Principal Systems Engineer

Red-6; Louisville (CO); On-site; USD 160,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare (Medical), Dental, Vision

Paid time off

Disability insurance

FSA

401(k)

Voluntary benefits

Discretionary bonus potential

Job summary

Red 6 is seeking a Principal Systems Engineer to drive the Airborne Tactical Augmented Reality System (ATARS) across the full product lifecycle. You will lead requirements, architecture, and interface work, coordinating hardware, software, optics, test, and airworthiness teams to ensure mission readiness and compliance.

The role emphasizes MBSE, system integration, and formal design milestone reviews in a cross-functional environment supporting complex aircraft systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in systems engineering, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related STEM field.
• 12+ years of experience in aerospace, defense, or mission-critical system development.
• Experience across the full systems development lifecycle, from early concept and requirements through design, integration, verification, validation, production, and operations & maintenance.
• Proficiency with requirements management tools and products, including requirements development, decomposition, tracing, validation and verification.
• Experience authoring and reviewing Interface Control Documents (ICDs), Concepts of Operation, Trade Studies, Documentation Trees, Engineering Management Plans, Engineering Change Packages or similar systems engineering artifacts.
• Experience supporting or leading formal design milestone reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR).
• Effective written and verbal communication skills for technical documentation and cross-team coordination.
• Demonstrated familiarity with the software development lifecycle and software architecture, including the integration of software within complex hardware and mission systems.
• Knowledge of MIL-STD documentation standards and defense acquisition lifecycle processes.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret security clearance. This requires U.S. Citizenship

Responsibilities

• Lead cross functional teams across Systems Engineering, Configuration Management, and Systems Integration & Test to align technical execution, drive solutions, and guide discussions.
• Develop, decompose, and manage system and subsystem requirements using approved requirements management tools.
• Establish and maintain the Requirements Verification Traceability Matrix (RVTM), ensuring bidirectional traceability from system requirements through verification artifacts.
• Develop and manage Interface Control Documents (ICDs) for internal and external system integrations (hardware, software, avionics, and platform interfaces).
• Lead and support design milestone reviews, including SRR, PDR, CDR, and SVR.
• Apply Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) methodologies (SysML) to develop system architectures, functional decompositions, use cases, and interface models.
• Conduct trade studies and technical analysis to support design decisions and performance optimization.
• Manage allocations of weight, power, and other system resources across components.
• Coordinate and oversee system integration and verification activities in both lab and aircraft environments.
• Identify and manage technical risks, ensuring mitigation plans are in place.
• Serve as a technical point of contact across internal teams and with external partners to ensure alignment on system design and performance.

Skills

Aerospace engineering

Systems engineering

Electrical engineering

Mechanical engineering

MBSE SysML

Interface Control Documents (ICDs)

Requirements management

Design milestone reviews (SRR, PDR, CD

Trades studies & technical analysis

Cross-functional leadership

Technical communication

DoD Secret security clearance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in systems engineering, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or related STEM field

Master’s degree in engineering, physics, or related technical field

Tools

Cameo

MagicDraw

Rhapsody

Job description

Company Overview

Red 6 is an innovative Augmented Reality (AR) technology startup leading the way in synthetic air combat training. Our primary technology, supporting our ATARS product, enables pilots to simulate the cognitive challenges of flying while accessing realistic, scalable training in dynamic outdoor environments.

THE ROLE

We are seeking a Principal Systems Engineer to support the development, integration, and verification of the Airborne Tactical Augmented Reality System (ATARS) across the full product lifecycle. This role supports the overall system development of ATARS via requirements development and traceability, architecture definition, interface management, hardware/software integration, and conducting formal design milestone reviews. In addition, this role will lead requirements, architecture, and design work for the early lifecycle of the next generation ATARS. The Principal Systems Engineer will operate in a cross-functional environment supporting hardware, software, optics, test, and airworthiness teams to ensure technical performance, compliance, and mission readiness of complex integrated systems.

KEY RESPONSIBILIITES

• Lead cross functional teams across Systems Engineering, Configuration Management, and Systems Integration & Test to align technical execution, drive solutions, and guide discussions.

• Develop, decompose, and manage system and subsystem requirements using approved requirements management tools.

• Establish and maintain the Requirements Verification Traceability Matrix (RVTM), ensuring bidirectional traceability from system requirements through verification artifacts.

• Develop and manage Interface Control Documents (ICDs) for internal and external system integrations (hardware, software, avionics, and platform interfaces).

• Lead and support design milestone reviews, including SRR, PDR, CDR, and SVR.

• Apply Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) methodologies (SysML) to develop system architectures, functional decompositions, use cases, and interface models.

• Conduct trade studies and technical analysis to support design decisions and performance optimization.

• Manage allocations of weight, power, and other system resources across components.

• Coordinate and oversee system integration and verification activities in both lab and aircraft environments.

• Identify and manage technical risks, ensuring mitigation plans are in place.

• Serve as a technical point of contact across internal teams and with external partners to ensure alignment on system design and performance.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in systems engineering, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or related STEM field.

• 12 years+ of experience in aerospace, defense, or mission-critical system development.

• Demonstrated experience across the full systems development lifecycle, from early concept and requirements through design, integration, verification, validation, production, and operations & maintenance.

• Proficiency with requirements management tools and products, including requirements development, decomposition, tracing, validation and verification.

• Experience authoring and reviewing Interface Control Documents (ICDs), Concepts of Operation, Trade Studies, Documentation Trees, Engineering Management Plans, Engineering Change Packages or similar systems engineering artifacts.

• Experience supporting or leading formal design milestone reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR).

• Effective written and verbal communication skills for technical documentation and cross-team coordination.

• Demonstrated familiarity with the software development lifecycle and software architecture, including the integration of software within complex hardware and mission systems.

• Knowledge of MIL-STD documentation standards and defense acquisition lifecycle processes.

• Ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret security clearance. This requires U.S. Citizenship

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree in engineering, physics, or a related technical field.

• INCOSE CSEP Certification.

• Experience with AR/VR technologies and head-mounted display systems.

• Familiarity with avionics systems, aircraft integration, or similar platforms.

• Experience applying MBSE methodologies using SysML tools such as Cameo, MagicDraw, or Rhapsody.

• Familiarity with airworthiness certification processes and safety-critical system development.

COMPENSTATION

Estimated Base Salary: $160,000 - $200,000

Full-Time Employee Benefits

• Healthcare, Dental, and Vision (100% coverage for Employees)

• Paid time off, including vacation, sick, paid holidays, and parental leave

• Short and Long-Term Disability

• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

• 401(k) Retirement Plan

• Voluntary Worksite Benefits (Accident, Critical Illness, and Hospital Indemnity)

• May be eligible for a discretionary annual bonus based on individual and company performance, subject to plan terms.
  

Note

Red 6 reserves the right to change its current benefits program at any time, in a manner that is consistent with applicable federal and state regulations.

This job description is not a contract and confers no contractual rights, privileges, or benefits on any applicant or potential applicant. Red 6 has the right to change any and all terms of this job description, including, but not limited to, job responsibilities, qualifications, and benefits. Nothing in this job description constitutes an offer or guarantee of employment.

Red Six Aerospace, Inc, is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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