Project Engineer

Scientific Applications & Research Associates, Inc. (SARA) is a world-class Defense Research and Development enterprise, with a charter to create new and emerging technological innovations in support of Commercial & Government organizations. We have expertise in RF, EMP, Pulsed Power, Acoustics, and Threat Warning Systems, and we prioritize partnering with our customers to address real-world problems with cost-effective solutions… that work.

The SARA High Power Electromagnetics Division (HPEM) is looking for a remarkably talented, motivated, and imaginative Project Engineer to support research and development activities and transition innovative technologies to the DoD, DoE, and their contractors in Colorado Springs, CO. The candidate will have the opportunity to grow and learn with talented engineers, physicists, and technicians on long-standing programs and new programs supporting our customers. Our small group will allow the candidate to experience, contribute, and collaborate in a multidisciplinary nature from conception all the way through to operation.

Position Summary:

The Project Engineer will own technical execution across multidisciplinary engineering projects. This role is responsible for taking high-level direction from senior leadership, customers, contracts, purchase orders, statements of work, and proposed efforts, then translating that direction into clear, tactical engineering plans that working teams can execute.

The Project Engineer will lead multidisciplinary teams across engineering domains such as electrical, mechanical, software, systems, manufacturing, test, and quality. While this role does not require deep subject-matter expertise in every discipline, the successful candidate must have a strong engineering foundation, sound technical judgment, and the ability to engage credibly with engineers across multiple domains.

This person must be able to understand technical tradeoffs, ask disciplined engineering questions, identify weak assumptions, recognize when technical risks are being understated, and distinguish between real engineering progress and superficial status reporting.

The Project Engineer will decompose ambiguous objectives into actionable work packages, define tasks and deliverables, assign ownership, identify dependencies, lead technical reviews, manage technical risk, and drive engineering teams toward successful completion of project objectives.

This is a technical engineering leadership role, not a purely administrative project coordination role. Candidates must demonstrate a strong engineering foundation and the ability to make, evaluate, and defend technical decisions across multidisciplinary engineering efforts.

Core Responsibilities:

• Lead technical execution of assigned projects, subsystems, or work packages from initial direction through delivery, including ownership of engineering scope, technical progress, risks, deliverables, and execution outcomes
• Translate high-level direction from senior leadership, customers, contracts, purchase orders, statements of work, and proposed efforts into executable engineering plans for multidisciplinary teams
• Decompose ambiguous technical or program direction into actionable work packages, including tasks, owners, dependencies, milestones, assumptions, acceptance criteria, and required deliverables
• Lead multidisciplinary engineering teams across systems, electrical, mechanical, software, manufacturing, quality, test, and production-support functions
• Apply engineering judgment to evaluate technical plans, design approaches, test strategies, integration plans, risks, tradeoffs, dependencies, and proposed solutions
• Drive technical progress against schedule, budget, requirements, and performance objectives, while ensuring engineering plans are technically coherent and executable
• Identify gaps, ambiguities, conflicts, missing information, unsupported assumptions, weak risk burn-down plans, and unclear acceptance criteria
• Lead design reviews, test readiness reviews, customer reviews, technical interchange meetings, and internal program reviews
• Work with senior leadership, program/project management, customers, suppliers, subcontractors, and technical stakeholders to clarify scope, resolve ambiguity, and drive execution issues to closure 
• Maintain project documentation, action items, engineering metrics, decision records, execution plans, risk registers, and technical status reporting
• Lead technical change management activities related to scope, requirements, configuration control, technical trade studies, verification, validation, and integration
• Serve as the technical point of contact for assigned projects, subsystems, or integrated product teams, escalating technical, schedule, resource, or execution risks when needed while driving corrective actions to closure

 

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical field
• 5 – 7 years of relevant engineering experience
• Demonstrated experience leading technical projects, engineering work packages, multidisciplinary teams, or cross-functional engineering execution efforts
• Demonstrated technical proficiency in an engineering discipline, with a strong foundation in engineering principles, structured problem solving, design, analysis, integration, test, production support, or applied research
• Proven ability to translate high-level or ambiguous direction into executable engineering plans, tasks, deliverables, milestones, ownership assignments, and acceptance criteria
• Ability to lead multidisciplinary engineering teams while engaging credibly with engineers across multiple technical domains, even when not serving as the subject-matter expert in each discipline
• Ability to evaluate technical plans, identify engineering risks, challenge assumptions, resolve execution gaps, and drive technically sound decisions
• Strong understanding of engineering development, integration, test, production support, technical review processes, and project execution in a structured engineering environment
• Ability to work effectively across engineering teams, project/program management, senior leadership, suppliers, subcontractors, and customer stakeholders
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to convert complex technical discussions into clear decisions, actions, owners, and execution plans
• US Citizen with the ability to obtain and maintain DoD security clearance
• May require Moderate physical effort, including standing, sitting, and use of hands while performing duties, and carrying or lifting up to 50 pounds
• Working environment is indoor, moderately quiet, reasonably clean, well-lit, and well-ventilated; moderate physical hazards may exist

 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or PhD in Engineering or a related technical field
• 8 – 10 years of relevant engineering experience and project experience
• Significant experience leading complex technical projects, integrated product teams, engineering execution teams, or multidisciplinary technical work packages
• Prior hands-on engineering experience in electrical, mechanical, software, systems, test, manufacturing, physics, applied research, or another technical discipline
• Experience in aerospace, defense, advanced manufacturing, systems engineering, research and development, or another complex technical environment
• Experience translating contracts, purchase orders, statements of work, proposals, customer requirements, or senior-leadership direction into executable engineering plans
• Experience owning technical execution for complex hardware, software, systems, manufacturing, test, integration, or production-support projects
• Experience leading design reviews, test readiness reviews, customer reviews, technical interchange meetings, internal program reviews, or customer-facing technical discussions
• Experience with requirements management, configuration management, risk management, change control, technical trade studies, verification, validation, test planning, or integration planning
• Experience supporting project planning, resource planning, basis-of-estimate development, schedule development, proposal development, customer technical negotiations, or defense/government contracting execution
• Active DoD Top Secret Clearance

SARA offers a competitive benefits package to include:

Pay Range

Salary at SARA is determined by various factors, including but not limited to location, the individual’s particular combination of education, knowledge, skills, competencies, and experience, as well as contract-specific affordability and organizational requirements. The projected compensation range for this position is $100k to $140k (annualized USD). The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position and is just one component of SARA’s total compensation package for employees. Positions are on-site, unless indicated otherwise.

Application Deadline: August 19, 2026

SARA is an equal employment opportunity employer.

Equal employment opportunity, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

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