Expert Systems Engineer

Peraton; Chantilly (VA); On-site; USD 146,000 - 234,000; Full time

Job summary

Peraton is seeking an Expert-Level Systems Engineer to lead the integration, development, and advancement of mission-critical GEOINT systems. The role demands extensive systems engineering expertise, requirements traceability, and cross-enterprise collaboration in Chantilly or Springfield, VA.

You will mentor teams, guide design decisions, and align capabilities with mission needs. You will work with government stakeholders, perform trade studies, and contribute to strategic planning and risk

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a STEM field (or equivalent experience)
• Extensive experience in government/industry settings supporting DoD/Intelligence Community
• Active TS/SCI clearance and ability to obtain polygraph

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership in integration, development, and advancement of complex GEOINT systems
• Mentor engineering teams and translate mission needs into system requirements
• Lead requirements engineering, traceability, and architecture analysis across cloud, on‑prem, and hybrid infrastructures
• Advise stakeholders on solution designs and emerging technologies
• Coordinate system integration across complex environments and perform AoAs/CoAs
• Support strategic planning, risk management, and interface design for major acquisitions
• Contribute to GEOINT capability planning for national and allied missions

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Engineering Management, Management Information Systems, or a related STEM field

Master’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Engineering Management, Management Information Systems, or a related STEM field

Job description

Responsibilities

We are seeking an Expert-Level Systems Engineer to provide technical leadership in the integration, development, and advancement of complex, mission‑critical systems and commercial Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) capabilities. This role supports multidisciplinary engineering efforts across interconnected enterprise environments, with an emphasis on commercial products, data workflows, and capabilities supporting national and allied missions.

The successful candidate will provide expert technical guidance to Government stakeholders, lead and mentor engineering teams, and help translate mission needs into effective systems engineering solutions. This position requires extensive experience with enterprise systems engineering, requirements traceability, systems integration, and technical planning across complex organizational and infrastructure boundaries.

Location: Fully onsite in Chantilly or Springfield, VA.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor Junior-, Mid-, and Senior‑Level Systems Engineers across requirements engineering, solution development, systems integration, scheduling, testing and evaluation, maintainability, and operational analysis, with a focus on commercial product and data workflows.

• Lead the planning and analysis of user requirements, system architectures, workflows, procedures, and technical challenges to improve or automate existing capabilities.

• Perform requirements and architecture traceability and assess cloud service capabilities, workflow processes, and scheduling constraints.

• Advise Government stakeholders on proposed solution design changes based on requirements analysis, emerging technologies, and evolving mission needs.

• Capture and translate mission and customer needs into defined system and capability requirements and engineering solutions.

• Analyze and allocate requirements across system architecture components and executing programs to maintain alignment between mission objectives and technical implementation.

• Lead and support systems integration activities across complex, interconnected environments.

• Lead or support Analyses of Alternatives (AoAs), Courses of Action (CoAs), trade studies, and engineering assessments to evaluate technical approaches and inform decision‑making.

• Contribute to strategic technical planning, project management, performance engineering, risk management, and interface design.

• Provide expert technical guidance to align engineering vision, strategy, plans, requirements, processes, and capability development.

• Support the integration of multiple major system acquisitions across organizational, agency, departmental, and national boundaries.

• Contribute to the planning and integration of commercial GEOINT capabilities in support of national and allied mission requirements.

Location: This position is fully onsite in Chantilly or Springfield, VA.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Engineering Management, Management Information Systems, or a related STEM field, with the following substitutions permitted:

  • No degree: Four additional years of relevant experience.

  • Non-STEM degree: Two additional years of relevant experience.

• At least 18 years of relevant government or industry experience supporting one or more of the following:

  • Department of Defense (DoD) or Intelligence Community (IC) acquisition processes.

  • Requirements development and management processes.

  • Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution System (PPBES).

  • Systems engineering for large, complex systems of systems.

  • Service‑oriented architecture environments operating across cloud, on‑premises, and hybrid infrastructures.

• Strong understanding of the full systems engineering lifecycle.

• Demonstrated knowledge of the National System of Geospatial‑Intelligence (NSG), Allied System of Geospatial‑Intelligence (ASG), and National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) enterprise environments.

• Previous program or project experience supporting the National Geospatial‑Intelligence Agency (NGA) or the NSG/ASG environment.

• Previous program or project experience within the Intelligence Community or Department of Defense.

• Active TS/SCI clearance and the ability to obtain SCI access and successfully pass a polygraph.

Desired Qualifications

• Master’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Engineering Management, Management Information Systems, or a related STEM field.

• Working knowledge of Model‑Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) methodologies, processes, tools, and languages.

• Software Development Framework certification.

• International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) Expert Systems Engineering Professional (ESEP) certification.

• Professional Engineer (PE) licensure.

• Experience supporting integration roadmap planning and development.

• Experience integrating commercial or national sensors.

• Extensive professional experience in geospatial intelligence (GEOINT).

• Experience engineering solutions using:

  • Cloud‑based technologies.

  • Structured and unstructured big data environments.

  • Automation and augmentation technologies.

  • Artificial intelligence technologies.

Peraton Overview

Peraton is a next‑generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world’s leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees do the can’t be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit peraton.com to learn how we’re keeping people around the world safe and secure.

Target Salary Range

$146,000 - $234,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual’s experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.

EEO

EEO: Equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veterans, or other characteristics protected by law.