Senior Systems Engineer (Aerospace)

Location: On-site in Seattle, Washington, United States

Company

hirify.global develops autonomous aircraft systems for national defense.

What you will do

• Develop and refine system architecture for a next-generation UAS, integrating avionics, autonomy, propulsion, sensor payloads, and mission systems.
• Define system-level behavior, including modes, states, transitions, and fault responses, and support FHA, FMEA, and FTA 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.
• Use MBSE tools and digital system models to conduct trade studies, manage technical risks, and optimize system performance.
• Collaborate with hardware, software, autonomy, propulsion, flight operations, DoD stakeholders, industry partners, and government agencies on system integration and operational requirements.

Requirements

• 5+ years of systems engineering experience in aerospace, defense, or autonomous aircraft systems.
• Experience defining system behavior logic and operational modes.
• Deep expertise in system architecture, avionics integration, and autonomy-driven flight systems.
• Proficiency with MBSE, DOORS, SysML, CAMEO, or similar system modeling tools for complex systems design and analysis.
• Experience with Group 4 or Group 5 UAS, military aircraft, or autonomous airborne platforms.
• Strong background in flight testing, system integration, and performance validation.
• Knowledge of DoD acquisition processes, MIL-STDs, FAA airworthiness certification, and airborne system safety standards.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and delivering complex projects to completion, including a developmental program from clean sheet to first flight.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, agile development environment with shifting priorities.

Nice to have

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

Culture & Benefits

• Full-time employee position.
• On-site work in Seattle, Washington.
• Cross-functional collaboration across hardware, software, autonomy, propulsion, flight operations, and manufacturing.
• Work in an agile development environment with shifting priorities.