Systems Engineering Lead - Liquid Robotics, a Boeing Company

Overview

At Liquid Robotics, we make the most experienced ocean surface robot on the planet! Our Wave Glider platform services a wide range of missions, whether it’s acting in partnership with environmental institutes to monitor oil spills or supporting a nation’s sovereignty by listening for submarines deep within the ocean, these rugged uncrewed surface vessels have been deployed in high sea states in the North Sea, hurricanes, or tropical storms, for more than 10 years.

Liquid Robotics is seeking a Systems Engineering Lead. This person will be responsible for systems engineering activities on various internal and customer projects at Liquid Robotics. Key activities will include preparing customer needs analyses and operational concept definitions, authoring trade studies, development and elaboration of requirements and interface specifications, as well as performing other systems engineering functions in a cross functional, highly engaged environment. This person may also direct the work of more junior systems engineers on project efforts.

The Sr. Systems Engineer will report directly to the Head of Engineering. This role will be located in our Herndon, VA headquarters.

 Essential Responsibilities
 

Job duties will include applying an interdisciplinary, collaborative approach to plan, design, develop and verify basic lifecycle balanced system of systems and system solutions and evaluating customer/operational needs to define system performance requirements, integrate technical parameters and assure compatibility of all physical, functional and program interfaces. Performs analyses to optimize total system of systems and/or system architecture. Performs analyses for affordability, safety, reliability, maintainability, testability, human systems integration, survivability, vulnerability, susceptibility, system security, regulatory, certification, product assurance and other specialties quality factors into a preferred configuration to ensure mission success. Support and help refine the planning, organization, implementation and monitoring of requirements management processes, tools, risk, issues, opportunity management and technology readiness assessment processes.

1. Work with software, firmware, and hardware teams to define and develop internal and customer specific projects.
2. Direct work of other, more junior systems engineers
3. Perform needs analysis and requirements development
4. Author and refine trade studies
5. Evaluate and propose cost benefit tradeoffs
6. Contribute to systems engineering effort planning estimates
7. Develop and drive performance requirements and constraints as well as measures of effectiveness.
8. Work with engineering team to resolve systems level issues
9. Define system level interfaces
10. Perform functional decomposition
11. Create and execute tests to confirm proper execution of components (software, hardware, firmware)
12. Develop risk analyses and mitigations
13. Make recommendations for usability and product improvement
14. Use MBSE tools to complete work per Liquid Robotics standards
15. Work with stakeholders and senior engineers to refine technical approaches, target vs objective requirements and other items as needed
16. Assist with preparation and release of production and customer documentation.  

Key Performance Indicator’s

Success in this role will be measured by:

1. Analyzes and decomposes requirements successfully.
2. Clearly articulates design alternatives and tradeoffs,
3. Enforces system engineering discipline across all product teams,
4. After 1-year, achieve measurable improvement in meeting schedule and quality targets.

Key Attributes

A successful candidate will embody the following functional and technical competencies:

1. Communication

Using a variety of media, clearly conveys information and ideas to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain the message.

1. Continuous Learning

Demonstrates an interest in personal learning and development. Seeks feedback from multiple sources about how to improve and develop; modifies behavior based on feedback or self-analysis of past mistakes. Takes steps to develop and maintain the knowledge, skill, and ability to perform.

1. Customer Focus

Makes customers and their needs a primary focus of one's actions.

1. Innovation/Creativity

Discovers new opportunities and solutions for problems by looking beyond current practices and using innovative thinking. Tries different and novel ways to deal with work problems and opportunities.

1. Quality

Provide products and services that meet the highest technical and quality standards, regulatory requirements, and company policies and processes and embrace first-time quality as a way of life – not accepting, creating or passing any defects and speaking up.

1. Safety Awareness

Identifying and correcting conditions and behaviors that affect employee, public, and customer safety; upholding safety standards; demonstrating proactive safety culture leadership.

1. Analytical Skills

Skill and ability to: collect, organize, synthesize, and analyze data; summarize findings; develop conclusions and recommendations from appropriate data sources.

1. Systems Thinking

Ability to understand the big picture and the inter-relationships of all positions and activities in the system, including the impact of changes in one area on another area. This includes the ability to see and understand the inter-relationships between components of systems and plans, anticipate future events, and apply the principles of systems thinking to accelerate performance.

Minimum Qualifications:

1. BS in Systems Engineering or equivalent. Advanced degree preferred.
2. Experience in a senior systems engineering role on at least one significant project.
3. Five or more years of direct experience in systems engineering (internships included).
4. Strong technical writing skills.
5. Familiarity with formal systems engineering processes and methods.
6. Experience with systems engineering frameworks such as DoDAF, UAF, NASA.
7. Experience with MBSE tools such as Cameo, CORA, etc.
8. Experience with formal systems engineering standards (INCOSE, IEEE, DoD, NASA, etc.).
9. Experience in robotics, autonomous systems, or maritime systems is a strong plus.

Liquid Robotics designs and manufactures Wave Gliders®, the world’s first wave and solar powered autonomous ocean robots. With partners, they address challenges facing defense, Oil & Gas, commercial and science customers by making ocean data collections and communications easier safer and in real-time. Liquid Robotics was acquired by Boeing in December of 2016 and operates as an independent non-integrated subsidiary. 

For more info, please visit www.liquid-robotics.com

Liquid Robotics is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.