Senior Principal Systems Engineer

General Dynamics Mission Systems • Annapolis Junction, MD

4d • Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a Principal Systems Engineer to lead the technical definition, architecture, integration, verification, and sustainment of Free-Space Optical (FSO) communications systems and associated modem, test, and support equipment. This is a classical DoD/NASA Systems Engineering role, not an IT role. The successful candidate will be a hands-on technical leader with sufficient breadth across electrical, electro-optical, software, hardware, and operational domains to augment or assume responsibility for a technical lead overseeing multiple engineering IPTs and programs.

Requirements

• Requires a Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, or a related Science, Engineering, Technology or Mathematics field. Also requires 10+ years of job-related experience, or a Master's degree plus 8 years of job-related experience.
• Agile experience preferred.
• CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS: Department of Defense TS/SCI with Polygraph security clearance is required at time of hire.
• Applicants selected will be subject to a U.S. Government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.
• Due to the nature of work performed within our facilities, U.S. citizenship is required.
• Direct experience across the lifecycle of system design, integration, test, verification, deployment, and sustainment.
• Broad technical fluency across electrical engineering, electro-optics, embedded/software systems, mechanical or packaging interfaces, and test engineering, with direct experience in electro-optical or optical communications systems, cameras, lasers, fiber-optic systems, modems, or closely related systems.
• Experience defining and managing requirements, traceability, interfaces, technical baselines, and verification evidence, and developing or using MBSE/digital-engineering artifacts, including Cameo/MagicDraw concepts, SysML models, or equivalent tools.
• Demonstrated ability to lead integration and troubleshooting across hardware, software, firmware, optical equipment, and test systems while coordinating multiple programs and engineering disciplines.
• Strong technical writing, customer engagement, and briefing skills for engineering teams, program management, senior leadership, and customers.
• Demonstrated initiative in identifying material risks, asking the questions that expose them, and taking ownership of resolution.
• Demonstrated ability to distinguish technical symptoms from root causes and drive cross-functional issues to evidence-based resolution.
• Master's degree in Systems Engineering, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience that demonstrates the technical breadth expected to lead complex hardware/software systems, with 8+ years of progressively responsible systems-engineering experience.

Nice To Haves

• Has the hands-on credibility to challenge a schematic, software architecture, FPGA interface, test plan, optical alignment approach, or requirements allocation when evidence warrants it.
• Translates customer mission discussions into executable system architectures without prematurely prescribing implementation.
• Treats integration and verification as early design activities and uses MBSE pragmatically to improve communication, traceability, and decision quality rather than merely producing models.
• Communicates the mission impact, decision, risk, and recommended action clearly to leadership and customers, with technical depth available when needed.
• Proactively identifies cross-program opportunities, staffing needs, technical dependencies, and developing risks; builds capable teams by mentoring, delegating, documenting decisions, and sharing context openly.
• Is personable, forward-leaning, technically rigorous, and comfortable engaging customers before the PWS is written.
• Experience with FSO communications, optical networking, satellite or space payloads, airborne systems, maritime/subsea systems, or multi-domain mission systems.
• Experience with mixed-signal electronics, FPGA-based systems, embedded software, modem development, or automated test equipment.
• Experience using Cameo/MagicDraw, DOORS, or comparable requirements and digital-engineering tools; leading formal systems, design, and test-readiness reviews; supporting DoD, NASA, aerospace, defense, or other mission-critical development programs; or serving as a systems-engineering IPT lead, chief engineer delegate, deputy engineering manager, or comparable cross-functional technical leader.

Responsibilities

• Lead the systems-engineering lifecycle from customer engagement and concept development before development of the Performance Work Specification (PWS) through requirements, architecture, design, integration, verification, deployment, and sustainment.
• Elicit customer and user needs; distinguish operational needs from proposed solutions; and convert those needs into measurable, verifiable requirements with appropriate rationale, interfaces, acceptance criteria, and verification methods.
• Develop and maintain system architectures, operational concepts, requirements hierarchies, interfaces, technical baselines, verification strategies, and evidence.
• Lead technical integration of FSO communications systems involving cameras, lasers, optical paths, fiber-optic communications, modems, FPGAs, embedded software, GUIs, precision analog, power, networking, and automated test equipment.
• Apply digital-engineering and MBSE practices, including Cameo/MagicDraw and SysML concepts, to model the decisions, interfaces, behavior, risks, and traceability that need engineering control.
• Manage electrical, optical, mechanical, FPGA/firmware, software, test, customer, and supplier interfaces across airborne, land, sea, subsea, and space contexts, including the resulting environmental, operational, maintainability, integration, and verification implications.
• Plan and lead subsystem and system integration, qualification, verification, fielding, troubleshooting, and sustainment; identify and resolve design gaps, interface risks, unclear requirements, verification deficiencies, schedule threats, and programmatic dependencies.
• Lead technical, design, customer, and management reviews; brief technical status, decisions, risks, and recommendations at the level of detail appropriate to the audience.
• Support proposals, technical volumes, basis-of-estimate development, technical risk assessments, and customer technical exchanges.
• Mentor engineers, develop technical leaders, delegate responsibility intentionally, and distribute critical program knowledge across the team.

Benefits

• An exciting career path with opportunities for continuous learning and development.
• Research oriented work, alongside award winning teams developing practical solutions for our nation’s security
• Flexible schedules with every other Friday off work, if desired (9/80 schedule)
• Competitive benefits, including 401k matching, flex time off, paid parental leave, healthcare benefits, health & wellness programs, employee resource and social groups, and more

What This Job Offers

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