Principal Systems Engineer

Tential Solutions; Annapolis (MD); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 155,000; Full time

Job summary

Tential Solutions is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer to join the Networks & Connectivity Engineering division. You will contribute to the GLOBALink system, coordinating with corporate teams to upgrade critical systems and ensure high performance across global aviation networks.

You will document architectures and create migration plans, while guiding upgrades and ensuring system uptime. This role involves onsite work in Annapolis three days per week and travel to Asia for system upgrades and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in STEM or related fields; advanced degree preferred.
• SDLC experience across development, testing, deployment, and support.
• Willingness to travel to Asia (10%) for system integration and training.
• Ability to provide on-call support to maintain system performance and reliability.
• Experience coordinating tests, requirements reviews, and end-user training.

Responsibilities

• Analyze statements of need and business requirements to generate technical requirements.
• Work onsite three days a week in Annapolis, MD.
• Lead and participate in systems engineering projects across international markets.
• Document system architecture, design, configurations, and technical documentation.
• Develop comprehensive migration strategies with milestones and stakeholders.
• Lead technical upgrades and report progress to teams and stakeholders.
• Design and implement cross-platform system architectures.
• Troubleshoot and resolve software and system issues to ensure uptime (99.999%).
• Integrate solutions with external systems operated by other entities.
• Develop and implement testing strategies: unit, integration, and system tests.

Skills

Systems engineering

SDLC

Travel readiness

On-call support

Requirements analysis

Documentation

Migration planning

System integration

Diagnostics & troubleshooting

Cross-functional collaboration

Linux OS (Red Hat)

Networking (TCP/IP, DHCP, DNS)

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/IT/CS

Master's degree

Nine years of experience without degree

Tools

VMware

KVM

Linux (Red Hat)

Job description

As a Senior Systems Engineer, you will become an integral part of the Networks & Connectivity Engineering (NCE) division within the Connected Aviation Solutions Business. This role offers the chance to work on the cutting‑edge GLOBALink system, a world‑class air‑to‑ground communications system that serves both commercial aviation and government air traffic authorities worldwide. You will be able to lead and participate in systems engineering projects in Asian and international markets, collaborating with corporate engineering teams to design, develop, and implement critical system upgrades to ensure optimal system performance.

GLOBALink is currently embracing a pivotal part of our product development life cycle, and in this role, you will contribute to modernizing communication and messaging infrastructure that enhances the services we deliver to our aviation customers. The system comprises hundreds of radio ground stations, interfaces with satellite ground‑earth stations, and connects to hundreds of airlines and civil aviation authority systems. You will be a key player in managing complex message processing and system management servers, all supported by a robust and intricate communication infrastructure. This dynamic role allows you to work on genuinely global projects that have a tangible impact on the future of aviation communications.

What You Will Do

• You will work onsite three days a week in Annapolis, MD.
• You will analyze statements of need and business requirements to generate technical requirements
• 10% Travel to Asia in support of system upgrades and on-site training
• You will apply systems engineering standards and best practices to ensure traceability to customer requirements.
• You will document system architecture, design, and configurations, creating clear and concise technical documentation to support long-term maintenance and upgrades.
• You will develop a comprehensive migration strategy, including the approach, affected stakeholders, timeline, resource allocation, and milestones for success.
• Lead technical upgrades, ensuring that tasks have been accomplished according to plans and providing regular updates on progress, obstacles, and successes to technical teams and stakeholders.
• You will design and implement system architectures that ensure compatibility across multiple platforms and environments.
• You will troubleshoot and resolve software and systems issues, diagnose root causes, and implement efficient solutions to maintain system performance and uptime (99.999%).
• You will integrate solutions with external systems operated by external companies or agencies
• You will develop and implement software and system testing strategies, including unit testing, integration testing, and system testing, to ensure the integrity and functionality of the systems.

Qualifications You Must Have

• Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) unless prohibited by local laws/regulations and a minimum of 5 years prior relevant experience in systems engineering or an Advanced Degree in a related field and a minimum of 3 years of experience in Systems engineering or the absence of a degree, nine years of relevant experience.
• Must have experience with the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) – development, testing, implementation, and long-term support.
• Must have the ability to travel to Asian markets to support system integration and customer engagement activities (10% Travel)
• Must be able to provide on-call support as necessary to ensure system performance and reliability.
• Must have experience coordinating and performing in-depth tests, end-user requirements reviews and end-user training.
• Must have experience with system development lifecycle methodology within highly integrated team environment collaborating with software, hardware, and systems engineers.
• Must have experience or knowledge of how Linux OS (Red Hat) works with experience designing OS systems for software packages.
• Familiarity with networking concepts, protocols, and services, including TCP/IP, DHCP, and DNS.
• Must have experience developing and negotiating software and systems engineering requirements with stakeholders from inception through the entire life cycle delivery of requirements.

Qualifications We Prefer

• Strong understanding of systems engineering concepts, software development lifecycle, acceptance testing, configuration management, mitigating controls, and vulnerability management
• Perform system hardening per NIST 800-53,171,37, ISO 27001, ISO 30001, DFARS, or NAS-based assessment and control requirements
• Knowledge of Enrollment over Secure Transport (EST) and IPSec IKE
• Engagement in systems engineering, software development lifecycle and engineering practices, solutions, and analysis
• Experience with use cases, process flows, and UML
• Experience with Software Engineering and network infrastructure teams, bringing architectural elements to life on large-scale ARINC Message Queuing Service (AMQS) applications and platforms.
• Experience with virtualization technologies like VMware or Kernel-based virtual machine (KVM).
• Linux based software development experience
• Experience with aeronautical communication, air traffic management, or airline operations
• Knowledge of contemporary network technologies that may be applicable in addressing product and market needs.
• Adaptability and Continuous Learning: Learning new technologies and the ability to adapt to changing requirements.
• Project Management: Agile, Scrum, managing multiple projects, timely delivery.
• Ability to work independently and in a team-oriented environment, collaborating with cross-functional teams.
• with aeronautical communication, air traffic management, or airline operations
• Experience working with government and international customers
• Experience leading design enhancements with stakeholders from conception through lifecycle management.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Information Technology, Computer Science, or related field.
• Masters desirable.
• In the absence of a degree, nine years of relevant experience is required.