Senior Principal Engineer - CNS & Connected Weather (Hybrid)

At RTX, the world's largest aerospace and defense company, 185,000 great minds are united by purpose and inspired to make a difference solving the world’s most complex problems. With our three market leading businesses, world-class operations and investments in research and development, we offer capabilities and opportunity no one else can. Together, we push the boundaries of known science and find new ways to connect and protect our world.

Collins Aerospace is a leader in technologically advanced, intelligent solutions that help redefine the aerospace and defense industry. With a comprehensive portfolio and deep technical expertise, we help customers meet the demands of the global market. Join us and help shape the future of aerospace and defense.

Technical Leadership / Individual Contributor | Autonomous & Intelligent Systems

We are looking for a Senior Principal Engineer with deep expertise in Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) technologies and strong specialization in aviation weather data, weather information systems, or weather-enabled aerospace applications.

This is a senior technical role within an Applied Research & Technology team, focused on identifying, shaping, and maturing technologies that can influence the next generation of aerospace products and capabilities.

The successful candidate will combine strong foundational knowledge of aerospace and CNS systems with curiosity and passion for emerging technologies. The individual will work at the intersection of aviation domain science, weather information, data, algorithms, sensing, connectivity and intelligent systems, translating emerging technology into meaningful aerospace applications.

The role requires someone who can move comfortably from understanding fundamental physical and operational principles to defining research problems, developing technology concepts and demonstrating their relevance to future aerospace systems.

Value Proposition

Shape the future of aerospace CNS and weather-enabled aviation systems by turning emerging technologies and strong domain fundamentals into differentiated capabilities for next-generation aircraft and airspace operations.

This role provides an opportunity to:

Influence the technology direction and research roadmap for future CNS and aviation weather capabilities.

Work on complex aerospace challenges where weather, navigation, surveillance, communication, sensing and aircraft operations intersect.

Explore emerging technologies and determine where they can genuinely create value for aerospace products and operations.

Convert research ideas into proofs of concept, technology demonstrators, intellectual property and future product pathways.

Collaborate with global aerospace experts, product teams, universities, technology partners and research organizations.

Serve as a technical thought leader and mentor, helping build deeper CNS and aviation-weather research capability within the organization.

Provide senior technical leadership for research and technology development across Communication, Navigation, Surveillance and Aviation Weather domains.

Identify emerging operational challenges and technology opportunities associated with areas such as:

Aviation weather awareness and decision support

Weather data acquisition, integration and dissemination

Turbulence and hazardous-weather detection or prediction

Weather-informed trajectory and flight optimization

Resilient navigation and alternative navigation technologies

Next-generation surveillance and situational awareness

Air-ground and aircraft connectivity

CNS integration for increasingly autonomous aircraft and airspace operations

Develop a strong understanding of customer, aircraft, airspace and operational problems and translate them into well-defined research questions and technology programs.

Evaluate emerging technologies—including AI/ML, sensor fusion, edge computing, advanced signal processing, distributed sensing, satellite technologies, connected aircraft, advanced data analytics and intelligent decision-support systems—for their applicability to aerospace CNS and weather-related challenges.

Architect and develop proofs of concept, analytical models, simulations, algorithms and technology demonstrators to establish technical feasibility and business relevance.

Provide technical leadership in areas involving weather-data quality, uncertainty, integrity, spatial and temporal characteristics, fusion and operational interpretation.

Apply strong engineering fundamentals to evaluate technology performance, limitations, failure modes and applicability within safety-critical aerospace environments.

Partner with product and engineering organizations to transition promising research outcomes toward technology maturation, new product development and product enhancement.

Develop technology roadmaps, research proposals and investment recommendations based on industry trends, customer needs and evolving aerospace architectures.

Establish collaborations with universities, research institutions, startups, government organizations and technology partners where appropriate.

Generate and protect intellectual property through patents, technical publications, invention disclosures and internal technology assets.

Represent the organization in relevant technical forums and contribute to building organizational thought leadership in CNS and aviation weather technologies.

Mentor researchers and engineers and help develop the next generation of technical talent in aerospace CNS and weather-related disciplines.

Beyond expertise in today's technologies, we are looking for someone who is genuinely curious about what comes next.

The ideal candidate continuously explores developments across aerospace, atmospheric science, sensing, AI, communications and computing and asks:

What new capability does this technology make possible for an aircraft, pilot, airline or airspace operator?

They should be comfortable challenging existing approaches while remaining grounded in first principles, aerospace physics, operational realities and safety considerations.

Success in this role means creating a credible pipeline of research that connects:

Aerospace & Weather Fundamentals → Emerging Technologies → Research Demonstrators → Differentiated Capabilities → Future Products

The Senior Principal Engineer will become a recognized technical authority who helps the organization anticipate where CNS, aviation weather and intelligent aerospace systems are heading and turns those insights into technologies that matter.

Please ensure the role type defined below is appropriate for your needs before applying to this role. This position is classified as:

Collins Aerospace, a Raytheon Technologies company, is a leader in technologically advanced and intelligent solutions for the global aerospace and defense industry. Collins Aerospace has the capabilities, comprehensive portfolio and expertise to solve customers’ toughest challenges and to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving global market.

We make modern flight possible for millions of travelers and our military every second.  Our major product lines are on-board virtually every aircraft flying. Be it keeping passengers safe with our emergency power generation systems or creating a positive in-flight experience through reliable cabin pressure controls and quieter engines, Power & Controls focuses on delivering a best-in-class experience to our customers. We hire the top people in the industry. Their ideas drive our performance, and their integrity keeps our customers happy. Join us as we take flight!

*Please consider the following role type definitions as you apply for this role.

Click on this link to read the Policy and Terms