Description
Leidos Defense Systems Sector is seeking a Section Manager for Assembly, Integration, and Test to join its team supporting multiple hypersonics programs as part of the Advanced Materials and Test Division.
The Section Manager will lead a section of AI&T engineers to integrate, test, and field hypersonic vehicles. The Section Manager is accountable for technical direction, schedule adherence, cross-functional coordination, and ensuring manufacturability and testability through the assembly, integration, and testing cycle.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Lead and mentor a section of Metrology and AI&T engineers to deliver hypersonic vehicles per Technical Data Package requirements within scope, schedule, and budget.
- Oversee the assembly, integration, and testing of hypersonic vehicles, ensuring all systems meet design and performance requirements.
- Ensure compliance with system requirements, interface control documents (ICDs), safety policies, and applicable aerospace standards and regulations.
- Collaborate with manufacturing and quality to ensure producibility, maintain schedule commitments, and resolve nonconformances and build issues.
- Guide test planning and execution for environmental, structural, and functional verification of hypersonic vehicle components and assemblies.
- Manage technical risks through mitigation plans, verification of risk closure, and adjustment of schedule/requirements as applicable.
- Maintain program-level documentation, configuration control, and technical data.
- Interface with program management, customers, and cross-program IPTs to align priorities and report technical status.
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a closely related discipline and 12 – 15 years of prior relevant experience or Master's with 10 – 13 years of prior relevant experience.
- Demonstrated experience on multidisciplinary engineering teams performing AI&T of hypersonic vehicles or comparable aerospace vehicles.
- Practical knowledge of hypersonic vehicle (or comparable aerospace vehicle) assembly, integration, and test.
- Familiarity with producibility, fabrication processes, inspection, and manufacturing acceptance criteria.
- Proven ability to plan and run verification/validation campaigns and to coordinate acceptance testing.
- Familiarity with packaging, transport, and handling requirements for missile hardware.
- Excellent written and verbal communication; ability to present complex technical information to diverse stakeholders.
- Strong leadership, decision-making, conflict resolution, and stakeholder management skills.
- Experience working with government/defense customers and knowledge of program lifecycle and contractual considerations.
- Candidate must be a US Citizen and be able to obtain and maintain a final secret clearance.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master's or PhD in Aerospace/Mechanical/Systems Engineering.
- Prior experience specifically on glide bodies, reentry vehicles, or guided munitions.
- Familiarity with relevant standards (e.g., MIL STD, SAE, ASTM).
- Experience working prototype programs within an AS9100 production environment.
- Secret Cleared.