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Salary: USD 198,000 - 300,000 / annual
CHAOS Industries is seeking a Principal Mission Systems Engineer to own the mission systems architecture and operational employment concept for the Massed Modular Aircraft (MMA) program. This role is critical to ensuring the platform is designed to execute real U.S. Air Force mission sets as operators actually employ them.
You will translate USAF Concepts of Operations (CONOPS), tactics/techniques/procedures (TTPs), and mission planning/employment workflows into concrete mission systems requirements, driving design decisions across payload integration, sensor-to-shooter/sensor-to-decision chains, mission planning, and command-and-control (C2) interoperability. You will serve as the engineering team's primary interface to USAF operational stakeholders, ensuring design decisions reflect real-world employment needs.
Key responsibilities include:
- Owning mission systems architecture for the MMA platform, including payload/sensor employment, mission planning, mission execution logic, and data/information flow
- Translating USAF CONOPS and TTPs into traceable mission systems requirements and architecture decisions
- Defining mission system interfaces with onboard avionics, Ground Control Station (GCS), payload/sensor subsystems, and C2 networks
- Leading mission-level trade studies balancing operational effectiveness against cost, weight, and producibility constraints
- Serving as primary engineering interface to USAF operational stakeholders (operational units, Air Combat Command, government mission systems leads)
- Participating in mission utility analysis, wargaming, and operational employment reviews to validate system design
- Developing and maintaining mission threads/vignettes to drive requirements, test planning, and design verification
- Identifying gaps between stated requirements and actual operational employment needs
- Defining mission planning system requirements consistent with USAF practices and tools
- Ensuring mission systems architecture supports interoperability with USAF/joint C2 systems and tactical data links
- Partnering with Avionics/GCS engineering teams to ensure mission systems requirements are reflected in air-ground interface design
- Supporting development of mission-level cybersecurity and information assurance requirements
- Defining mission systems verification approach, including mission-level test scenarios and operationally representative test conditions
- Supporting developmental test (DT) and operational test (OT) planning
- Serving as senior technical authority for mission systems at PDR, CDR, and government technical interchange meetings
- Identifying and managing mission systems risks
CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised $1 billion in funding from leading investors including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in Washington D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, and London. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams.
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related discipline (advanced degree preferred)
- 15+ years of mission systems engineering experience with direct, hands-on experience with USAF mission operations (prior USAF operational experience, mission systems engineering supporting operational USAF units, or sustained program experience working closely with operational USAF customers)
- Demonstrated experience translating operational CONOPS/TTPs into engineering requirements and design decisions
- Strong understanding of mission planning, sensor/payload employment concepts, and command-and-control (C2) interoperability as applied to USAF operations
- Experience supporting developmental and/or operational test planning and execution with operational stakeholders
- Direct experience with unmanned aircraft system (UAS) mission operations, including remotely piloted or autonomous mission employment concepts
Preferred Requirements:
- Former USAF operator background (pilot, sensor operator, intelligence/mission planning career field)
- Familiarity with relevant USAF/joint tactical data links and C2 systems
- Experience supporting DOW/DoD proposal efforts, including mission utility analysis and CONOPS development
- Experience with modular, attritable, low-cost, or mass-producible aircraft programs and mission employment considerations unique to mass operational concepts
- Ability to obtain/maintain Secret/Top Secret/SCI clearance
