Principal Systems Engineer

Footbridge Federal; Manitou Springs (CO); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plan

Professional development

Job summary

Footbridge Federal in Colorado is seeking a systems engineer to translate high-level requirements into radar algorithm designs and to model real-time radar platform behavior.

You will perform modeling, simulation, and trajectory threat analysis, collaborate with engineering teams, and participate in trade studies to balance performance with cost, while providing technical leadership throughout the lifecycle.

Qualifications

• U.S. Government Secret clearance and citizenship required.
• Bachelor's in STEM with 8+ years (Master 6+, PhD 4+).
• Strong MATLAB proficiency and code prototyping.
• Solid understanding of signal processing, radar, and Blake Charts.
• Experience across the full systems engineering lifecycle.
• Familiarity with Jira, Confluence, and SharePoint.

Responsibilities

• Translate requirements into radar algorithm designs and implementation strategies.
• Model, simulate, and analyze trajectory threats to evaluate performance.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate algorithms and model radar behavior.
• Run trade studies to balance capabilities against cost and mission needs.
• Provide technical leadership across the systems engineering lifecycle.

Skills

MATLAB

Signal processing

Radar systems

Blake Charts

Python

C/C++

Java

Education

Bachelor's in STEM

Master's in STEM

PhD in STEM

Tools

Jira

Confluence

SharePoint

Job description

• Translate high-level system requirements into functional radar algorithm designs and implementation strategies.
• Perform modeling, simulation, and kinematic trajectory threat analysis to evaluate system performance.
• Collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams to integrate software algorithms and model real-time radar platform behavior.
• Conduct trade studies and performance analyses to balance system capabilities against cost and mission requirements.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to multidisciplinary teams throughout the systems engineering lifecycle.

Minimum Qualifications

• Active U.S. Government Secret security clearance and U.S. Citizenship.
• Bachelor's degree in a STEM field with 8+ years of experience (or Master's with 6+ years, PhD with 4+ years).
• Strong proficiency in MATLAB and code prototyping.
• Solid understanding of signal processing, radar systems, and Blake Charts for performance analysis.
• Experience navigating the full systems engineering lifecycle.
• Familiarity with standard engineering collaboration tools like Jira, Confluence, and SharePoint.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility.
• Programming experience in Python, C/C++, or Java.
• Experience working in Agile environments (Scrum, Kanban).
• Background in requirement derivation and decomposition for system design.

Required Skills

• Active U.S. Government Secret security clearance and U.S. Citizenship.
• Bachelor's degree in a STEM field with 8+ years of experience (or Master's with 6+ years, PhD with 4+ years).
• Strong proficiency in MATLAB and code prototyping.
• Solid understanding of signal processing, radar systems, and Blake Charts for performance analysis.
• Experience navigating the full systems engineering lifecycle.
• Familiarity with standard engineering collaboration tools like Jira, Confluence, and SharePoint.

Preferred Skills

• Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility.
• Programming experience in Python, C/C++, or Java.
• Experience working in Agile environments (Scrum, Kanban).
• Background in requirement derivation and decomposition for system design.

Security Clearance

• Level: Secret

Work Arrangement: On-Site

• Health and Financial Foundation — Medical, dental, vision, retirement, life insurance, disability coverage, and flexible spending accounts are described in the benefits page.
• Time Away and Flexibility Where Mission Permits — PTO, holidays, sick time, military leave, and flexible arrangements are supported where program and security requirements allow.
• Professional Development — The site references certification support, training, conferences, mentorship, internal mobility, and individual development planning.

Hiring process

• Recruiter Review

  Recruiting reviews your resume for role alignment, technical background, clearance status where relevant, and program fit.

• Interview

  Qualified candidates may meet program, technical, or delivery leaders to discuss experience and expectations for the role.

• Offer

  When there is a match, the team coordinates offer, onboarding, clearance transfer or sponsorship details where contractually authorized.

About Footbridge

Mission

Footbridge Federal delivers engineering, cyber, mission IT, analytics, and cleared program support for defense, intelligence, federal civilian, homeland security, and research missions.

Culture

Mission Context Matters

Candidates should expect work tied to defense, intelligence, federal civilian, homeland, and research missions rather than generic commercial delivery.

Small-Team Accountability

The culture copy emphasizes ownership, communication, and practical execution across teams that work close to customers and program outcomes.

Growth With Technical Credibility

Career content supports hands-on technical growth, certifications, internal mobility, and program leadership without forcing one career track.

Benefits & why work here

• Health and Financial Foundation: Medical, dental, vision, retirement, life insurance, disability coverage, and flexible spending accounts are described in the benefits page.
• Time Away and Flexibility Where Mission Permits: PTO, holidays, sick time, military leave, and flexible arrangements are supported where program and security requirements allow.
• Professional Development: The site references certification support, training, conferences, mentorship, internal mobility, and individual development planning.