Program Chief Engineer (Lead, Systems Engineer)
L3HARRIS Technologies
Millersville, MD · Posted November 6, 2026
Just laid off? Start here: a plan for the first weeks
See every open role at L3HARRIS Technologies
More in Maryland job market · Aerospace & Defense · Engineering jobs
More roles at L3HARRIS Technologies
- Senior Manager, Responsible Engineering Authority (REA) · Camden, AR
- Senior Specialist, Internal Audit · Tallahassee, FL
- Manager Quality Management · Northampton, MA
- Proposal Operations Manager · Colorado Springs, CO
- Senior Specialist, Supply Chain Management · Huntsville, AL
- Senior Specialist, Supplier Quality Engineering · Mason, OH
Similar jobs
- Program Chief Engineer (Lead, Systems Engineer) · Harris Health Strategic Fund · Millersville, MD
- Director, Engineering · W.R. Grace · Columbia, MD
- Public Sector Delivery & Architecture Director · Databricks · Baltimore, MD
- Director, Quality Engineering · Humana · New York, NY
- Senior Director, Enterprise Applications · Stoke Therapeutics · Bedford, MA
- Director of Engineering · Pyramid Global Hospitality · Riverside, CA
Engineering jobs in the rankings
Rankings about engineering jobs
- Best cities for software and engineering jobs #1 San Francisco (3,412 openings)
- Best cities for engineering pay after cost of living #1 San Mateo ($216k)
- Most requested AI skills in engineering jobs #1 AI tools in daily work (6.1%)
- AI tools named most often in engineering jobs #1 Claude (1.7%)
- Employers with the most engineering jobs #1 Amazon (2,992 roles)
Skills this job asks for
Say which you have and which you want to build. We use it to match you to jobs like this one.
About the job
Job Title: Program Chief Engineer (Lead, Systems Engineer)
Job Code: 47127
Job Location: Millersville, MD or Herndon, VA
Job Schedule: 9/80 reg, with every other Friday off
L3Harris is currently seeking a Program Chief Engineer based in Millersville, MD. The Program Chief Engineer will be responsible and accountable for all Program engineering technical, cost and schedule performance, including technical oversight of engineering design and development, integration, test and maintenance of multiple systems within the program.
The Chief Engineer is responsible for shaping, developing, and leading an engineering team in execution of the Engineering content of the program and will be the primary program engineering representative for that program to the SBS Business Unit, working closely with the SBS Chief Engineer and General Manager. The position requires flexibility to manage multiple customer requirements (cost, schedule, technical capabilities), while using analytical and strategic skills to guide the engineering team to successful program deliveries of customer needs. A key part of this role is to work collaboratively across organizational boundaries and ensure programs are smoothly transitioned to production and deployment phases. The successful candidate is an experienced technical and business professional who is able to focus simultaneously on near and long term objectives.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
Technical leadership of a cross-functional engineering team throughout the full program lifecycle including design, development, manufacturing, formal hardware/software qualification, integration and test, transition to production, and production support.
Ability to direct and oversee seamless integration of mechanical, electrical, and software subsystems and systems; including internal and external stakeholders
Provide guidance and support to achieve project goals including participation in major design and milestone reviews, technical meetings, and project planning sessions
Technical leadership of a cross-functional engineering team throughout the full program lifecycle including design, development, manufacturing, formal hardware/software qualification, integration and test, and issue resolution.
Technical, cost, and schedule accountability for technical program execution.
Ability to direct and oversee seamless integration of mechanical, electrical, and software subsystems and systems; including internal and external stakeholders
Provide guidance and support to achieve project goals including major design and milestone reviews, technical meetings, and project planning sessions
Establish the engineering staffing demands and work plans for the business and collaborate with the functional engineering organization (matrix organization) to ensure appropriate resources are assigned to execute programs in accordance with time limitations and funding.
Develop and support a culture of continuous improvement and best practices.
Guide and review Root Cause and Corrective Action (RCCA) efforts
Use tools such as Earned Value Management Systems (EVMS) and engineering metrics to analyze program performance and apply corrective actions.
Support new business pursuits and proposal cost reviews to ensure proper technology readiness, Design to Cost, and resource alignment.
Basic Qualifications:
Bachelor’s Degree and minimum 9 years of prior relevant experience. Graduate Degree and a minimum of 7 years of prior related experience. In lieu of a degree, minimum of 13 years of prior related experience.
9+ years of applicable experience in Aerospace and Defense.
9+ years of experience leading cross functional engineering teams (including at least one assignment leading an engineering team) through program lifecycles from proposal to production and sustainment.
Ability to obtain a DoD Secret Clearance, which requires US Citizenship.
Experience transitioning development programs through qualification to production.
Good working knowledge of Control Account Management (CAM) and Earned Value Management, Risk and opportunity management, as well as understanding and reporting of engineering metrics.
Ability to use engineering metrics, earned value metrics, and technical inputs to make decisions that drive positive program technical execution.
Prior experience operating within an Integrated Product Team (IPT) environment as a Program Chief Engineer or IPT/CAM on a program or Control account with >$10M/yr of engineering content (excluding material) and >$40M /yr total program value (including material).
Bid/Proposal experience including technical volume writing and BOE review and approval.
Program baselining experience including review and approval of WBSs, work packages, Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) and budgets.
Working knowledge and experience implementing disciplined System Engineering Processes.
Experience presenting high-stakes technical briefs to internal and external stakeholders.
Desired Qualification:
Undersea / Subsea Systems expertise and experience
Undersea acoustics / sonar experience
Fiber optic systems experience
Experience building and transforming a team to implement disciplined and rigorous engineering processes to successfully execute programs on cost and schedule
Design for Excellent (DfX) experience; Design for Manufacturability (DfM) in particular
DoD and International fixed priced development and qualification program execution experience
Engineering discipline functional manager experience
Model Based System Engineering (MBSE) experience
Familiarity using Jira for engineering metrics
Active US DoD Secret Clearance, which requires US Citizenship.
In compliance with pay transparency requirements, the salary range for this role in Colorado state, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New York state, Cleveland Ohio, Vermont and Virginia is [$137,500 MIN - $236,500 MAX]. This is not a guarantee of compensation or salary, as final offer amount may vary based on factors including but not limited to experience and geographic location. L3Harris also offers a variety of benefits, including health and disability insurance, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, EAP, education assistance, parental leave, paid time off, and company-paid holidays. The specific programs and options available to an employee may vary depending on date of hire, schedule type, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements. .