Systems Architecture Design Engineer, Lead -

Position: Systems Architecture Design Engineer, Lead - FAA

Function: Systems Architecture

Location: Remote Site/Cobec Site - DC

Remote Work Option: Yes

Salary Range: $110- $200k

Security Requirements

Must be a US citizen or a legal resident for three of the past five years. Public Trust cannot be granted without meeting the residency requirement.

Must meet eligibility requirements for a US Public Trust security clearance (moderate risk), including a soft credit check and criminal background check. Please refer to the criteria listed in 5 CFR 731.202 to understand the Public Trust suitability requirements.

Culture

Cobec is consistently breaking the current mold for delivering services to our government clients. What does that mean? That means believing in a "people first" mentality, building high performance teams and empowering people to make informed decisions without going through a large bureaucratic system. Cobec values the well-being of employees and bestows tremendous trust in those people to negotiate work and non-work obligations. Cobec is where someone can bring their whole self to work and be themselves, never having to compromise their authenticity just to fit in. Lastly, we believe in the work we do, the goals and missions of our customers and the interpersonal relationships we have with clients, stakeholders, and our people.

Values and Expectations

The successful candidate for this role embodies the same values as Cobec. We realize experience is important, however; Cobec believes a person's abilities and skills that align with our values (Relationships, Leadership, Passion, Accountability, Integrity, Innovation, Quality, Teamwork, Diversity, Commitment, & Respect) are the most important drivers for success in this role. In addition to exhibiting our values, a successful candidate for this role is expected to be a high performer, organized, dynamic, and have a positive attitude.

Job Summary

This position will lead the architectural design and integration of complex aviation systems within the National Airspace System (NAS). The ideal candidate will bring over two decades of experience in system-of-systems engineering, safety-critical architectures, FAA policy and governance, and leading multi-disciplinary technical teams in the delivery of mission-critical solutions.

Years of Relevant Experience

The position requires 20+ equivalent years of experience with systems architecture design and leading large teams. Specific experience with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or the Aviation Industry is desired. Experience within Voice Switch, Automation and/or Surveillance programs at the FAA.

Essential Job Functions

The following duties are normal for this position. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from this position if the work is similar, related, and/or a logical assignment for this position. Other duties may be required and assigned.

• Lead the end-to-end system architecture development process for FAA programs, from concept through deployment, ensuring alignment with NAS modernization objectives and FAA Enterprise Architecture.
• Oversee integration of avionics, ground-based surveillance, communication, navigation, and weather systems into FAA frameworks.
• Guide cross-functional engineering teams in requirements decomposition, functional allocation, interface definition, risk analysis, and trade studies.
• Ensure architectural compliance with FAA standards including NAS EA, NAS Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), and FAA's Systems Engineering Manual (SEM).
• Serve as primary technical liaison to FAA stakeholders, program managers, contractors, and enterprise architects.
• Develop SysML/UML-based models and perform simulations to validate system behaviors and architecture robustness.
• Support long-term sustainment and tech-refresh planning within system lifecycle cost constraints.
• Produce technical documentation including architecture frameworks, interface control documents (ICDs), Concept of Operations (CONOPS), and design reviews.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's degree required, preferably in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, or related field. Master's degree is a plus.

Preferred Skills

• PMP or INCOSE CSEP certification.
• Familiarity with Agile-SAFe and DevSecOps in aviation contexts.
• Prior experience supporting FAA programs such as NextGen, ATO Tech Ops, or AJM directorates.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, leadership, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Proven track record leading architectural design for large-scale, safety-critical systems.
• Deep knowledge of FAA acquisition and system lifecycle processes (AMS, FAA Order 1370.121, etc.).
• Expertise in systems engineering tools (DOORS, MagicDraw/Cameo, Enterprise Architect, etc.).
• Experience with MBSE, architecture frameworks (DODAF, TOGAF), and NAS enterprise services.
• Strong understanding of FAA SWIM, ADS-B, ERAM, TBFM, TFDM, or related systems.

Travel

Occasional travel required as needed by client/s and/or company

EEO

Cobec Consulting, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other status protected by federal, state and local law.

EEO is the Law