Requirements Analyst & Systems Engineer – Active Secret Clearance

Addison Group; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 83,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401(k)

Job summary

Addison Group is partnering with a DoD-focused IT services firm to hire a Requirements Analyst / Systems Engineer for mission-critical software support in Washington, DC. You will translate operator input into clear, testable requirements, write test procedures, and defend recommendations on build decisions.

This role targets early-career professionals with an active Secret clearance, 0–4 years experience, and a readiness to work onsite 3 days per week in the DC area.

Qualifications

• Active DoD Secret clearance and U.S. citizenship
• 0–4 years in systems engineering, requirements analysis, software testing, or QA (internships count)
• Experience gathering requirements from end users and writing clear, testable statements
• Experience writing and executing test cases or test procedures
• Basic scripting in at least one language (e.g., Python, Bash, JavaScript)
• Familiarity with Agile/Scrum and a backlog or defect-tracking tool (e.g., Jira, GitLab, Azure DevOps)
• Strong written and verbal communication with ability to explain tradeoffs
• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent experience
• Ability to work onsite 3 days per week in the Washington, DC area

Responsibilities

• Meet with operators, SMEs, and government leads to understand mission workflows and pain points
• Break requirements down into clear, testable statements with measurable acceptance criteria
• Capture non-functional requirements such as performance, reliability, and security
• Maintain traceability from input through design and test
• Log operator requests in backlog and track decisions
• Weigh requests against mission value and constraints; recommend build/defer/decline
• Document requirements, use cases, and workflows for both operators and developers
• Write user stories with Given-When-Then acceptance criteria
• Produce workflow diagrams, meeting minutes, and test reports
• Write step-by-step test procedures and execute various testing types
• Log defects with reproduction steps and verify fixes
• Support automation efforts with test data and scripts
• Collaborate with developers, cybersecurity staff, and program management in Agile

Skills

Requirements analysis

Systems engineering

Clear communication

Active DoD Secret clearance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, CS, or IS

Tools

Jira

GitLab

Azure DevOps

Job description

Position Title: Requirements Analyst / Systems Engineer – Active Secret Clearance

Location: Washington D.C.

Assignment Type: Contract to Hire

Pay Rate: $60 - $65 / Hr

Work Schedule: 3 Days Onsite in DC

Benefits: This position is eligible for medical, dental, vision, and 401(k).

Work Authorization: Must be authorized to work in the United States. This position is not eligible for sponsorship.

Job Description:

Addison Group is partnering with a growing IT services firm that supports DoD mission systems to find a Requirements Analyst / Systems Engineer. This is a great opportunity for an early-career professional who likes figuring out what a system needs to do and then proving that it does.

You’ll work directly with the military operators who use mission-critical software every day, turn what they tell you into clear, testable requirements, and write the test procedures that verify each software release. Just as important, you’ll explain why a request should or shouldn’t be built, and stand behind that recommendation.

Our client hires for talent and drive over years on a résumé. Candidates with an active Secret clearance and 0–4 years of experience are encouraged to apply.

What You’ll Do

Requirements Gathering & Analysis

• Meet with operators, subject matter experts, and government leads through interviews, site visits, and demos to understand mission workflows and pain points
• Break customer and contract requirements down into clear, testable requirements that can be weighed against the effort to build them
• Capture non-functional requirements such as performance, reliability, and security
• Maintain traceability from operator input through design and test

Prioritization

• Log every operator request in the backlog, link it to existing requirements, and track it to a decision
• Weigh requests against mission value, technical constraints, and the existing backlog, then recommend build, defer, or decline and explain why
• Reconcile conflicting input from different stakeholders and close the loop with operators on what was decided

Documentation

• Document requirements, use cases, and workflows in formats both operators and developers understand
• Write user stories with measurable acceptance criteria, including Given-When-Then (Gherkin) scenarios
• Use quick prototypes or mockups to confirm intent with operators before development begins
• Produce workflow diagrams, meeting minutes, and test reports

Test Support

• Write step-by-step test procedures that operators and developers can follow
• Execute functional, regression, integration, and user acceptance testing (UAT) for software releases
• Log defects with clear reproduction steps and verify fixes
• Write basic scripts for test data and log checks, and help automate repeatable tests with the test lead

Collaboration

• Work alongside developers, test leads, cybersecurity staff, and program management in an Agile environment
• Participate in sprint planning, technical exchange meetings, and customer reviews
• Brief findings clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences

Required Qualifications

• Active DoD Secret clearance and U.S. citizenship
• 0–4 years of experience in systems engineering, requirements analysis, business analysis, software testing, or QA (internships, co-ops, and capstone projects count)
• Experience gathering requirements from end users or stakeholders and writing them as clear, testable statements with measurable acceptance criteria
• Experience writing and executing test cases or test procedures
• Basic scripting in at least one language (e.g., Python, Bash, JavaScript)
• Familiarity with Agile/Scrum and a backlog or defect-tracking tool (e.g., Jira, GitLab, Azure DevOps)
• Strong, structured written and verbal communication, with the ability to explain a recommendation and the tradeoffs behind it
• Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field, or equivalent experience (military operator or technical backgrounds welcome)
• Ability to work onsite 3 days per week in the Washington, DC area, with occasional travel to customer sites

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience supporting DoD programs or working on classified networks (e.g., SIPRNet)
• Exposure to test automation or BDD tools (Selenium, Cypress, Cucumber, SpecFlow)
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, especially GitLab
• Basic API testing experience (e.g., Postman)
• Certifications such as ISTQB Foundation, INCOSE ASEP, or CompTIA Security+

Addison Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Addison Group provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Addison Group complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. Reasonable accommodation is available for qualified individuals with disabilities, upon request.