Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab

Senior System Engineer for Special Operations

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab$105K — $290K *
Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in engineering, mathematics, physics, or relevant field
  • 5+ years of experience in systems engineering for complex systems
  • Skilled in early concept development and requirements analysis
  • Experience with test and evaluation activities, including test plan development
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills
  • Excellent critical thinking abilities
  • Proven team leadership and interaction skills
  • Active Secret security clearance; eligibility for Top Secret clearance required

Responsibilities

  • Provide systems engineering thought leadership and expertise to cross-functional teams
  • Lead integration activities across technical and programmatic domains
  • Evaluate system fulfillment of stakeholder needs and develop future weapon system requirements
  • Advise and review systems engineering execution with prime contractors
  • Support program-level decision making through technical risk assessments
  • Deliver engineering artifacts to sponsors and contractors effectively
  • Produce comprehensive reports that communicate technical recommendations

Benefits

  • Opportunities for professional growth and development
  • Work on nationally important defense programs
  • Collaborative team environment
  • Engagement with cross-functional teams and industry partners
  • Potential for flexible work arrangements
  • Contribute to strategic weapon system advancements
Full Job Description
Description

Our team provides creative solutions and systems for Special Operations missions in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community.

We are seeking a senior systems engineer to join the Signals Exploitation Group within the Asymmetric Operations Sector. Our team focuses on advanced hardware and software in the electromagnetic domain to establish a dominant intelligence advantage in noisy and complex signal environments. By exploiting radio frequency and optical signals and data, we are able to detect, enhance, create, and suppress signatures used to find targets of interest. The technical competencies required include integrated circuit design, RF electronics, device manufacturing, materials, embedded software, signal processing, laser optics, machine learning, image analysis, and many related disciplines. QP has deep experience in developing, testing, and rapidly fielding operational systems that function in a wide variety of environments, providing critical and timely information, intelligence, and situational awareness. Rigorous systems engineering provides the foundation for all of these activities Your contributions will be key to advancing nationally important defense programs and providing critical contributions to strategic weapon systems.

As a Senior Systems Engineer
  • Your primary responsibility will be to provide systems engineering thought leadership and expertise, in combination with system technical design knowledge and operational context, to cross functional teams, focusing on requirements analysis, concept/technology development, risk assessments and test & evaluation for strategic deterrent systems.
  • You will help define, coordinate, and, when required, lead integration activities across multiple technical and programmatic domains, ensuring coherence across system elements, organizations, and program phases. This includes participation in, and, as required, presentations at program technical reviews and acquisition milestone events.
  • You will use tools, processes, methodologies, and prime contractor-generated design artifacts, test data and analysis results to evaluate system fulfillment of stakeholder needs and government requirements, and develop future weapon system requirements. As required, you will participate in system requirement and design reviews.
  • You will work with system prime contractors and other industry partners to advise, review, and contribute to assessments systems engineering execution.
  • You will support and guide program-level decision making by developing and communicating technical positions, risk assessments, and trade-offs to senior government and program leadership.
  • You will deliver formal engineering artifacts to sponsors and supporting contractors, and effectively communicate proposed concepts/solutions and analysis results. You will produce reports that bring together concept definitions, requirements, analysis results, and technical recommendations.

Qualifications

You meet our minimum qualifications for the job if you...
  • Have a Bachelor's degree in engineering, mathematics, physics or another field relevant to the duties as described above
  • Have 5+ years of relevant experience performing systems engineering in the design, development or evaluation of complex systems.
  • Are highly skilled in early concept development, requirements analysis, design, and risk assessment.
  • Have experience supporting test and evaluation activities, such as developing test plans, participating in field tests for data collection, conducting analysis for requirements verification, and writing test reports.
  • Have especially strong verbal and written communication skills.
  • Demonstrate strong critical thinking skills.
  • Have shown the ability to interact effectively with and lead teams, including industry and government sponsors.
  • Are willing and able to travel periodically, including short duration visits to sponsor offices and supporting contractor sites.
  • Hold an active Secret security clearance and can ultimately obtain a Top Secret clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

You'll go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you...
  • Have an advanced degree in systems engineering.
  • Are highly skilled in systems engineering for electromagnetic systems.
  • Have demonstrated mission engineering expertise.
  • Have experience guiding the execution of Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition processes.
  • Have experience supporting special operations activities.
  • Have experience employing systems engineering software, especially model based systems engineering tools like Cameo Enterprise Architecture.
  • Hold an active Top Secret security clearance.

Minimum Rate

$105,000 Annually

Maximum Rate

$290,000 Annually

About Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) is a research and development organization that provides solutions to national security and scientific challenges. The laboratory was founded in 1942 and is located in Laurel, Maryland. APL is a division of the Johns Hopkins University and is a not-for-profit organization. The laboratory has expertise in a variety of areas, including space exploration, national security, and healthcare.
Learn more about Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab
Size
7,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1942

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