Digital Systems Engineering Platform Architect

Irvine, CA

Aerospace is at a turning point — costs are rising, supply chains are strained, and old ways of building can’t keep up. At Neon Aero, we’re breaking that mold. We move fast, think big, and combine start‑up agility with aerospace expertise to design, build, and scale aircraft in ways the industry has never seen. Our team leverages automation, AI‑driven tools, and a fully connected digital backbone to accelerate innovation and reduce barriers to production.

Here, you won’t just take a job — you’ll help reinvent how the world flies. If you’re ready to solve complex problems, push technology further, and work alongside some of the brightest minds in aerospace, this is your chance to make a real impact.

Neon is building the next generation of aerospace systems as a Tier‑1 supplier, with a focus on being AI‑native, digitally integrated, and compliance‑ready from day one. Our mission is to deliver aerospace hardware and systems with speed, rigor, and first‑pass quality by leveraging model‑based engineering, integrated digital thread, and advanced manufacturing practices.

The Digital Engineering Platform Architect will be responsible for designing and implementing Neon's data and integration architecture, including the data lakehouse, analytics infrastructure, and AI/ML enablement platforms. This role will serve as the architectural owner of Neon's integration backbone, ensuring data flows seamlessly across enterprise systems, while being structured and accessible for advanced analytics and AI solutions.

This is a hands‑on architecture role: the individual will design frameworks, build proof‑of‑concepts, and establish governance and standards for data pipelines, APIs, and integrations. They will also ensure Neon’s digital engineering ecosystem is future‑proofed for AI/ML, enabling predictive analytics, generative AI workflows, and advanced decision support.

The Digital Engineering Platform Architect will work in close partnership with the Director of IT (who provides infrastructure, sysadmin, and infosec support) and with engineering leadership to ensure Neon’s digital backbone is robust, scalable, and compliant.

• Define and implement the integration backbone across Neon’s enterprise systems.
• Establish frameworks for interoperability (APIs, OSLC, middleware, event‑driven pipelines).
• Ensure seamless traceability across the digital engineering toolchain.
• Data Infrastructure & Lakehouse
  • Architect and deploy Neon's enterprise data lakehouse for engineering, manufacturing, and business data.
  • Define ingestion pipelines, transformation frameworks, and governance policies.
  • Ensure high data veracity, lineage, and accessibility for downstream use.
• AI/ML Enablement
  • Establish Neon’s AI/ML infrastructure, including data pipelines, vector databases, and model‑serving frameworks.
  • Work with business and engineering stakeholders to identify high‑value AI use cases.
  • Ensure the digital backbone supports LLM integrations, predictive analytics, and model‑based certification.
• Governance & Standards
  • Define standards for data management, integration practices, and API governance.
  • Collaborate with IT to ensure infosec and compliance requirements are met.
  • Create playbooks and guidelines for future engineers and data scientists to build upon.
• Act as Neon’s subject matter expert for data architecture, integrations, and AI enablement.
• Mentor junior engineers and influence technical decision‑making across functions.
• Partner with the Director of IT, Systems Engineering Architect, and Configuration Management Lead to ensure a coherent and scalable digital ecosystem.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related field; equivalent professional experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience in data architecture, systems integration, or digital engineering platform development.
• Proven expertise with data lakehouse technologies (Snowflake, Databricks, or equivalent).
• Strong background in API design, middleware, and integration frameworks (OSLC, REST, Graph
  
  QL, event streaming).
• Experience designing and deploying AI/ML…