Communication Systems Manufacturing Engineer

This job announcement will be accepting candidate submissions until 1700 EST on 11 MAY 2026.

OPEN TO ALL US CITIZENS.

The AFRL Foundational Technologies Directorate seeks to hire a motivated and experienced scientist or engineer to serve as a Communication Systems Manufacturing Engineer in the Functional Systems Manufacturing Branch of the Manufacturing, Industrial Technologies, and Energy Division. This position will be filled at the DR-2 (GS-12/13 equivalent) or DR-3 (GS-14 equivalent) level and is located at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. This position may be filled as a 5-year Flexible Length Term appointment (new government hires, current government term employees, etc.) with the option to later extend or convert to a permanent appointment.

The Department of the Air Force has the most advanced and sophisticated communication, sensing, and weapon systems in the world. Join our team and help ensure we continue to field cutting-edge technology to maintain our nation’s security. We seek a motivated engineer or scientist to identify cheaper, faster, and better ways to manufacture components, devices, and systems and partner with industry to make these new techniques reality. You will be trusted and empowered to identify and execute projects offering superior return on investment for Department of the Air Force communication systems and data links supporting networked communication and command and control. Your focus will include fourth and fifth generation weapon systems to include exquisite and/or attrition-tolerant platforms, affording you the opportunity to learn and contribute to cutting edge technological advancements. In this role, you would help bring technologies across the “valley of death” to full-rate production for our most critical mission systems through strategic partnerships across government and industry.

Position duties include, but are not limited to:

• Identifies, develops, and executes projects and multi-year roadmaps to mature and advance manufacturing technologies and processes that will reduce the acquisition and supportability costs of weapon systems.
• Identifies and addresses manufacturing process improvements at the substrate, device, subcomponent, subsystem and/or system levels.
• Coordinates within/across Department of the Air Force and other Services/Agencies to identify and understand high priority customer requirements and overall Department of Defense modernization priorities.
• Establishes and maintains cooperative efforts across AFRL, Air Force Lifecycle Management Center (AFLCMC), and other Services/Agencies to optimize manufacturing efforts.
• Develops and applies technical knowledge to assist with identifying and solving the Department’s most critical production barriers.
• Leads Interagency teams and fosters government/industry/academic partnerships to advance manufacturing needs.

• US Citizenship.

• Possess a professional science or engineering (S&E) degree, in a relevant technical field, from an accredited (or ABET accredited for engineering) academic institution.

• At least one (1) year of specialized experience at the next lower grade (DR‑01/GS‑11 for DR‑02) (DR-02/GS-12/13 for DR-03), or equivalent experience in other pay systems.

• This position may be filled under multiple occupational series. Applicants are required to meet all OPM Qualification Standard requirements for the applicable occupational series and grade.

• Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI Security Clearance. This is a Drug Testing designated position. The incumbent will be subject to random testing.

• This position has been designated as an acquisition position and is covered by the Acquisition Professional Development Program (APDP). The successful candidate must have the ability to attain the level of Practitioner in APDP Engineering and Technical Management (N). Applicants for this position must list any acquisition certifications in resume.

• Must file an OGE Form 450, Confidential Financial Disclosure Report, upon appointment and will be required to file annually.

• Advanced technical degree in electrical engineering, physics, or related field.
• Understanding, familiarity, and experience with the challenges and opportunities in manufacturing electronics for defense applications, including but not limited to, manufacturing processes at the substrate, device, and subcomponent levels.
• Understanding, familiarity, and/or experience with current state-of-art and manufacturing challenges of communication systems for exquisite and/or attrition-tolerant platforms.
• Experience managing or working on government contracts.
• Experience building and executing technical and/or manufacturing roadmaps.
• Practical engineering experience with tactical datalinks, LOS/BLOS communications, hybrid SATCOM, or PNT/alt-PNT for Air Force systems.
• Understanding, familiarity, and experience with the challenges of manufacturing multi-function AESAs for exquisite and/or attrition-tolerant platforms.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Self-starter who thrives in a challenging, but rewarding environment.

When uploading documents, please utilize the naming convention listed below. The Requisition Number for this announcement is 10591:

• Resume: Req No_Last Name_First Name_Resume
• Transcript: Req No_Last Name_First Name_Transcript
• Latest SF50: Req No_Last Name_First Name_SF50
• Acceptable file types: .docx, .pdf

Requisition Number 10591