• Excellent communication and documentation skills, especially in collaborative, cross-functional environments

• Masters degree in engineering discipline + 5 years experience preferred
• Understanding of cybersecurity principles and their application in GRAs
• Knowledge of FACE (Future Airborne Capability Environment) Technical Standard
• Understanding of SOSA (Sensor Open Systems Architecture) systems
• Experience in aerospace, defense, robotics, or autonomous systems
• Knowledge of systems engineering tools and standards (e.g., DOORS, SysML, MBSE approaches)
• Knowledge of military standards for environmental testing (MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461, etc.)
• Background working on rapid development programs or prototyping efforts

The diversity of work conditions may range from an environment where there is little or no physical…