Director, Systems Engineering, Integration & Test (SEIT)

Trident Systems; Fairfax (VA); On-site; USD 155,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) with company match

Tuition reimbursement

Paid time off

Job summary

Trident Systems in Fairfax, VA seeks a Director of Systems Engineering, Integration & Test (SEIT) to lead the discipline across programs, defining requirements, architecture, interface management, and V&V planning, while overseeing hardware integration and qualification.

This is a working leadership role with hands-on flight hardware work and the task of building a new SE organization, including SI&T, CAM, and PE capabilities. Strong cross-functional communication is essential for success.

Qualifications

• 15+ years in systems integration and test with flight hardware experience.
• Experience delivering and qualifying flight hardware for space/defense programs.
• Strong ability to lead and grow a new SE organization.

Responsibilities

• Lead Systems Engineering across programs: requirements, architecture, interfaces, and V&V planning.
• Stand up Systems Engineering organization with SI&T as a core capability; define processes and staffing.
• Establish CAM/Production Engineering function and integrate cost, schedule, and technical reporting.
• Mentor SEIT engineers and technicians; drive root-cause analysis and robust processes.
• Interface with Program Management, Design Engineering, Quality, and Manufacturing to ensure qualification milestones.

Skills

Leadership

Systems engineering

Hands-on labor

Cross-functional collaboration

Root-cause analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering

Master's or PhD in related field

Tools

MBSE tools

Job description

Position Title: Director, Systems Engineering, Integration & Test (SEIT)
Requisition ID: 1827
Position Location: Fairfax, VA
Position Reports To: VP of Engineering
Supervises Others: Yes

At Trident Systems Space Electronic Systems (SES) division, we believe in the power of using strong engineering principles to drive innovation and solve complex problems. We foster a culture of rigorous engineering and continuous improvement, leveraging the full knowledge of our organization through collaborative product development processes that include design and peer reviews. We combine our expertise in space electronics with right-sized development processes to create innovative, high-performance space-based electronic systems that meet our customers' evolving needs.

We are a mission partner supporting DoD, Intelligence Community, and Civil space customers. We develop complex, radiation effects mitigated, designs that balance competing requirements in modern space programs, delivering cutting-edge solutions that enable our customers to achieve more in space.

Position Summary

We are seeking a Director of Systems Engineering, Integration & Test (SEIT) to serve as the discipline lead for Systems Engineering across programs and products, spanning requirements definition and flow-down, architecture and interface management, verification and validation planning, and hardware integration, test, and qualification. This is a working leadership role: the majority of time will be spent as direct labor across the systems engineering lifecycle, with a strong emphasis on executing space hardware including design, driving qualification programs, and solving hardware issues. The role also includes building and leading a new Systems Engineering organization, standing up System Integration and Test (SI&T), Control Account Management (CAM), and Project Engineering (PE) capabilities from the ground up as well as leading the established Assembly Integration and Test (AI&T) organization.

This role is ideal for an engineer-leader who wants to build a discipline spanning the full systems engineering lifecycle, mentor a growing team, and stay technically embedded in delivering flight hardware, not a purely administrative management position.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical and organizational lead for Systems Engineering, with direct ownership of requirements definition and flow-down, system architecture, interface management, and verification and validation (V&V) planning across programs.
• Stand up a new Systems Engineering organization, with SI&T as a foundational capability: define processes, verification/test procedures, workmanship standards, staffing plans, and tooling/facility requirements.
• Establish and lead a Control Account Management (CAM) / Production Engineering (PE) function, integrating cost, schedule, and technical performance reporting into program execution.
• Provide strategic leadership for rootcause and correctiveaction disciplines, ensuring organizational adherence to robust processes and driving comprehensive, longterm solutions to process escapes, test anomalies, and hardware failures.
• Interface directly with Program Management, Design Engineering, Quality, and Manufacturing to ensure test readiness and hardware qualification milestones are met.
• Hire, mentor, and grow a team of SEIT engineers and technicians as the organization scales; key focus areas are space effects survivability, component engineering, cyber security, and aerospace worst case analysis.
• Champion continuous improvement in system engineering, test infrastructure, tooling, and processes to improve throughput and quality.
• Ability to support travel or off-site work, as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field (or equivalent experience).
• 15+ years of experience in systems integration and test, with direct, hands‑on experience delivering and qualifying flight hardware for space or similarly rigorous programs (e.g., defense, aviation).
• Demonstrated experience taking hardware through full qualification campaigns (environmental, functional, performance testing) including worst case analysis.
• Working knowledge of integration and test standards and practices for space hardware (e.g., NASA GEVS, NASA-STD, SMC-S-016, or equivalent internal standards).
• Proven ability to work as direct, hands‑on labor - this role is not purely managerial.
• Prior people‑leadership experience standing up or significantly building out a new team, process, or organizational capability from limited existing infrastructure.
• Strong troubleshooting and root‑cause analysis skills for hardware/test anomalies.
• Excellent cross‑functional communication skills, with experience interfacing across engineering, program management, quality, and manufacturing.

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters' or doctoral degree in Mechanical, Electrical, System Engineering or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Experience with Agile hardware development methodologies (e.g., Scrum/Kanban adapted for hardware, rapid iteration/build‑test‑fix cycles).
• Prior experience establishing or operating within a Control Account Management (CAM) / Earned Value Management (EVM) framework.
• Experience in a low-to-mid rate production environment (as opposed to single‑unit/prototype only).
• Familiarity with MBSE tools and digital engineering environments.

Pay Information

Full‑Time Salary Range: $155,000 - $280,000

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 company match)
• Tuition reimbursement
• Leaves (Parental, maternity, and military)
• Annual discretionary bonus (for eligible roles)

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

Trident Solutions is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact [e-mail].

Pay Transparency: The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)