Sr. Staff Project Engineer, UAS Development at Firestorm in San Diego, CA

Job description

Who We Are At Firestorm, we are building the future of expeditionary defense manufacturing and autonomous systems. Modern conflict has exposed a fundamental problem: the systems needed most by operators are often too expensive, too slow to produce, and too difficult to sustain at scale. Firestorm exists to change that. We develop mission-adaptable aerial systems and deployable manufacturing infrastructure designed to put capability directly into the hands of the warfighter. From modular unmanned aircraft to xCell -- our deployable microfactory -- our goal is to make defense systems rapidly deployable, adaptable, and producible at the point of need. We are looking for builders, operators, and problem-solvers who want to work on meaningful technology with real-world impact. About the Role The Senior Staff Project Engineer, UAS Development is responsible for leading and coordinating the technical development of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) throughout the entire product lifecycle: from initial prototype development, including conceptual design to first flight, through productionization. This utilizes strong engineering fundamentals and efficient technical program execution to deliver safe, reliable, and innovative UAS platforms. In addition to individual-contributor program execution, the Senior Staff Project Engineer is expected to build the functional processes and best practices that make UAS program execution repeatable across the team, not just for their own programs. What You’ll Do Project Leadership & Integration: Manage technical maturity, ensuring alignment with program timelines and budgets. Lead and coordinate program reviews from conceptual design reviews through production readiness reviews. Coordinate across multidisciplinary teams including aero-performance, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, autonomy, software, flight testing, and payload integration. Translate system specifications into derived requirements and manage system-level architecture and interfaces. Technical Oversight & Systems Engineering: Provide peer reviews for technical deliverables such as stress analyses and flight test plans. Ensure all subsystems (flight control, navigation, communication, propulsion, etc.) are effectively integrated and tested. Map verification and validation methods to requirements. Communicate technical risks through appropriate stakeholders. Building Functional Processes & Best Practices: Establish repeatable templates and entry/exit criteria for design and program reviews so review quality doesn't depend on who's running it. Build and maintain configuration management and interface control practices that scale as program count and team size grow. Capture lessons learned from each development cycle and convert them into concrete process changes, checklists, or tooling—not just retrospective notes. Partner with engineering leadership to decide where formal process adds value versus where it slows down iteration—this role is expected to professionalize execution without over-processing a fast-moving org. Stakeholder Engagement: Interface with internal teams, suppliers, customers, and government agencies to align expectations and ensure project success. Prepare and deliver project reports, risk assessments, and technical presentations to senior leadership and stakeholders. Required Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field (Master's preferred). U.S. Citizenship and ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance. 12+ years of experience in aerospace development, with at least 3 years in a Project Engineer or equivalent technical program execution role. Experience in aircraft architecture, airframe development, or aircraft software development. Experience with flight controls, communications, or payload integration highly desirable. Demonstrated experience building or substantially improving an engineering proces