Product Engineer

Trident Systems, Inc.

$95K — $176K *
Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related technical field, or equivalent practical experience
  • 6+ years of related experience OR 4+ years with a Master's degree (10+ years in lieu of a bachelor's degree)
  • Experience in systems engineering, product development, or technical integration roles
  • Experience working in lab-based development and integration environments
  • Ability to translate high-level technical direction into actionable engineering guidance
  • Experience developing conceptual or integration-level designs (e.g., cable definitions, layouts, system diagrams)
  • Proficiency with standard Microsoft tools (Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, etc.)

Responsibilities

  • Drive translation of high-level product and engineering guidance into actionable technical direction
  • Coordinate day-to-day lab activities for alignment across hardware, software, and integration efforts
  • Maintain awareness of ongoing work and proactively identify gaps and integration risks
  • Develop initial design concepts such as cable assemblies and system interconnects
  • Provide structured guidance to engineers for efficient execution of detailed designs
  • Ensure system-level integration across subsystems aligns with overall architecture
  • Support rapid prototyping and iterative development cycles by clarifying requirements

Benefits

  • Health benefits including medical, dental, and vision
  • Paid time off and holidays
  • 401(k) with automatic company contribution
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • Parental, pregnancy, and military leave
  • Potential annual bonus
Full Job Description
Position Title: Product Engineer
Requisition ID: 1866
Position Location: Fairfax, VA
Position Reports To: Principal Product Manager
Supervises Others: No

Position Summary

The Product Engineer serves as a technical execution and integration lead within Trident's ICS Business Unit, responsible for translating product and engineering leadership guidance into coordinated, actionable work across lab-based development efforts.

This role bridges systems engineering, product management, and hands-on development by ensuring that engineering activities remain aligned, synchronized, and progress efficiently across multiple product lines, primarily within Predictive Maintenance & Logistics (PM&L) and Multi-Domain Communications (MDC) portfolios. The Product Engineer operates as a direct extension of business unit and product leadership, driving day-to-day technical execution, integration planning, and design alignment within the lab environment.

The position emphasizes rapid iteration and practical implementation through the development of clear integration concepts, lightweight design artifacts, and continuous coordination across electrical, mechanical, and software engineering teams. The role requires strong situational awareness of ongoing work, the ability to reduce ambiguity, and the ability to translate high level direction into discrete tasking to realize business unit priorities.

Duties and Responsibilities
  • Drive translation of high-level product and engineering guidance into actionable technical direction for relevant lab and engineering personnel
  • Coordinate day-to-day lab activities to ensure alignment across hardware, software, and integration efforts
  • Maintain awareness of ongoing development work and proactively identify gaps, conflicts, and integration risks
  • Develop and communicate initial design concepts including cable assemblies, pinouts, enclosure layouts, and system interconnects using standard tools (e.g., Excel, PowerPoint, Visio)
  • Provide clear, structured guidance to engineers to enable efficient execution of detailed designs and implementations
  • Ensure system-level integration across subsystems remains cohesive and aligned with overall architecture intent
  • Support rapid prototyping and iterative development cycles by clarifying requirements and reducing execution ambiguity
  • Collaborate with engineering managers to align technical priorities with available resources and ongoing work
  • Track progress of key development activities and elevate risks or blockers to leadership as needed
  • Document integration approaches, design concepts, and technical decisions in formats usable by engineering teams
  • Participate in design discussions, technical interchange meetings, and internal reviews to ensure alignment across efforts
  • Support system bring-up, integration validation, and lab-based testing activities
  • Assist with preparation for demonstrations or field activities as required

Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related technical field, or equivalent practical experience
  • 6+ years of related experience OR 4+ years with a Master's degree (10+ years in lieu of a bachelor's degree)
  • Experience in systems engineering, product development, or technical integration roles
  • Experience working in lab-based development and integration environments
  • Demonstrated ability to translate high-level technical direction into actionable engineering guidance
  • Experience developing conceptual or integration-level designs (e.g., cable definitions, layouts, system diagrams)
  • Proficiency with standard Microsoft tools (Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, etc.)
  • Strong understanding of multidisciplinary systems (hardware, embedded systems, communications, and integration)
  • Ability to operate independently, prioritize work, and maintain situational awareness across multiple efforts
  • Strong communication skills across engineering and leadership teams

Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience working across multiple product lines or technical domains
  • Familiarity with C4ISR systems, tactical communications, and/or vehicle-based platforms
  • Experience supporting rapid prototyping or iterative hardware/software development environments
  • Exposure to system integration, test, and verification processes
  • Experience working in DoD or defense-related programs
  • Familiarity with basic mechanical or electrical design concepts sufficient to communicate integration intent
  • Experience supporting internal lab builds, system bring-up, or integration events

Pay Information

Full-Time Salary Range: $95,000 - $176,000
Please Note: Actual compensation offered will be determined based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant experience, skills, education, certifications, internal equity, business considerations, and geographic location where applicable.

Benefits

Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits including but not limited to:
  • Health benefits
    • Medical
    • Dental
    • Vision
    • Basic life with AD&D
    • Short term disability
    • Long term disability
    • Ancillary (Voluntary life with AD&D, accident, critical illness, hospital, and pet)
    • Spending accounts (HSA, FSA, and DCFSA)
  • Paid time off
  • Holidays
  • 401(k) (including automatic company contribution)
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • Leaves (Parental, pregnancy, and military)
  • Potential annual bonus


Trident Systems reserves the right to change or assign other duties to this position.

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