Principal Systems Engineer, Digital Engineering Leader

Draper Labs; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 95,000 - 245,000; Full time

Job summary

Draper seeks a Principal Systems Engineer in Cambridge, MA to apply systems thinking across strategic deterrent, missile defense, space and autonomous vehicle programs. You will lead modeling, risk analysis, and architecture studies within a multi-disciplinary team.

Responsibilities include guiding customers, mentoring engineers, developing requirements, and advancing model-based engineering and simulation-driven decisions. Strong communication is essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, mathematics, or related field.
• 7-10+ years experience as systems engineer or related role.
• Experience with data-driven algorithms and optimization for systems.

Responsibilities

• Independently drive solutions to complex problems and adapt to changing requirements.
• Mentor technical staff and development teams to meet deadlines.
• Lead medium-sized teams (5-10 people) and align them to program goals.
• Provide SME guidance in Systems Engineering and risk mitigation.
• Develop and teach best practices across engineering disciplines.

Skills

Systems Engineering

Communication

Modeling & Simulation

Requirements Development

Team Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering/physics/math

Master's degree or higher preferred

Tools

SysML

MATLAB

Python

Job description

Draper seeks a Principal Systems Engineer in Cambridge, MA to apply systems thinking across strategic deterrent, missile defense, space and autonomous vehicle programs. You will lead modeling, risk analysis, and architecture studies within a multi-disciplinary team.

Responsibilities include guiding customers, mentoring engineers, developing requirements, and advancing model-based engineering and simulation-driven decisions. Strong communication is essential.