Systems Engineer Senior Staff (L5) | Grand Prairie, TX | 11633

Standard Job Description

We're looking for a highly skilled and experienced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Engineering & Technology (E&T) Affordability Program Lead to join our team. This role supports the Integrated Air & Missile Defense (IAMD) line of business in Arlington, TX. You will lead both Design-to-Cost (DTC) strategy and cost modeling activities for the THAAD program, driving affordability decisions that keep THAAD competitive and cost-effective across its full lifecycle.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Establishing, issuing, and communicating THAAD cost targets, and developing Step-Down Plans to close cost gaps and achieve target costs
• Developing and maintaining THAAD production, development, and sustainment cost models (e.g., Production Cost Models (PCM), TruePlanning, etc.) to support early and maturing cost estimates
• Performing Affordability Analysis to support Life Cycle Cost (LCC), Design-to-Cost (DTC), Cost as an Independent Variable (CAIV), and Cost Reduction Initiatives (CRI)
• Leveraging commercial and government parametric models (TruePlanning, SEER, etc.) and custom-developed models to correlate technical requirements with cost and support trade studies
• Tracking and reporting Affordability & DTC progress; ensuring compliance with LM and MFC Affordability Command Media.
• Collaborating across Engineering & Technology, Finance & Business Operations, Program/Proposal Management, Production Operations, Global Supply Chain, and external customers to identify and prioritize cost savings opportunities
• Arranging internal and supplier Structured Improvement Activities and workshops to drive cost reduction
• Proactively identifying issues/risks and facilitating tradeoff decisions, escalating to leadership as needed

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Mathematics, or a related technical/STEM discipline
• Experience performing Affordability Analysis / Design-to-Cost (DTC) activities to support Life Cycle Cost, CAIV, and Cost Reduction Initiatives.
• Experience developing or maintaining cost models/estimates (e.g., TruePlanning, SEER, or custom parametric models).
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel & data analytics.
• Strong fundamental engineering knowledge and financial acumen.
• Experience developing and analyzing large bills of material.
• Organized & detail-oriented with the ability to multitask.

Desired Skills

• Previous experience as an Affordability Program Lead, Cost Engineer, or Design-to-Cost Specialist.
• Experience with missile defense, IAMD, or THAAD-related programs.
• Experience with Capture, Position-to-Win, Affordability Planning, Government Contracting, Team Facilitation, Training, Coaching, Group Prioritization Techniques, Cost Target Allocation, and engaging with suppliers.
• Experience developing Step-Down plans using Design for Manufacturing tools (DFMA, DFMPro, SEER), Value Engineering / Producibility Analysis, Quality Function Deployment, CAIV Analysis, and Plan tailoring.
• Capable of performing O&S Cost, Similar-to, Pre-Design Performance, Sensitivity, Cost Capability, Producibility, Pareto, Architecture cost-driver, cost-benefit, and/or Learning Curve Analyses.
• Manufacturing materials & processes familiarity.
• Parametric Estimating / TruePlanning experience.
• Familiarity with Cost modeling & Design-to-Cost tools, Value Engineering / Producibility Analysis, and Business Transformation.
• Lean Six Sigma Green / Black Belt Certification