Lead Systems Engineer, Defense Programs

Position Title

Lead Systems Engineer, Defense Programs

Protingent Staffing has an exciting direct hire Lead Systems Engineer, Defense Programs opportunity.

• Capture & Business Development:
  Lead capture engineering on defense pursuits, from early customer discovery through proposal submission
• Identify and develop the technical discriminators that separate Longshot from conventional and non-conventional competitors
• Shape technical solutions that align to customer requirements, acquisition strategy, and evaluation criteria
• Partner with business development and program management on pursuit strategy, bid decisions, and teaming
• Debrief the internal team on what the customer actually said, and what it means for the roadmap
• Systems Engineering:
  Conduct trade studies across cost, performance, risk, schedule, and supportability to defend solution choices
• Perform requirements analysis, functional decomposition, and architecture development for defense applications of our launch platform
• Define and document system interfaces, requirements traceability, and verification and validation plans
• Proposal & Program Documentation:
  Author and review technical white papers and responses to RFIs, BAAs, and RFPs
• Build and lead SRR, PDR, CDR, and TRR packages, including the analysis and traceability behind them
• Draft statements of work, work breakdown structures, milestone definitions, and integrated master schedule inputs
• Develop CDRL deliverables and ensure compliance with applicable Data Item Descriptions
• Customer-Facing Communication:
  Track and report technical performance measures, risks, and opportunities
• Prepare and deliver technical briefings to program offices, service leadership, and senior government stakeholders
• Build capability briefings and quad charts that hold up to technical scrutiny

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related technical field
• 5+ years of experience in systems engineering within aerospace and defense programs.
• Direct experience with DoW/DoD customers and programs (hypersonics, long-range strike, missile defense, or space access), including capture engineering and developing technical solutions for defense acquisition
• Excellent technical writing and communication skills, including preparing and delivering briefings to DoW/DoD customers, program offices, and senior leadership
• Strong understanding of DoD acquisition lifecycle (MDD, MSA, TMRR, EMD, P&D) and systems engineering processes (requirements, architecture, V&V)
• Experience with requirements management and traceability tools (DOORS, Jama, or equivalent)
• Ability to work fully onsite at our Alameda, CA facility, with up to 25% travel to test sites, government partner sites, bases, conferences, and trade shows.

• Proven track record of writing technical white papers, proposals, PDR/CDR packages, and other program deliverables

• Job Type: Full-time, Direct-Hire
• Salary Range: $160K-$200K
• Location:
  
  Alameda, CA (Onsite).
• ITAR obligations are associated with this role, U.S. citizenship, U.S. legal permanent resident status, or protected person status under 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a) (1), (3) is required.

Protingent is a niche provider of top Engineering and IT talent to Software, Electronics, Medical Device, Telecom, and Aerospace companies nationwide. Protingent exists to make a positive impact and contribution to the lives of others as well as our community by providing relevant, rewarding, and exciting work opportunities for our candidates.