Principal Systems Engineer (Clearance Required)

About the Role

The Principal Systems Engineer leads and drives the development and implementation of advanced system solutions by providing alignment, connection and direction to the technical team throughout the product development lifecycle. The Principal Systems Engineer champions the viewpoint of the integrated whole during system development and works to glue segments and subsystems together via top‑down decomposition of stakeholder requirements, traceability through development artifacts, and bottom‑up validation and verification of the system.

The Principal Systems Engineer shepherds the team through technical development milestones, tracks performance measures, and identifies technical risks to arrive at a compliant and cohesive system solution. They are a strong promoter of Systems Engineering principles and have demonstrated expertise across the major systems engineering skills including requirements management, system architecture development, concept of operation definition, system integration and system verification. The Principal Systems Engineer leads teams to execute complex systems engineering scope and helps mentor and develop systems engineering skills in others and is a thought leader in the systems engineering field, contributing significantly to engineering initiatives and corporate strategy.

In this role, the engineer plans and drives multidisciplinary system development initiatives and architects comprehensive systems that integrate multiple subsystems. They resolve conflicting system requirements and ensure alignment with project objectives while collaborating with cross‑functional teams and subject‑matter experts to understand project requirements and objectives. Leading the derivation, decomposition, allocation, tracing, and management of system requirements and architectures is a key responsibility, along with defining and documenting system concepts of operation. They plan, define, and lead development milestone reviews, oversee system integration and verification activities to ensure system functionality and performance, and identify and manage technical risks while developing mitigation strategies. The engineer also contributes to continuous improvement initiatives, helping to define and implement corporate Systems Engineering policies and processes.

Responsibilities

• Align and integrate multiple subsystems across the product development lifecycle.
• Decompose stakeholder requirements and establish traceability through development artifacts.
• Plan and lead multidisciplinary system development initiatives.
• Drive system architecture development and perform system integration, verification, and validation.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate technical risks.
• Document system concepts of operation and oversee milestone reviews.
• Mentor and develop junior and mid‑level systems engineers.
• Contribute to the definition and implementation of corporate Systems Engineering policies and processes.
• Communicate effectively with team members and stakeholders to ensure project alignment and success.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field (or equivalent work experience) or Master’s degree with 13+ years of experience.
• 15+ years of related experience.
• Ability to drive multidisciplinary system development initiatives and architect comprehensive systems.
• Advanced expertise in Systems Engineering principles and practices, including a comprehensive understanding of the systems development lifecycle.
• Robust experience across multiple system development life cycles, including requirements management, functional requirements parsing, derivation, and allocation.
• Expertise in developing systems architecture and performing systems integration, verification, and validation (V&V) activities.
• Ability to contribute to corporate Systems Engineering policy and process definition and implementation.
• Demonstrated ability to work and communicate with technical and specialty subject‑matter expert engineers to drive systems engineering products.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• Extensive experience with Requirements Management and Model Based Systems Engineering tools and frameworks such as DOORS, CAMEO EA, Rhapsody, MATLAB, and SysML.
• Robust understanding of spacecraft systems, including hardware and software subsystems and components.
• Strong understanding of project management methodologies, including risk management and technical performance tracking.
• Robust understanding of technical baseline and configuration management.
• Proven experience in leading major projects and mentoring junior and mid‑level engineers.
• Experience or certification in INCOSE standards.
• Excellent problem‑solving skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to adapt to a fast‑paced and dynamic work environment.

Compensation

Pay Range: $173,748.00 - $238,903.50 (actual base compensation determined on a case‑by‑case basis, may vary based on job‑related knowledge and skills, education, experience, internal equity, and market competitiveness).

Security Clearance Requirements

This position requires current/active Top Secret with SCI eligibility U.S. Security Clearance. U.S. Citizenship is required as this position needs an active U.S. Security Clearance for employment. Non‑U.S. Citizens may not be eligible to obtain a security clearance.

Equal Opportunity Employment

Sierra Space Corporation is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need special assistance or a reasonable accommodation related to applying for employment with Sierra Space or at any stage of the recruitment process, please contact us.