Principal Systems Engineer – Chief Engineer (Onsite)

RTX; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 118,000 - 205,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Tuition reimbursement

401(k) plan

Job summary

Raytheon Company, managed by Collins Aerospace, seeks a Principal Systems Engineer – Chief Engineer in El Segundo, CA to lead modernization and crypto-enabled system certification. The role requires guiding multi-disciplinary teams, shaping design decisions, and ensuring program alignment with customer objectives.

Onsite work with a strong emphasis on secure communications in defense applications. The role involves agile and traditional development environments, system-level requirements

Qualifications

• Experience with the systems development process from requirements to production.
• Experience leading $5-10M programs as chief engineer/project lead (waterfall/agile) for 5+ years.
• Active and transferable SECRET clearance required before start date.
• U.S. citizenship required for security clearance eligibility.

Responsibilities

• Lead as the chief engineer for upgrades on a legacy device.
• Coordinate with PMO and customer to achieve crypto certification.
• Oversee cost accounting and schedule planning with Finance/Scheduler.
• Serve as product owner/scrum master and manage defects in CCBs.
• Perform system-level requirements decomposition, integration planning, and verification.
• Contribute to bid and proposal efforts.
• Oversee software/hardware crypto system testing and validation.

Skills

Systems engineering

Crypto standards

Leadership

Communication

Education

STEM degree

Tools

DOORS

CAMEO

Rust

Python

Job description

Date Posted:

2026-10-08

Country:

United States of America

Location:

US-CA-EL SEGUNDO-E04 ~ 2006 E El Segundo Blvd ~ BLDG E04

Position Role Type:

Onsite

U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements:

Active and transferable U.S. government issued security clearance is required prior to start date. U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance

Security Clearance Type:

Secret - Current

Security Clearance Status:

Active and existing security clearance required on day 1

Raytheon Company, Managed by Collins Aerospace

Collins Aerospace, an RTX company, is a leader in technologically advanced and intelligent solutions for the global aerospace and defense industry. Collins Aerospace has the capabilities, comprehensive portfolio, and expertise to solve customers’ toughest challenges and to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving global market.

The Secure Subsystems organization is seeking a Principal Systems Engineer – Chief Engineer to lead the modernization and certification of advanced military communication devices. This role provides technical leadership across a multi‑disciplinary engineering team, guiding system upgrades, shaping design decisions, and ensuring alignment with customer and program objectives. The Chief Engineer partners with Program Management to drive program execution, support cost and schedule as CAM, and oversee planning and coordination activities tied to major milestones, including crypto certification. Operating within agile and traditional development environments, this leader directs system‑level requirements decomposition, integration planning, defect resolution, and verification efforts to deliver secure, reliable, and mission‑ready crypto‑enabled solutions. This position plays a critical role in advancing secure communication technologies and supporting the deployment of highly resilient systems to global defense customers.

What You Will Do

• Lead as the chief engineer for a team that is going through several upgrades on a legacy device
• Work closely with PMO and customer to get to the crypto certification
• Cost Accounting Manager (CAM) and work with Finance/Scheduler for internal BCRs, IMS planning
• Product owner/scrum master and running CCBs for defects
• Perform technical planning, system integration, verification and validation, cost and risk, and supportability and effectiveness analyses for total system solutions
• Perform bid and proposal efforts
• Work system requirements decomposition, CDRL updates and black box or white box testing on Software and hardware integrated crypto systems

SIGN ON BONUS ELIGIBLE

Qualifications You Must Have

• Experience with the systems development process, including requirements capture, design, decomposition, integration, and verification/validation, and transition to production
• Experience with leading $5-10 million programs as a chief engineer/project lead through waterfall/agile methodologies for a minimum of 5 years
• Active and transferable SECRET clearance is required prior to start date
• U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance
• Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and minimum 8 years prior relevant experience or an Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 5 years of experience

Qualifications We Prefer

• Familiarity with the Scaled Agile framework
• Exceptionally strong communication skills, experience presenting technical data to program management and executive leadership
• Experienced with Cryptographic Hardwarearchitecture/design,Network Encryption specifications and test methodologies
• Experience with tools such as DOORS, CAMEO or similar, Software Languages such as Rust and Python.
• Experience with Hardware and Software Integration, Validation & Verification Testing, and Qualification Testing

What We Offer

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Three weeks of vacation for newly hired employees
• Generous 401(k) plan that includes employer matching funds and separate employer retirement contribution, including a Lifetime Income Strategy option
• Tuition reimbursement program
• Student Loan Repayment Program
• Life insurance and disability coverage
• Optional coverages you can buy pet insurance, home and auto insurance, additional life and accident insurance,critical illnessinsurance, group legal, ID theft protection
• Birth, adoption, parental leave benefits
• Ovia Health, fertility, and family planning
• Adoption Assistance
• Autism Benefit
• Employee Assistance Plan, including up to 10 free counseling sessions
• Healthy You Incentives, wellness rewards program
• Doctor on Demand, virtual doctor visits
• Bright Horizons, child and elder care services
• Teladoc Medical Experts, second opinion program
• This position is eligible for relocation assistance
• And more!

Do you want to be a part of something bigger? A team whose impact stretches across the world, and even beyond? At Collins Aerospace, our Mission Systems team helps civilian, military and government customers complete their most complex missions — whatever and wherever they may be. Our customers depend on us for intelligent and secure communications, missionized systems for specialized aircraft and spacecraft and collaborative space solutions. By joining our team, you’ll have your own critical part to play in ensuring our customers succeed today while anticipating their needs for tomorrow. Are you up for the challenge? Join our mission today.

*Please ensure the role type (defined below) is appropriate for your needs before applying to this role.

ONSITE: Employees who are working in Onsite roles will work primarily onsite. This includes all production and maintenance employees, as they are essential to the development of our products.

Employee Referral Eligible

The salary range for this role is 118,300 USD - 224,900 USD. The salary range provided is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels. RTX considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, location, education/training, and key skills.

Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits, including but not limited to, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, flexible work schedules, employee assistance program, Employee Scholar Program, parental leave, paid time off, and holidays. Specific benefits are dependent upon the specific business unit as well as whether or not the position is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement.

Hired applicants may be eligible for annual short-term and/or long-term incentive compensation programs depending on the level of the position and whether or not it is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement. Payments under these annual programs are not guaranteed and are dependent upon a variety of factors including, but not limited to, individual performance, business unit performance, and/or the company’s performance.

This role is a U.S.-based role. If the successful candidate resides in a U.S. territory, the appropriate pay structure and benefits will apply.

RTX anticipates the application window closing approximately 40 days from the date the notice was posted. However, factors such as candidate flow and business necessity may require RTX to shorten or extend the application window.

RTX is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any other applicable state or federal protected class. RTX provides affirmative action in employment for qualified Individuals with a Disability and Protected Veterans in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act.

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