Chief Engineer

Job Description
Thank you for your interest in BAE Systems! This opening is included as part of our September 2026 Defense Electronics Engineering Hiring Event. While we encourage all interested professionals to apply, please note that this is a selection-based interview event for candidates whose skills and experience match our hiring needs. If your background and skill set match these needs, we will reach out with next steps. If selected for an interview, specific opportunities based on your interests, experience, and skill set will be discussed with the hiring team. For candidates not local to the northern New Jersey area, virtual interviews will be accommodated.
What's it like working for a company whose mission is "We Protect Those Who Protect Us®" that develops the world's most advanced airborne Electronic Warfare equipment? Rewarding. As part of our Electronic Combat Solutions Systems Engineering team, you'll join a diverse group of driven professionals who architect, design, develop, build, integrate, test, and support products and systems that enable our service men and women to execute their missions and return home safely.
We are looking for a self-motivated engineering leader to join our Electronic Combat Solutions business area as a Chief Engineer. As a Chief Engineer on a project or product family, you will be the technical conscience of the program, ensuring the system(s), product(s), and service(s) being developed and delivered are viable, fit for purpose, and will satisfy customer needs, product/system requirements, and the mission and/or application. The CE is the primary owner of the technical solution and the technical interface to Program, Engineering, Functional and Executive leadership.
In this Chief Engineer position you will make impacts in the following ways;

• Technical Solution Definition, Viability and Adequacy:
  • Leads (system) architecture design and optimization activities, trades and analyses
  • Ensures system design and implementation meet technical requirements and customer/mission needs within allocated engineering cost & schedule
  • Ensures system design is realizable, maintainable, supportable and testable
  • Drives technical risk and opportunity definition, identification, and mitigation/realization
• Technical interface to Customer, PMO and executive leadership:
  • Extensive outside contact with customers, other contractors, and government officials
  • Prepare and deliver customer and technical presentations
  • Understand requirements, missions, use cases, and constraints
  • Technical risks and issues including impact assessment, mitigation, minimization and closure plans

Because of the need for consistent, in-person collaboration and/or the requirement to perform all work onsite due to the nature of this role, it will be performed full-time on site. This means work will be conducted on location at a BAE Systems facility 100% of the time.
Required Education, Experience, & Skills

• Bachelor's Degree (or equivalent experience in a relevant field) with a minimum work experience of:
• 10+ Years with BS
• 8+ Years with MS
• 6+ Year with PHD
• Possess an Active US Government security clearance (with ability to possess TS)
• Experience leading development of Electronic Warfare, RADAR, Communications, and/or Missile systems
• Technical leader for significant size team (Chief Engineer, Project Engineering Manager, or equivalent

Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills

• M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering or a related engineering discipline and 10+ years of experience

• 5+ years of experience as a Chief Engineer or equivalent leading development of Electronic Warfare systems
• Formal Root Cause and Corrective Action training or equivalent experience
• Model based systems engineering experience with tools such as MagicDraw
• Active United States security clearance, Top Secret, SCI Eligible
• Experience with Electronic Warfare systems and RADAR systems

#ECSSE
Pay Information
Full-Time Salary Range: $153377 - $260743
Please note: This range is based on our market pay structures. However, individual salaries are determined by a variety of factors including, but not limited to: business considerations, local market conditions, and internal equity, as well as candidate qualifications, such as skills, education, and experience.
Employee Benefits: At BAE Systems, we support our employees in all aspects of their life, including their health and financial well-being. Regular employees scheduled to work 20+ hours per week are offered: health, dental, and vision insurance; health savings accounts; a 401(k) savings plan; disability coverage; and life and accident insurance. We also have an employee assistance program, a legal plan, and other perks including discounts on things like home, auto, and pet insurance. Our leave programs include paid time off, paid holidays, as well as other types of leave, including paid parental, military, bereavement, and any applicable federal and state sick leave. Employees may participate in the company recognition program to receive monetary or non-monetary recognition awards. Other incentives may be available based on position level and/or job specifics.
About BAE Systems, Inc.
BAE Systems, Inc. is a defense, aerospace, and security company headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, with more than 40,000 employees worldwide. We serve, supply, and protect those who protect us. As one of the most geographically diverse international defense companies, we deliver a full range of products and services spanning air, land, maritime, space, and cyber, including advanced electronics, intelligence solutions, and dedicated customer support.
Our culture is performance-driven and values-led, built on curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. Purpose isn't a tagline here. It's what drives us. We're developing breakthrough technologies that defend national security and make a lasting impact on our communities and our planet. When you join BAE Systems, you're not just building a career. You're contributing to a mission that truly matters.
This position will be posted for at least 5 calendar days. The posting will remain active until the position is filled, or a qualified pool of candidates is identified.