Defense Chief Engineer

$115,600 - $196,400/Yr

Pratt & Miller Engineering - Lyon Charter Township, MI

Full-time - Senior

Hybrid - Lyon Charter Township, MI

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services

About the position

The Defense Chief Engineer at Pratt Miller is responsible for leading engineering projects within the defense sector, ensuring technical excellence, customer satisfaction, and project profitability. This role involves overseeing engineering execution, mentoring teams, and aligning project solutions with organizational goals. The Chief Engineer will also engage in market intelligence, customer relationship management, and strategic planning to drive innovation in defense solutions.

Responsibilities

• Assist in market intelligence, customer lead generation, scope meetings, opportunity evaluation, and leading proposal efforts.
• Oversee the engineering execution of projects, ensuring technical approach, customer satisfaction, quality, timing, and profitability.
• Lead and mentor engineering teams, fostering growth and team development.
• Plan and formulate engineering programs, reviewing product designs for compliance with engineering principles, company standards, and customer requirements.
• Approve design changes, specifications, and drawing releases.
• Coordinate technical development, scheduling, and resolve engineering design and testing challenges.
• Lead the identification of electrical and hybrid vehicle technical architectures and system partitioning.
• Develop SWOT analyses and identify competitive advantages, proposing PM solutions based on market needs.
• Integrate engineering best practices across the organization.
• Present technical capabilities and solutions to management, customers, and partners.
• Ensure alignment of project solutions with broader organizational goals, industry roadmaps, and emerging technologies.
• Set technical objectives, resolve conflicts, and make decisions based on trade studies and requirements.
• Coordinate resource forecasting, program management, and recruiting efforts.
• Identify and mitigate technical risks to customer satisfaction and project deliverables.
• Lead internal and external technical communications to keep projects on track.
• Oversee financials and ensure project profitability.
• Manage customer relationships, provide status updates, and ensure on-time deliverables.
• Offer feedback on customer needs and continuous process improvements.

Requirements

• Experience in full vehicle design and development, including chassis systems, propulsion, and energy systems.
• Expertise in testing, evaluation, and verification/validation of vehicle systems.
• Strong technical background with deep understanding of system engineering, systems safety, and safety-critical software.
• Familiarity with the lean product development process, including CAE tools and optimization.
• Experience in test and evaluation, including developmental and integrated verification strategies.
• Hands-on experience in maintaining and repairing systems in the field is an advantage.
• Knowledge of functional safety systems, associated software, and architecture leadership.
• Familiarity with industry standards and the ability to build team capabilities.
• Solid understanding of vehicle architecture and integration of subsystems.
• Expertise in specific areas such as Weapon Systems, Combat Vehicle Engineering, Fire Control Systems, Turrets and Ammo Handling Systems, Virtual Environments and Battlefield Systems, Defense AI and Software.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Ability to communicate strategic vision and convert it into actionable operational plans.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience in hybrid vehicle technical architectures and system partitioning.
• Experience in leading proposal efforts and customer lead generation.

Benefits

• Competitive total rewards package
• Opportunities for team member growth and success
• Flexible work environment
• Support for employees with disabilities