Chief Engineer, Long-Range Missile Systems

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats. CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com . Role Overview: CHAOS is seeking a Chief Engineer to own the technical direction of our long range missile program, from concept and architecture through qualification, flight test, and production transition. You will lead a multidisciplinary engineering team and be the senior technical authority across airframe, guidance, propulsion, integration, and test. This is a build-and-fly environment where you will be accountable for getting real hardware flying. Responsibilities Serve as the senior technical authority for missile system architecture, requirements, and design decisions Lead system-level trade studies, technical risk management, and design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR) Direct integration of airframe, guidance and navigation, propulsion, and avionics subsystems Own system verification and validation, including test planning and flight test readiness Provide technical leadership across mechanical, electrical, software, firmware, and systems teams, and mentor senior engineers Partner with program management, manufacturing, and customers to translate mission needs into executable technical plans Drive configuration control and the transition from prototype to production and fielding Minimum Requirements: Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Systems, or Electrical Engineering, or a related field 15+ years of experience developing missile, munition, or high-TRL flight systems, including technical leadership of a program or major subsystem Demonstrated experience taking a system through full lifecycle development, including flight test Detailed understanding of tactical aircraft carriage environments and missile employment envelopes Intuitive knowledge of propulsion systems and airframe controls as well as guidance/navigation techniques for long range strike systems Detailed understanding of target phenomenology and defeat mechanisms Strong command of systems engineering practice and DoD standards for safety, environments, and test Current or recent DoD SECRET clearance Preferred Requirements: Master's degree or higher Current or recent DoD TOP SECRET security clearance; eligibility for SAP and/or SCI indoc. Prior role as Chief Engineer, Lead Systems Engineer, or Technical Director on a fielded missile…