Program Engineering Manager - C4ISR

Job Description See what you’re missing. Our employees work on the world’s most advanced electronics – from detecting threats for F-35 pilots to illuminating the night for soldiers. Spanning air, land, sea, and space, we are developing the technology of tomorrow, delivered today. Drawing strength from our differences, we’re innovating for the future. And you can, too. Our flexible work environment provides you a chance to change the world without giving up your personal life. We put our customers first – exemplified by our mission: “We Protect Those Who Protect Us®.” Sound like a team you want to be a part of? Come experience what it is to build your career with BAE Systems. In Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) Systems, you’ll help develop systems that sense, control, exploit and disseminate actionable information to warfighters supporting a variety of missions. We find the threats and bad actors who are hidden and do not want to be found. The Advanced RF (ARF) product line is seeking a Program Engineering Manager (PEM) II to lead the engineering execution of a fast-paced SIGINT development program. The Program Engineering Manager is the linchpin between technical strategy and programmatic delivery, ensuring the system meets all customer requirements within allocated cost and schedule constraints. You will hold engineering decision authority over execution, serving as the primary bridge between the Program Office, the Chief Engineer, and the engineering team. You will be responsible for the successful design, development, fielding, and sustainment of the system. As a PEM, you will be expected to maintain a strong closure orientation, setting and driving the team’s operational tempo to ensure the disciplined and timely completion of all project tasks. The successful candidate will possess strong communication skills and excel at team building.
To balance collaborative in-person engagement with independent focus, this role follows a partial hybrid work format.

Key Responsibilities
- Strategic Leadership : Partner with the Program Manager and Chief Engineer to translate customer needs into executable engineering plans.
- Cross-Functional Integration : Orchestrate efforts across software, hardware, systems engineering, and test disciplines to ensure a cohesive system-level solution.
- Execution Management : Own the engineering lifecycle, ensuring all technical performance milestones are met on time and within budget. Maintain rigorous internal and external scope control as the project evolves, proactively managing requirements changes to prevent scope creep and ensure alignment with programmatic goals.
- Operational Momentum : Drive a culture of closure orientation across the engineering team; establish and maintain a high operational tempo to proactively push tasks to completion and eliminate bottlenecks in the development lifecycle.
- Customer Technical Partnership : Serve as the primary engineering face of the program to the customer community; build high-trust relationships with customer technical leads to align expectations, negotiate technical trade-offs, and ensure the delivered solution exceeds operational requirements.
- Growth & Capture : Lead the preparation of competitive, executable engineering bids that align with price-to-win targets and expand the business footprint. Lead engineering interactions with the customer community to ensure mission success, while proactively identifying unmet customer needs to inform future product roadmaps and growth opportunities.
- Stakeholder Management : Serve as the primary technical point of contact for both internal executive leadership and external customer stakeholders.
- Resource Optimization : Define and establish the organizational and staffing architecture required for successful project execution; proactively identify critical skill gaps and spearhead the development of talent and resource acquisition to ensure mission success.
- Governance & Quality : Implement and maintain engineering performance metrics and ensure the appropriate application of processes based on project complexity.
- Risk Mitigation : Proactively identify, communicate, and mitigate technical risks and opportunities in collaboration with the Chief Engineer and Program Management.
Required Education, Experience, & Skills Clearance : Active Secret security clearance with the ability to obtain Top Secret.

Education/Experience: Bachelor’s Degree and 8+ years of professional experience (or equivalent).

Technical Pedigree: Strong foundation in the development of complex electronic systems, with experience supporting the transition of designs from development toward manufacturing.

Project Oriented Mindset: Demonstrated aptitude for project engineering management; experience contributing to organizational planning, estimating, design reviews, or product verification, with a consistent drive for task closure and execution.

Adaptive Leadership: Combines a positive, can-do attitude with a flexible approach to problem-solving; capable of navigating ambiguity and project volatility without losing momentum. Ensures the team remains motivated and productive through unexpected technical hurdles by setting a disciplined operational tempo and driving an unwavering orientation toward task closure.

Financial Stewardship: Practical experience with Cost Account Management (CAM) and Earned Value Management (EVM) principles, including the ability to maintain baseline control and report on project performance against budget.

Communication & Influence: Exceptional oral and written communication skills, with a proven ability to distill complex technical data into concise, actionable briefings for leadership-level audiences. Capable of tailoring messaging for different stakeholders—translating technical and engineering challenges into programmatic risks and opportunities to drive informed decision-making. Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills
- Clearance: DoW Top Secret Clearance.
- Technical Depth: Experience with signal-processing capabilities and the integration of software within established frameworks. Open software architectures and framework.
- Software Integration & Validation : Experience overseeing the integration of complex software builds into hardware environments and leading the subsequent testing and verification efforts to ensure mission-readiness.
- Customer Engagement : Proven success in planning and leading high-visibility customer demonstrations, with the ability to showcase technical capabilities and effectively handle real-time customer feedback.
- Analytical Rigor: Experience applying performance models to validate system performance and steer design decisions.
- Leadership Acumen: Proven ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams through complex technical crises using strategic thinking and strong business acumen.
- Collaboration: A demonstrated ability to build high-performing teams and foster collaboration across business units and functions.

Pay Information
Full-Time Salary Range: $149603 - $254317

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 Electronic Systems 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.