Director of Research Engineering

Required Skills:

We are looking for a research engineering director to lead our Avionics Advanced CNS Sandbox organization. The CNS Sandbox is chartered with defining new disruptive aircraft communication links, applications, architectures, navigation, surveillance, and autonomy concepts for the Collins Avionics business unit. The CNS Sandbox is a small hand selected, high performance research team.

This leader is expected to:

1. Contribute technically to the team as well as lead the team, set direction, and oversee execution.
2. Build out the next generation rigs, models, development roadmaps, and execute the research programs.
3. Oversee the dedicated research budget for the team.
4. Maintain a world class team.
5. Build powerful networks with customers, product line transition organizations, and regulators.
6. This will be an onsite position based in Melbourne, Florida. Relocation assistance may be available.

Primary Responsibilities:

1. Engage as a technologist, technical contributor with the engineering team, and as a technical representative and advocate to the broader Avionics organization.
2. Define the research focused strategic roadmap for the organization.
3. Engage with the Advanced Technology leadership, VP of Avionics Engineering, Technical Fellows, and Product teams to understand current pain points in the CNS domains as well as the future technology needs.
4. Define the technical and investment plan to attack biggest impact challenge problems with your budget.
5. Build world class team to address the Avionics CNS challenges, by experimenting, working proof of concept, building out rigs, modeling, and flight testing.
6. Work with team to explore a broad disruptive trade space.
7. Drive teams with focus ranging from early minimum viable prototypes to scalable high-fidelity evaluations as concepts mature towards transition.
8. Collaborate with product design teams in both the CNS space as well as with teams developing new applications (such as connected flight deck, next gen FMS) that will be based on CNS capabilities.
9. Present the vision and shape the Avionics roadmaps through regular engagements and presentations to the Avionics President and Staff.

Qualifications you must have:

1. Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) unless prohibited by local laws/regulations and minimum 14 years prior relevant experience or an Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 12 years of experience or in absence of a degree, 18 years of relevant experience.
2. Research and development experience is required.
3. Proven project execution skills in developing commercial or military Avionics systems are required.
4. Demonstrated engineering technical experience on complex avionics programs is required.

Preferred Qualifications:

1. Experience with commercial Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance systems.
2. History of subject matter expertise technical depth in Communications, Navigation, Surveillance, RF design, or controls.