Principal Payload Systems Engineer - Missile Defense

Telesis; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Telesis in Huntsville, AL is seeking a Principal-level engineer to provide engineering oversight on payload and countermeasure requirements, and to support lifecycle milestones for large DoD programs. Active DoD Secret clearance is required.

The role involves independent evaluation of contractor designs, instrumentation analysis, and cross-agency coordination, with travel up to 20%. Master’s in STEM and 12+ years of relevant experience are expected.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in STEM and 12+ years supporting missile defense or large-scale, complex DoD programs.
• Security clearance: active DoD Secret clearance.
• Experience managing end-to-end program lifecycles, including development, testing, and fielding of complex systems.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment where priorities change quickly.
• Ability to handle multiple urgent tasks at once.
• Travel up to 20% of the time.

Responsibilities

• Engineering oversight & design assessment: act as the technical expert on payload and countermeasure requirements development, analysis, design, qualification, and fielding; independent evaluation of prime contractor designs, plans, reports, and procedures; instrumentation analysis.
• Program milestone & lifecycle support: provide technical evaluation and engineering support during major milestones (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, FRB, MRB, PAR); lead TIMs with external MDA organizations.
• Program management & operations collaboration: provide technical assessments to cost analysis to ensure accurate budgets; partner with the program scheduler to track delivery deadlines and keep leadership informed.

Skills

Program execution

Adaptability

Multitasking

Travel

Education

Master's degree in STEM

Job description

Telesis in Huntsville, AL is seeking a Principal-level engineer to provide engineering oversight on payload and countermeasure requirements, and to support lifecycle milestones for large DoD programs. Active DoD Secret clearance is required.

The role involves independent evaluation of contractor designs, instrumentation analysis, and cross-agency coordination, with travel up to 20%. Master’s in STEM and 12+ years of relevant experience are expected.