Systems Engineer

Employer description

Swarm Aero is redefining air power, building the largest swarming UAV and the most versatile swarming aircraft network in the world. The company is moving quickly to launch the first aircraft designed specifically for swarming, as well as the Command & Control software to mobilize swarms of thousands of heterogeneous autonomous assets and empower human operators to achieve superhuman results.

The team has created and exited multiple startups, negotiated defense deals worth billions of dollars, and designed and built 30+ novel aircraft, with aerospace experience from Scaled Composites, Airbus, Archer Aviation, Blue Origin, and Boom Supersonic.

Our aircraft will operate in non-segregated airspace, over populated areas, and in proximity to civilian aircraft, other swarming assets, terrain, and airborne intruders including threats. We need someone who can support the architecture that holds it all together, from requirements through integration and flight.

What You’ll Do

Maintain and refine the system architecture, translating mission and operational requirements into clear technical specifications

Focus in one of several domains including avionics, flight controls, propulsion, landing, software, mission systems, and separation from traffic, terrain, or weather

Develop and maintain system requirements, interface control documents (ICDs), and functional decomposition across aircraft subsystems

Lead cross-discipline integration to ensure that subsystem interfaces are well-defined and validated

Develop and implement the digital thread that supports configuration management

Perform system-level trade studies and participate in design reviews to drive architecture decisions that balance performance, risk, schedule, and mass constraints

Support hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) and software-in-the-loop (SIL) integration testing including investigation and resolution of anomalies

Coordinate with ground and flight test teams to define system verification plans and close requirements through analysis and test artifacts

Identify, track, and mitigate technical risk across the program lifecycle, escalating issues with data-driven recommendations

Contribute to airworthiness and flight authorization documentation

What We’re Looking For

7+ years of systems engineering experience on aerospace, defense, or UAS platforms

Familiarity with authoring, negotiating, managing, and maintaining system requirements using modern digital tools (e.g. Jama, Polarion, JIRA, etc.) for software and hardware

Ability to write clear, verifiable, and testable system requirements using industry-standard patterns

Strong command of model-based systems engineering (MBSE) principles including modeling, analysis, and simulation with digital connections to requirements

Deep experience with systems modeling using SysML (e.g. Cameo)

Hands-on experience driving integration across multi-disciplinary hardware and software teams

Experience maintaining configuration control and digital continuity across models, requirements, and verification artifacts

Familiarity with systems verification and validation methodologies (test, analysis, inspection, demonstration) including digital traceability to requirements

Ability to define, validate, refine, and verify requirements and system architectures

US person status required

Nice to Have

Background in flight control, avionics, or propulsion subsystem integration

Experience with ARP4754 in a vehicle or platform development program

Exposure to defense programs, military airworthiness, or flight authorization processes including MIL-HDBK-516

Active security clearance

ITAR requirement

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant 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 eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Swarm Aero is an equal opportunity employer. We value diverse backgrounds and experiences and make employment decisions without regard to race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or disability.

What We Offer

Meaningful equity in a high-growth defense technology company

Competitive base salary commensurate with experience

Medical, dental, vision, and 401k

PTO and paid sick leave

Monthly wellness stipend

Daily catered lunch (office)

Paid parental leave

Direct impact on a critical national security mission

A world-class team of engineers and operators solving genuinely hard problems