Have a passion for kinetic effects and missile systems?

The Small Airborne Effectors Division within the Leidos Kinetic Effects Business Area is responsible for designing, developing, testing, and producing small to medium airborne missiles, unmanned vehicles, and payload effectors for a wide variety of defense customers. Our team is seeking a Deputy Chief Engineer to work at our Huntsville, AL campus on a fast-paced, critical program. This role requires diverse experience across many disciplines, including aerodynamics, propulsion, electrical, and mechanical engineering. This is a dynamic opportunity in which talented engineers can thrive working on a multidisciplinary projects in the kinetic effectors arena. We are in search of a highly motivated, trained, and talented deputy chief engineer to lead and drive technology programs through the complete product lifecycle from research and development through full production.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Coordinate and oversee engineering teams across disciplines, providing critical insight and direction on vehicle design, integration, and test
• Balance engineering analysis, design, test, and schedule constraints to meet aggressive schedules for development, prototyping, fabrication, and test for full systems development
• Implement and execute systems engineering and integration best practices tailored for speed and agility while maintaining the highest standards in execution
• Manage schedule, risk, and budget constraints in a complex system development
• Brief upper management, customer leadership, and technical teams on progress, including deep technical understanding of all program areas
• Prepare, present and coordinate design reviews, including PDR, CDR and Test Readiness Reviews

Basic Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical engineering or computer engineering from an ABET accredited institution and 15+ years of related expereince
• Demonstrated capabilities in one or more of the following areas: integrated system development; munition and missile design, development and test; solid rocket motor propulsion; systems engineering; program management; team leadership
• Constructive collaboration within and among multi-disciplinary teams
• Availability to travel to support testing and other events (average 10-25%)
• Active TOP SECRET security clearance or the ability to obtain one

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with DoW Safety Organizations, including test range safety, fuzing and energetics safety, and system safety organizations
• Flight test experience at USG ranges for ground and/or air launched weapons testing
• Experience working on energetic systems design, development, and test
• Rapid prototyping, integration, and test experience
• Requirements-based design and test planning
• Technical and organizational leadership

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting:

January 30, 2026

For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range:

Pay Range $154,050.00 - $278,475.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.