Staff Systems Engineer (Aerospace)

Location: On-site in Seattle, San Diego, Washington, DC, or Dallas, United States

Salary: $144,000–$210,000 per year, plus bonus, benefits, and equity for regular full-time employees.

Company

hirify.global is a venture-backed defense-tech company developing intelligent systems, including autonomy software, unmanned aircraft, and simulation technologies for defense operations.

What you will do

• Design and refine system architectures for next-generation unmanned aircraft, integrating avionics, autonomy, propulsion, sensors, and mission systems.
• Define system-level behavior, including operating modes, states, transitions, and fault responses, and support safety analyses.
• Establish, decompose, and maintain traceable system requirements throughout the development lifecycle.
• Integrate AI-driven flight control, decision-making, and mission execution capabilities with autonomy and software teams.
• Build system models, conduct trade studies, manage technical risks, and optimize mission performance using MBSE methods.
• Coordinate with hardware, software, autonomy, propulsion, flight operations, DoD stakeholders, industry partners, and government agencies.

Requirements

• 8+ years of systems engineering experience in aerospace, defense, or autonomous aircraft.
• Expertise in system architecture, avionics integration, autonomy-driven flight systems, system behavior logic, and operational modes.
• Experience with MBSE and tools such as SysML, DOORS, CAMEO, or similar.
• Experience with Group 4 or Group 5 UAS, military aircraft, or autonomous airborne platforms, including flight testing and system integration.
• Knowledge of DoD acquisition processes, MIL-STDs, FAA airworthiness certification, and airborne system safety standards.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and taking a developmental program from a clean sheet to first flight. Ability to obtain a S//SAR-level security clearance is desired.

Nice to have

• Experience developing AI-driven autonomy for unmanned aircraft.
• Expertise in ISR, EW, and advanced airborne sensor integration.
• Familiarity with modular open system architectures and Government Reference Architectures.
• Experience with defense primes, DoD stakeholders, or government R&D programs.
• Active Secret or Top Secret clearance, or ability to obtain one.

Culture & Benefits

• Full-time regular employee package includes pay within the listed range, bonus, benefits, and equity.
• Work takes place in a fast-paced, agile development environment with shifting priorities.
• Work supports mission-ready autonomous aircraft for national defense and contested operational environments.
• Offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check.