Senior Systems Engineer - Aerospace & Defense

Ascend Recruiting Partners; Germantown (MD); On-site; USD 135,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Seeking a Systems Engineer to support the design, integration, and validation of mission-critical defense systems. This role serves as the technical bridge between engineering design, manufacturing, program management, and external customer requirements.

The Systems Engineer will manage system-level requirements, conduct system integration and testing, drive technical reviews, and ensure that all evolving subsystems converge into a reliable, compliant, and mission-ready operational platform.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Systems Engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in aerospace, defense, or military systems engineering.
• Proficiency with system-level requirements development, flow-down, verification, and validation.
• Hands-on experience with system integration, system architecture, trade studies, and performance analysis.
• Working knowledge of MATLAB/Simulink, DOORS, SysML, or equivalent.
• Familiarity with ITAR, DFARS, DoD acquisition frameworks, and configuration-controlled development.
• U.S. Citizen or Active Green Card holder with the ability to obtain a security clearance.
• Background in reliability engineering, FMEA, or system safety analysis (MIL-STD-882).
• Experience conducting environmental testing, performance modeling, and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
• Familiarity with sensors, guidance/navigation systems, telemetry, propulsion, or communications payloads.
• Understanding of production engineering and manufacturability considerations for defense products.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work across multi-disciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Systems Requirements & Architecture: Define, analyze, allocate, and manage system-level requirements across the full product lifecycle.
• Translate customer, mission, and military specifications into subsystem requirements and technical baselines.
• Develop and maintain system architectures, block diagrams, interfaces, and configuration-controlled documentation.

Skills

Requirements analysis

System integration

Verification & validation

Trade studies

SysML

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

DOORS

SysML

Job description

Seeking a Systems Engineer to support the design, integration, and validation of mission-critical defense systems. This role serves as the technical bridge between engineering design, manufacturing, program management, and external customer requirements.

The Systems Engineer will manage system-level requirements, conduct system integration and testing, drive technical reviews, and ensure that all evolving subsystems converge into a reliable, compliant, and mission-ready operational platform.