Principal Chief Engineer & System Architect

About the Role

Own the capability for integrated architecture, cross-disciplinary technical decisions, design maturity, and product-level technical risk for a single platform. Partner with functional engineering leaders rather than replacing their subsystem ownership.

Key Responsibilities

Chief Engineer Leadership:

• Define delegated technical decision rights, architecture ownership, design maturity expectations, and escalation thresholds.
• Review and challenge product technical risk assessments, readiness recommendations, and architectural decisions; resolve cross-product conflicts.

Systems Architecture and Technical Integration:

• Guide system decomposition, hardware/software/autonomy partitioning, interfaces, performance budgets, trade studies, and architecture baselines.
• Drive modular, reusable platform architectures while allowing product-specific tradeoffs.
• Work with Hardware, Software, and Aero and Autonomy leaders to resolve integration issues and maintain discipline-level design ownership.

Technical Maturity and Portfolio Leadership:

• Establish lightweight, evidence-based design reviews (e.g., PDR/CDR where appropriate), technical baselines, and risk registers.
• Lead cross-product technical health reviews and provide concise readiness/risk recommendations to the VP of Engineering.
• Partner with Product Management on technical realization of customer needs and Program Management on schedule/technical tradeoffs.

AI-native engineering and builder mindset

• Personally use approved AI tools to accelerate architecture exploration, trade-study preparation, interface analysis, technical research, design-review preparation, and engineering knowledge retrieval. Know when to question and validate AI-driven results. 
• Build and deploy practical AI-enabled workflows and lightweight internal tools that help product teams work faster, improve traceability, surface technical risk, and reduce administrative burden. 

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years building complex integrated hardware/software systems, including substantial system architecture ownership.
• Experience acting as a product Chief Engineer, lead Systems Architect, or equivalent final integrated technical authority.
• Demonstrated experience mentoring or managing senior technical leaders and influencing multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Hands-on expertise in architectural trade studies, interface design, system integration, risk management, and technical readiness.
• Ability to make evidence-based decisions amid uncertainty and balance speed, reliability, cost, and manufacturability.

Preferred Qualifications

• UAS, autonomy, aerospace/defense, robotics, or expeditionary manufacturing experience.
• Experience across multiple products or common-platform architectures.
• Familiarity with MBSE/SysML and requirements/verification traceability as enabling tools, not ends in themselves.
• Experience moving prototypes into manufacturing and field operations.

What Success Looks Like

• 30 days: map product ownership, top architecture/integration risks, and current technical decision bottlenecks.
• 90 days: named technical authority for every active product; initial Chief Engineer operating cadence and readiness criteria.
• 6 months: Chief Engineers independently drive architecture and product technical risk with fewer routine escalations to SVP.
• 12 months: measurable reduction in recurring design/integration issues and stronger reuse of platform architectures.

Work Environment

• Based at our Headquarters in San Diego, CA
• This role requires an on-site presence
• We welcome candidates who are local or open to relocating; relocation assistance is available and may be included in the offer package where appropriate.

Compensation

US Salary Range: $212,000 - $247,000 USD 

The posted salary range reflects an estimate based on a variety of compensation factors, including but not limited to relevant experience, education, certifications, specialized skills, geographic location, and business needs. Actual compensation may vary, and this range is subject to change as our compensation structure or market conditions evolve.

Benefits & Perks

Our culture fosters collaboration, respect, and trust, empowering passionate people to do their best work. We offer a competitive salary, comprehensive benefits, and opportunities for career growth. In addition to an opportunity to take part in an innovative, collaborative and fast-growing business with a highly motivated and skilled team, we also take pride in taking care of our employees. Here are just a few ways that we show our appreciation:

• We offer comprehensive medical, dental, and visions plans
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan to invest in your long-term retirement goals
• Equity grants for new hires
• Unlimited PTO
• Extremely generous company holiday calendar, including a holiday hiatus in November, & December
• Generous Parental Leave 
• Lifestyle Spending Account
• FSA 
• DCFSA
• HSA
• Hospital Indemnity insurance 
• Critical Illness insurance 
• Accident insurance 
• Basic Life/AD&D, short-term and long-term disability insurance, 100% covered by Firestorm. Plus, the option to purchase additional life insurance for you and your family
• Mental Health Resources: We provide free mental health resources 24/7 including therapy and more. Additional work-life services, such as free legal and financial support, are available to you as well

Export Control Compliance

To conform to U.S. government export control regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or otherwise eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or U.S. Department of Commerce.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Firestorm is an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace, and upholding equitable hiring practices. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic under federal, state, or local law, including those with a criminal history, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the CA Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. We actively encourage members of recognized minorities, women, Veterans, and those with disabilities to apply, and we work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all applicants throughout the interview process.

Firestorm is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible work environment. If you require accommodations or assistance during the application process, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at careers@launchfirestorm.com so we can provide the support you need.

Compensation

The base pay range for this role is $212,000 – $247,000 per year.