Chief Architect Jobs in Washington

INTRODUCTION

Astronics AES seeks a Chief Engineer - Systems in Kirkland, WA to drive the long-term growth and success of our Airborne Power & Control (APC) Product Group, specializing in aerospace power generation, conversion, distribution, and integrated flight-critical power systems. Collaborating across product groups and business units, this role provides systems-level technical leadership, ensures customer satisfaction, and advances innovative, certifiable solutions for airframe flight-critical power.

Key Responsibilities

• New Technology Exploration & Patents
• Stay closely connected to emerging technologies relevant to APC product lines, including power generation, conversion, distribution, controls, and integrated aircraft systems.
• Evaluate how new technologies can be applied to our current and future products to improve performance, reliability, cost, and certification outcomes.

• Identify and champion opportunities for patents and trade secrets to secure long-term, sustainable competitive advantage and strengthen our Intellectual Property portfolio.

• Market Engagement & Winning Business

• Engage with customers, standards organizations, and industry forums/tradeshows to understand evolving requirements, certification expectations, and technology trends in flight-critical power systems.
• Work directly with customers to architect and design flight-critical power systems using new or existing APC products, shaping system architectures, interfaces, and performance requirements.

• Partner with Business Development and Program Management to prepare proposals, define winning technical solutions, and ensure APC has the right products at the right time to secure new platforms and customers.

• Product Definition & Strategic Roadmap Development

• Translate technology insights and market intelligence into clear system-level product requirements and architectures for new and derivative APC products.
• Define and maintain a forward-looking systems roadmap for airframe flight-critical power solutions, aligned with customer needs, certification requirements, and business objectives.

• Prioritize and plan strategic product developments, ensuring strong return on investment and improved revenue growth and market share.

• People Mentoring & Technical Leadership

• Invest in engineers by teaching the “why” behind system design decisions, not just the “what” and the “how.”
• Partner with Functional Managers to develop design and systems engineers into senior technical experts and future technical leaders.

• Lead by example via system design reviews, trade studies, and cross-functional collaboration, reinforcing best practices and lessons learned.

• Product Technical Oversight

• Provide systems-level oversight across the product lifecycle, from concept and proposal through design, integration, verification, certification, and in-service support.
• Promote sound engineering judgment, rigorous system safety and reliability analysis, and robust requirements definition and validation consistent with company Values & Behaviors.

• Create space for creativity and innovation within engineering teams while ensuring the overall system intent, product vision, and certification objectives are achieved.

• Technology & Certification Leadership

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of emerging technologies and industry standards related to flight-critical power, avionics integration, and system certification requirements.
• Provide guidance on system safety, regulatory compliance, and certification strategies (e.g., DO-160, DO-254/DO-178 interfaces, ARP4754A, ARP4761 or equivalent processes).
• Help position APC as a thought leader in integrated airframe power systems through papers, presentations, standards participation, and direct customer interactions.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 10+ years of relevant experience in aerospace systems, with a focus on power generation, conversion, distribution, or flight-critical systems integration.
• Demonstrated experience in requirements development, system architecture, system safety, and verification/validation for aerospace products.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Product Roadmaps & Market Impact
• Creating and executing systems-level product roadmaps for airframe flight-critical power solutions.

• Delivering continued revenue growth and market share expansion through well-timed, well-defined products and system solutions.

• Strategic Planning for APC

• Contributing to strategic planning by identifying system-level technical directions and new product opportunities that fill market gaps and meet customer needs.

• Helping to select and prioritize programs that yield strong internal rates of return (IRR) on R&D and product investments.

• Advancement & Protection of Intellectual Property

• Evaluating new IP opportunities, including system architectures, control strategies, and integration methods that differentiate APC products.

• Successfully driving patentable system-level technologies that create sustainable technical advantages vs. competition.

• Engineering Mentorship & Collaboration

• Building strong partnerships with design, systems, and product support teams to improve performance of both new and fielded products.

• Developing the engineering talent pipeline by coaching teams in systems thinking, requirements flow-down, and cross-discipline trade-off analysis.

• Winning New Business & Thought Leadership

• Acting as a recognized technical thought leader in the industry such that customers view you as a trusted technical advisor.

• Enabling deployment of new or existing products/systems onto significant new platforms or customers within approximately 24 months, through effective technical leadership in pursuits and proposals.

• Emerging Technologies & Certification Requirements

• Staying current on emerging technologies in flight-critical power, energy storage, power quality, and system-level certification expectations.

• Applying this knowledge proactively to product roadmaps, proposals, and development programs.

• Experience representing the company at industry events, technical conferences, and standards bodies is highly desirable.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

• This role may involve access to items subject to U.S. export-controls laws or other applicable U.S. government legal or contractual requirements. To assess whether any licenses, authorizations, or other exceptions are required, please indicate whether you are a U.S. Person. If you are not a U.S. Person, the company does not guarantee and is under no obligation to seek such authorization if it would be necessary. This information is collected solely for this compliance purpose.
• Must pass a pre-employment background check and drug screening (includes cannabis).

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Salary Range: $180,677 – $288,613 annually (Mid-point: $234,645).

Actual salary will be based on experience, education, certifications, and current market conditions. It is not typical to be hired at or near the top of the range.

• Bonus: Highly competitive Quarterly Profit Sharing Bonus.

Comprehensive Benefits Package:

• Health & Well-Being: Medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance. Optional coverage includes critical illness, accident prevention, and hospital indemnity.
• Financial Security: 401(k) plan and Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
• Work-Life Balance: Flexible hybrid work arrangements for eligible positions, Employee Assistance Program, and a supportive culture that values balance.
• Paid Time Off: Starting at 120 hours of PTO annually, plus 12 paid holidays per year.