Sr. System Engineer - Aerospace

Location:

Syracuse, United States of America

Thales people architect solutions that are relied upon to deliver operational advantage at every decisive moment throughout the mission. Defence and armed forces customers rely on us to deliver the full range of defensive systems for land, sea, and air. From early warning, to threat neutralisation, our platforms cover all levels from very short‑range systems, to extended protection across the entire battle‑space including Airspace Mobility Solutions, Vehicles and Tactical Systems and Missile Defence, Optronics, and Radar.

The FAA’s Brand‑New Air Traffic Control System and other initiatives related to Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Advanced Air Mobility are fueling the growth of Thales’ Airspace Mobility Solutions team. We are expanding our teams in Arlington, Virginia and Syracuse, New York and seek talented individuals who want to be part of these ambitious initiatives shaping the future of aviation. We are looking for people with a passion for aviation and ready to deliver innovative solutions built to the nation’s highest safety and security standards.

America’s aviation moment is now. Thales has the solutions, experience and expertise to execute now. Come join our journey.

• Serve as the technical authority for the analysis and interpretation of highly complex customer and operational needs, applying advanced systems engineering methods such as simulations, digital system models, trade studies, and prototyping to inform architectural and design decisions across the full lifecycle; and lead and govern the definition of mission objectives, functional concepts, system architectures, and requirements, in close partnership with the Product Design Authority (PDA), ensuring traceability, technical coherence, and alignment with customer, regulatory, and program constraints.
• Author, review, and approve comprehensive system specifications, engineering management plans, and activity allocations, providing clear technical direction and decision rationale to guide solution development and downstream engineering execution; and provide senior technical leadership in systems architecture and systems engineering management, shaping program‑level engineering strategies, resolving complex technical trade‑offs, and mentoring teams on best practices and methods.
• Oversee and direct the structured assembly, integration, and assessment of solution elements, ensuring rigorous evaluation of system interactions, emergent behavior, performance margins, and compliance with validated requirements; and own the planning, execution, and governance of system Integration, Verification, Validation, and Qualification (IVVQ) activities, ensuring completeness, technical rigor, and adherence to contractual, safety, and regulatory obligations.
• Champion and govern technical change management, evaluating impacts across architecture, requirements, certification, cost, and schedule; steering documentation updates; and providing authoritative guidance on implementation and acceptance.
• Provide authoritative evidence and technical justification that delivered solutions meet approved operational needs, ensuring system data packages, baselines, and technical records are complete, consistent, and release‑ready for operations, sustainment, and customer acceptance.
• Act as a principal technical contributor and reviewer in formal design reviews, leading the preparation, review, and approval of advanced technical documentation, analyses, and R&D deliverables; and define, implement, and continuously improve systems engineering Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), driving standardization, knowledge capitalization, and sustained engineering excellence across projects and teams.

• Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, or a closely related technical discipline, with 9+ years of progressively responsible experience in complex engineering environments; or a Master’s degree in a relevant field with 6+ years of advanced software…