Principal Systems Engineer

Leidos • Huntsville, AL

5d

About The Position

Leidos Defense is seeking a Principal Systems Engineer to lead architectural design, hardware-software integration, and deployment of tactical systems and advanced technologies for Department of Defense initiatives. The role serves as a primary subject matter expert, translating customer concepts into flight-ready hardware and providing technical direction across multidisciplinary Integrated Product Teams (IPTs). The engineer will manage complex engineering challenges, design embedded architectures, and guide systems through their hardware lifecycles.

Leidos Defense Systems Sector supports customers worldwide across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace, including through defense IT, intelligence, command and control, cybersecurity, logistics, training, and mission operations support.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in engineering or a related STEM discipline and 10 or more years of systems engineering experience, or a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a similar field and 12 or more years of relevant systems engineering experience.
• Proven background as an architect or technical lead creating flight-worthy weapon systems.
• Comprehensive working knowledge of defense standards and experience implementing them.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams as an IPT Lead, product owner, or scrum master within an agile framework.
• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Active Top Secret security clearance.
• Ability to travel 25% or more.

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience developing high-complexity hypersonic systems.
• Familiarity with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), SysML concepts, or requirements tools such as Cameo/MagicDraw and IBM DOORS.
• Hands-on experience implementing open system architectures such as WOSA or Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) messaging standards.

Responsibilities

• Architect, lead, and deliver hypersonic vehicle designs and custom or commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) for missile systems.
• Support complex system designs using highly integrated multidisciplinary techniques and Weapon Open System Architecture (WOSA) frameworks.
• Direct multidisciplinary Integrated Product Teams (IPTs).
• Serve as the primary internal technical authority and host weekly technical interchange meetings with external subcontractors to maintain design consistency.
• Partner with engineering teams to translate military standards into hardware requirements.
• Support Control Account Managers (CAMs) with technical write-ups, work breakdowns, and schedule estimates for Earned Value Management (EVM), capital expenditure (CapEx) initiatives, and competitive proposals.
• Serve as a certified test conductor or lead verification engineer to establish system-level test plans, environmental stress screening, Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) integration, and launch-readiness countdown actions.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal