Principal Systems Engineer

SAIC; Vandenberg Village (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

SAIC seeks an experienced Principal Systems Engineer to support the modernization of space launch ranges, align with Assured Access to Space (AATS) mission goals, and drive digital transformation through MBSE and DE practices. This on-site role is based at Vandenberg SFB, CA.

The role emphasizes system-level engineering, rapid prototyping, and cross-functional collaboration to address sponsor challenges with agile acquisition and robust documentation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, mathematics, physics or equivalent technical discipline with nine (9) years of systems integration and systems engineering related experience, or master’s degree with seven (7) years of related experience.
• MBA or related program not required; advanced degree preferred for added competencies.

Responsibilities

• Provide system-level engineering support to a cross-functional team.
• Offer preliminary solutions to moderate-scope engineering problems expeditiously.
• Identify and propose MBSE practices, methods and tools to address sponsor challenges.
• Apply agile acquisition, architecture design and system integration knowledge to support recommendations.
• Use rapid prototyping to inform capability requirements and decisions.
• Collaborate with platform partners to promote MBSE and digital engineering practices.
• Author and maintain technical documentation including requirements, operations concepts and interface documents.
• Develop and document engineering processes and standards for customer requirements.

Skills

MBSE

Agile

Systems engineering

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, mathematics, physics or equivalent technical discipline

Master’s degree in engineering, mathematics, physics or equivalent technical discipline

Tools

SharePoint

Excel

Access

Project

STK

Job description

Minimum Clearance Required Secret

Job ID 2617974

Location Vandenberg SFB, CA, US

Date Posted 2026-10-14

Category Engineering and Sciences

Subcategory Systems Engineer

Schedule Full-Time

Shift Day Job

Travel Yes - 10% of the time

Minimum Clearance Required Secret

Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain None

Potential for Remote Work ORA_ON_SITE

SAIC seeks an experienced and energetic Principal Systems Engineer to directly support the modernization of the space launch ranges, meeting mission requirements, providing range capabilities, and supporting the Assured Access to Space (AATS) mission. The overarching purpose of the program is to perform system modernization and digital transformation projects that will enable the acceleration of the space launch cadence to enable the Spaceport of the future. This position at Vandenberg SFB, CA.

Job Responsibilities

• Providing system-level engineering support and expertise to a cross-functional team.
• Providing preliminary solutions to engineering problems of moderate scope and complexity in an expeditious, efficient, and timely manner.
• Identify and propose Digital Engineering practices, methods, and tools to address our sponsor and partners' most pressing challenges.
• Apply knowledge and principles of agile acquisition, architecture design, system integration, risk assessment/management, and other systems engineering disciplines to support recommendations to address these challenges.
• Employ rapid prototyping and technical recommendations to inform sponsor and partner capability requirements and decisions.
• Collaborate with platform partners to contribute to greater practice of MBSE and DE across the enterprise.
• Authoring and maintenance of technical documentation, such as Requirements Specifications, Concepts of Operation, Product and Performance Specifications, Interface Control Documents, Compliance Matrices, Qualification Test Plans, Procedures, and Reports.
• Development and documentation of engineering processes and standards in support of customer requirements.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, mathematics, physics or equivalent technical discipline and nine (9) years of systems integration and systems engineering related or equivalent experience or master’s degree in an engineering, mathematics, physics or equivalent technical discipline and seven (7) years of systems integration and systems engineering related or equivalent experience

Desired Education, Experience, And Qualifications

• Familiarity with team and administrative collaboration and analysis tools such as Microsoft SharePoint, Excel, Access, and Project.
• Familiarity with Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) including generating, analyzing, and maintaining a digital model.
• Experience with projects that consist of updating ground-based systems such as RF Systems, communication systems, telemetry, and/or virtualization of systems.
• Must have a secret clearance.
• Master of Science in engineering, science, or related technical field
• Experience in large Government systems acquisition.
• Thorough understanding of space systems design, integration and test requirements and test execution, including test equipment support.
• Experience with Systems Tool Kit (STK) simulation and analysis platform

Target salary range $140,001 - $180,000. The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors.