SAIC

Principal Systems Engineer

SAIC$120K — $145K *
Aerospace & Defense
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or Mathematics with 9+ years of engineering experience
  • Active U.S. Government Secret clearance
  • Expertise in Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) processes and tools like Cameo or Rhapsody
  • Experience in requirements management and traceability using DOORS
  • Leadership in executing technical milestone reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR)
  • Understanding of verification and validation for large-scale systems in regulated environments
  • Proven ability to advise Government customers on engineering solutions.

Responsibilities

  • Serve as the main technical advisor for the U.S. Air Force on the Sentinel program
  • Develop and oversee strategy for major technical milestone reviews
  • Conduct thorough reviews of Prime contractor designs and deliverables for compliance
  • Provide oversight of requirements management and traceability efforts
  • Direct and manage system verification and validation for critical systems
  • Lead complex issue resolution and risk mitigation strategies across teams
  • Mentor systems engineers to foster team and organizational growth.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to work on a strategic acquisition program for the DOD
  • Serving as a trusted advisor to senior decision-makers
  • Contributing to a team on high-stakes projects in defense
  • Guiding the next-generation ICBM systems engineering efforts
  • No application deadline; rolling admissions for applications.
Full Job Description
Job Description

Description

SAIC is seeking a Principal Systems Engineer to support the Air Force's next-generation Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) weapon system acquisition - the Sentinel Program. Our customer is the Sentinel Program Office located at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. This is a rare opportunity to work on one of the Department of Defense's most strategic and transformative acquisition programs while serving as a trusted technical advisor to senior decision-makers. This position demands a highly experienced systems engineering leader with a proven track record of guiding large-scale engineering initiatives, managing complex systems, and driving high-stakes program success.

Responsibilities Include:
  • Serve as the primary technical advisor to the U.S. Air Force on engineering and acquisition decisions for the Sentinel program.
  • Develop and oversee the strategy for major technical milestone reviews (e.g., SRR, PDR, CDR), including the creation and delivery of key review materials.
  • Perform extensive reviews of Prime contractor designs, mechanical drawings, and deliverables to ensure program compliance with technical requirements, Government policy, and safety standards.
  • Provide expert-level oversight of requirements management and traceability, ensuring alignment with evolving technical baselines through tools like DOORS.
  • Direct and oversee system verification and validation efforts for highly regulated systems with critical mission requirements.
  • Serve as technical lead for complex issue resolution, risk management efforts, and mitigation strategies across multi-disciplinary teams.
  • Act as a mentor and guide to systems engineers at all levels, contributing to team and organizational growth.

Qualifications
  • Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or Mathematics with 9+ years of professional engineering experience
  • Active U.S. Government Secret clearance.
  • Recognized expertise in Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) processes and tools such as Cameo, Rhapsody, or other similar platforms.
  • Extensive experience in requirements management and traceability efforts using tools like DOORS.
  • Proven leadership in planning, preparing, and executing technical milestone reviews such as SRR, PDR, and CDR.
  • Advanced understanding of verification and validation processes for large-scale systems in a highly regulated environment (e.g., aerospace, defense).
  • Demonstrated ability to serve as a trusted advisor to Government customers, providing solutions to critical engineering and technical challenges.
Preferred Qualifications:
  • Professional Engineer (PE) license and/or INCOSE Certified Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP or ESEP).
  • Mastery of systems engineering, Agile development tools, or advanced modeling tools such as MATLAB, DOORS, JIRA, and Confluence.

Overview

SAIC accepts applications on an ongoing basis and there is no deadline.

About SAIC

Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) is a technology integrator in the technical, engineering, intelligence, and enterprise information technology markets. SAIC has approximately 26,000 employees and operates in more than 70 countries. The company was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Reston, Virginia. SAIC provides services to the U.S. government, including the Department of Defense, the intelligence community, and civilian agencies. The company also serves commercial customers in the healthcare, energy, and financial services sectors.
Learn more about SAIC
Size
26,000 employees
Market Cap
$6 billion
Industry
Net Income
$206 million
Founded
1969
5 Year Trend
+10.7%
Revenue
$6.8 billion
NASDAQ

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