Senior Project Engineer

Job Description

Job DescriptionJob Title: Senior Project Engineer – High Energy Laser SystemsJob Description

This Senior Project Engineer role focuses on leading cradle-to-grave execution of complex terrestrial High Energy Laser (HEL) programs in the 300–500kW class. You will serve as the dedicated project engineering representative in a newly expanding technical area, working within a Triad leadership model alongside a Program Manager and a Chief Engineer. While the Chief Engineer owns the system architecture and design decisions, you will own the execution strategy and implementation — driving technical progress, coordinating cross-functional engineering teams, and removing roadblocks to ensure successful delivery of advanced laser-based defense technologies.

Responsibilities

• Own full lifecycle program execution from proposal through award, implementation, and closeout, including development of work breakdown structures, integrated master schedules, staffing plans, and bases of estimate.
• Shape and maintain the program baseline following contract award, including budget allocation, technical tasking, and schedule management to align with contractual commitments.
• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for program execution, proactively identifying risks, developing mitigation strategies, and creating return-to-green plans when issues arise.
• Support Integrated Project Teams (IPTs) by adjudicating cross-subsystem disagreements from a technical perspective, ensuring optimization of the overall system over individual subsystem priorities (e.g., cooling subsystems versus laser head subsystems).
• Coordinate with functional leaders to build and staff cross-functional engineering teams that align with program scope, technical complexity, and schedule demands.
• Support internal budget negotiations with Program Management, including reconciling funding gaps through scope adjustments, budget reallocations, or schedule refinements.
• Represent the program in follow-on proposal efforts, including opportunities for system duplication or deployment at additional locations.
• Contribute to technical design reviews such as SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, and MRR by helping prepare system readiness packages and ensuring the program meets entry and exit criteria for each milestone.
• Partner closely with the Chief Engineer to translate system architecture and high-level technical concepts into executable technical work plans and realistic schedules.
• Drive technical execution across disciplines, ensuring that engineering tasks are clearly defined, appropriately resourced, and completed on schedule.
• Facilitate cross-functional communication and deconfliction, enabling productive collaboration among subject matter experts, including highly specialized laser scientists and systems engineers.
• Promote data-driven decision-making and earned value principles in program execution, using schedule and cost performance information to guide corrective actions.
• Maintain strong situational awareness of system-level performance, identifying when technical discussions indicate potential issues even outside your primary area of expertise.
• Foster a collaborative, autonomous working environment where engineers can take ownership of tasks while you provide leadership, direction, and support.
• Demonstrate resilience and confidence when working with highly technical stakeholders, driving action and compromise without needing to be the primary technical architect or sole solution owner.

Essential Skills

• 12+ years of relevant engineering and/or project engineering experience, with flexibility for candidates who demonstrate strong technical depth and clear project leadership potential.
• Direct experience with at least one of the following: solid-state lasers, fiber lasers, High Energy lasers, or high power laser systems.
• Working knowledge of systems engineering fundamentals, including requirements flow-down, system interplay, verification, validation, and assembly, integration, and test (AIT).
• Familiarity with technical design review milestones such as System Requirements Review (SRR), Preliminary Design Review (PDR), Critical Design Review (CDR), Test Readiness Review (TRR), and Manufacturing Readiness Review (MRR).
• Ability to obtain and maintain a high-level U.S. government security clearance, with willingness to begin the clearance process as a condition of employment.
• U.S. citizenship.
• Engineering or related technical degree preferred, including electrical, mechanical, aerospace engineering, or adjacent technical disciplines such as laser physics or computer science, combined with relevant experience.
• Demonstrated ability to drive technical execution on complex, multi-disciplinary engineering programs.
• Comfort working across engineering disciplines to resolve technical disagreements and optimize system-level performance.
• Strong communication skills to serve as a technical point of contact and interface with program management, chief engineers, and cross-functional teams.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience developing and managing Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) and Integrated Master Schedules (IMS), and understanding how they drive successful program execution.
• Earned Value Management (EVM) experience, including using cost and schedule performance metrics to guide program decisions.
• Prior experience in the defense industry or Department of Defense (DoD) programs is useful but not required; candidates from private sector laser, photonics, or other complex technology industries are welcome.
• Familiarity with SolidWorks for mechanical design review and collaboration is ideal but trainable.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Project for schedule development and management is ideal but trainable.
• Experience in adjacent complex technical domains such as missile defense, free-space optical communications, satellite systems, or other sophisticated defense or aerospace systems programs is valued and evaluated case by case.
• Ability to recognize when technical discussions indicate potential design or execution issues, even outside your primary area of expertise, and to drive appropriate follow-up.
• Ability to balance technical rigor with pragmatic decision-making, enabling timely compromises that keep programs on track.
• Collaborative and autonomous working style, with a track record of taking ownership of problems and driving them to resolution without heavy oversight.
• Resilience and professionalism when working with highly technical subject matter experts, including PhD-level laser scientists, who may be resistant to frequent status updates or technical challenge.
• Confidence in making decisions and driving action while supporting the broader team, without needing to be the central technical architect or sole problem solver.

Work Environment

This is an onsite role within a highly technical engineering organization that supports multiple product lines, including space systems, payloads, and an expanding portfolio in terrestrial High Energy laser technologies. You will operate in a program environment that uses a Triad leadership model, where a Program Manager focuses on external and contractual aspects, a Chief Engineer owns system architecture and design, and you, as the Project Engineer, own the execution strategy and implementation. The work involves close collaboration with cross-functional engineering teams, including systems, mechanical, electrical, and laser specialists, as well as participation in formal design reviews and integrated project team activities. You will regularly use program management and engineering tools such as Microsoft Project for scheduling, SolidWorks for design collaboration, and earned value and systems engineering methodologies to guide execution. The environment emphasizes technical excellence, system-level thinking, and constructive collaboration, providing opportunities to influence cutting-edge laser systems while working with highly skilled subject matter experts in a structured yet dynamic setting.

Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Poway, CA.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $128000.00 - $229000.00/yr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Benefits through GA. Direct placement.

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Poway,CA.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Oct 5, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

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If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification oradjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability,please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance:Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in thecity and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicantswith arrest and conviction records.

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Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process,including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applicationsand qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, youacknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.