Principal Mission Systems Engineer, IPT Lead

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats. 

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $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. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com.

Role Overview:
We are seeking an experienced Principal Mission Systems Engineer who will own the mission systems architecture and operational employment concept for the Massed Modular Aircraft (MMA) program, ensuring the platform is designed not just to fly, but to execute real U.S. Air Force (USAF) mission sets as operators actually employ them. This role translates 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. The ideal candidate brings direct experience with USAF mission operations — either as a former operator, mission systems engineer supporting operational units, or developer working closely with operational USAF customers — and can credibly bridge the gap between operational requirements and engineering design decisions.
Responsibilities:

• Own the mission systems architecture for the MMA platform, including payload/sensor employment, mission planning, mission execution logic, and data/information flow supporting the operational mission.
• Translate USAF CONOPS, TTPs, and operational employment concepts into traceable mission systems requirements and architecture decisions.
• Define mission system interfaces with onboard avionics, the Ground Control Station (GCS), payload/sensor subsystems, and relevant command-and-control (C2) networks.
• Lead mission-level trade studies (e.g., sensor coverage, mission endurance, payload employment timing, autonomy/automation level) balancing operational effectiveness against cost, weight, and producibility constraints inherent to a modular, mass-producible platform.
• Serve as the engineering team's primary interface to USAF operational stakeholders (e.g., operational units, Air Combat Command or relevant MAJCOM representatives, government mission systems leads) to ensure design decisions reflect real-world employment needs.
• Participate in or lead mission utility analysis, wargaming, and operational employment reviews to validate that system design supports intended mission outcomes.
• Develop and maintain mission threads/vignettes used to drive requirements, test planning, and design verification across the program.
• Identify gaps between stated requirements and actual operational employment needs, and drive resolution through the systems engineering/requirements management process.
• Define mission planning system requirements and workflows consistent with USAF mission planning practices and tools.
• Ensure mission systems architecture supports interoperability with relevant USAF/joint C2 systems, data standards, and tactical data links as applicable to the program's operational concept.
• Partner with the Avionics/GCS engineering team (who own the onboard avionics and Ground Control Station architecture) to ensure mission systems requirements are correctly reflected in air-ground interface design and GCS operator workflows.
• Support development of mission-level cybersecurity and information assurance requirements consistent with operational employment environments.
• Define the mission systems verification approach, including mission-level test scenarios, mission thread verification, and operationally representative test conditions.
• Support developmental test (DT) and operational test (OT) planning, ensuring test events adequately exercise real mission employment conditions.
• Partner with USAF test organizations and operational evaluators to plan and execute mission systems verification activities.
• Analyze test results against mission effectiveness criteria and drive design changes where mission performance gaps are identified.
• Serve as the senior technical authority for mission systems on the program, representing the discipline at Preliminary Design Review (PDR), Critical Design Review (CDR), and government technical interchange meetings.
• Partner with Systems Engineering, Avionics, Structures/Mechanical, Software, Program Management, and the government customer to align mission systems maturity with program schedule and cost targets.
• Identify and manage mission systems risks, including operational employment risk, interoperability risk, and mission performance risk relative to stated requirements.

Minimum 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 (e.g., 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 (e.g., pilot, sensor operator, intelligence/mission planning career field) is strongly preferred.
• 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 the mission employment considerations unique to "mass" operational concepts (e.g., distributed operations, attrition tolerance,
• Ability to obtain/maintain Secret/Top Secret/SCI clearance

Why CHAOS?

• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
• Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
• Our Perks: Free daily lunch while you're working onsite, fully-stocked kitchen, unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
• Team Growth: 500+ employees and counting across 5 global offices

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. 

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