Systems Architecture Engineer

Arcfield•Chantilly, VA

About The Position

Arcfield is seeking an experienced Systems Architecture Engineer to support the development and integration of advanced space-based sensing and mission capabilities supporting the US Space Force and national security. The role involves defining technical vision, architecting complex systems, understanding how diverse capabilities work together, and developing scalable solutions for evolving mission needs and long-term technical objectives. As part of a multidisciplinary mission engineering team, the engineer will provide technical leadership for system architecture, design, and integration. The position defines and refines high-level system architectures, decomposes complex systems into subsystems and layers, and guides integration across multiple systems and systems of systems. It also helps ensure technical solutions align with mission objectives, architectural vision, and roadmaps. The role requires systems engineering experience and strong architectural judgment, including the ability to identify system-wide dependencies and integration challenges and communicate complex architectural concepts to technical leadership, government customers, and other stakeholders.

Requirements

Relevant experience: BS 10–12 years, MS 8–10 years, or PhD 5–7 years.
Bachelor's degree in engineering, science, or another relevant technical discipline, or equivalent technical experience.
Must possess and be able to maintain a TS/SCI clearance with Polygraph.
Demonstrated experience in systems engineering, systems architecture, system design, or a closely related technical discipline.
Experience defining system-level architectures, decomposing systems into subsystems or functional layers, and establishing relationships, interfaces, and dependencies between system elements.
Demonstrated experience supporting or leading system integration across multiple systems, technical domains, or engineering organizations.
Strong understanding of system lifecycle engineering, including requirements development, architecture, design, integration, verification, deployment, and operations.
Ability to develop and communicate technical vision, architectural concepts, design decisions, and long-term technical direction.
Ability to work independently, exercise sound engineering judgment, and provide technical leadership across multidisciplinary teams.

Nice To Haves

Experience developing and managing system architectures, reference architectures, functional architectures, physical architectures, or system-of-systems architectures.
Experience defining system partitioning, functional decomposition, subsystem boundaries, system interfaces, and architectural dependencies.
Experience leading or supporting integration of complex, distributed systems involving multiple technical domains, organizations, and stakeholders.
Familiarity with space systems, sensors/RF/radar, satellite communications, ground systems, mission processing, data systems, and mission operations.
Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), architecture modeling, interface management, and tools such as MagicDraw, SysML, DOORS, or similar platforms.
Experience developing and maintaining architecture documentation, system diagrams, interface control documents (ICDs), technical baselines, configuration guidelines, and architectural decision records.

Responsibilities

Define, develop, and maintain high-level system architectures that translate mission objectives, operational needs, and technical requirements into cohesive system designs.
Establish and communicate architectural vision, design principles, and technical direction for current and future mission capabilities.
Decompose complex systems into subsystems, components, layers, or functional elements, and support defining their roles, relationships, dependencies, and interfaces.
Lead and support integration across multiple systems and systems of systems, ensuring architectural alignment, interoperability, and end-to-end mission functionality.
Develop and maintain system architecture views, functional and physical diagrams, interface definitions, technical baselines, and other architectural products.
Establish and maintain technology roadmaps and schedules, identifying architectural evolution paths, capability gaps, technical risks, and modernization and integration opportunities.
Provide architectural guidance and technical direction to multidisciplinary engineering teams to ensure subsystem designs and implementation approaches remain consistent with the overall system architecture.
Participate in and support technical reviews, architecture working groups, design discussions, and integration planning with government customers and technical stakeholders.
Present architectural concepts, technical assessments, recommendations, and roadmaps to senior technical leadership and government stakeholders.