Systems Engineer

Kratos Defense & Rocket Support Services, Inc; Birmingham (AL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Kratos Defense & Rocket Support Services, Inc. seeks a senior Systems Engineer to lead system-level development, integration, and sustainment for complex defense systems.

You will translate customer needs into technical solutions, drive cross-functional collaboration, and maintain rigorous requirements and interfaces throughout programs. The role requires a strong systems thinker with leadership capability, DoD domain familiarity, and ability to operate in a fast-paced, multi-discipline

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related discipline.
• 8–12 years of progressive systems engineering experience supporting complex defense or mission-critical systems.
• Experience with requirements development, analysis, allocation, verification, and validation across the full lifecycle.
• Proven experience developing system architectures and defining/controlling system and subsystem interfaces.
• Strong experience with system integration, verification, validation, and test processes.
• Ability to analyze complex technical problems and develop clear, practical engineering solutions.
• Experience working within multidisciplinary engineering teams and driving cross-functional collaboration.
• Deep understanding of the systems engineering lifecycle and associated processes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for communicating with engineering teams, leadership, and customers.
• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Ability to obtain a DoD security clearance; active clearance preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead development, documentation, and sustainment of system-level requirements, specifications, and technical documentation.
• Translate customer and operational needs into clear system requirements and actionable technical solutions.
• Perform advanced requirements analysis, allocation, traceability, and verification planning throughout the system lifecycle.
• Develop and maintain system architectures, functional analyses, high-level designs, and interface definitions for complex systems.
• Provide system-level leadership during integration, verification, validation, qualification, and sustainment activities.
• Coordinate across electrical, mechanical, software, manufacturing, test, and quality engineering teams to satisfy system requirements.
• Lead system-level trade studies balancing performance, cost, risk, schedule, and producibility.
• Develop and maintain Interface Control Documents (ICDs) and manage system and subsystem interfaces.
• Develop system-level test plans, procedures, and reports; support and lead integration and test events.
• Participate in formal design reviews, technical interchange meetings, program reviews, and customer engagements.
• Identify system-level risks and lead development of mitigation strategies.
• Lead troubleshooting and root-cause analysis of system-level issues during development, integration, testing, and production.
• Maintain rigorous requirements traceability from customer inputs through design, integration, verification, and validation.
• Support configuration management, change control, and system baseline documentation.
• Analyze system performance, identify improvement opportunities, and drive system enhancements.
• Prepare high-quality technical reports, specifications, presentations, and customer-facing documentation.
• Provide leadership and mentorship to less-experienced systems engineers and contribute to overall team development.

Skills

Systems engineering leadership

Requirements management

System architecture

Integration & testing

Problem solving

Technical documentation

Risk mitigation

MBSE tools

DoD program experience

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering or related field

Master's degree in Systems Engineering or related discipline

Tools

Cameo

MagicDraw

Job description

Kratos Defense & Rocket Support Services, Inc. is seeking a senior Systems Engineer with 8i12 years of experience to lead system-level development, integration, verification, and sustainment activities for complex defense systems. This role requires a seasoned systems thinker with deep experience translating customer needs into technical solutions, guiding multidisciplinary engineering efforts, and maintaining rigorous system-level requirements, architectures, and interfaces throughout the program lifecycle. The ideal candidate demonstrates leadership, technical ownership, strong cross-team collaboration, and the ability to drive clarity in complex engineering environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead development, documentation, and sustainment of system-level requirements, specifications, and technical documentation.
• Translate customer and operational needs into clear system requirements and actionable technical solutions.
• Perform advanced requirements analysis, allocation, traceability, and verification planning throughout the system lifecycle.
• Develop and maintain system architectures, functional analyses, high-level designs, and interface definitions for complex systems.
• Provide system-level leadership during integration, verification, validation, qualification, and sustainment activities.
• Coordinate across electrical, mechanical, software, manufacturing, test, and quality engineering teams to ensure system requirements are fully satisfied.
• Lead system-level technical trade studies balancing performance, cost, risk, schedule, and producibility.
• Develop and maintain Interface Control Documents (ICDs) and manage system and subsystem interfaces.
• Develop system-level test plans, procedures, and reports; support and lead integration and test events.
• Participate in formal design reviews, technical interchange meetings, program reviews, and customer engagements.
• Identify system-level risks and lead the development of mitigation strategies.
• Lead troubleshooting and root-cause analysis of system-level issues during development, integration, testing, and production.
• Maintain rigorous requirements traceability from customer inputs through design, integration, verification, and validation.
• Support configuration management, change control, and system baseline documentation.
• Analyze system performance, identify improvement opportunities, and drive system enhancements.
• Prepare high-quality technical reports, specifications, presentations, and customer-facing documentation.
• Provide leadership and mentorship to less-experienced systems engineers and contribute to overall team development.

Keyword: systems engineering, system integration, verification, validation, test processes, clearance

Required Qualifications

• Bacheloris degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related discipline.
• 8i12 years of progressive systems engineering experience supporting complex defense or mission-critical systems.
• Significant experience with requirements development, analysis, allocation, verification, and validation across the full lifecycle.
• Proven experience developing system architectures and defining/controlling system and subsystem interfaces.
• Strong experience with system integration, verification, validation, and test processes.
• Ability to analyze complex technical problems and develop clear, practical engineering solutions.
• Experience working within multidisciplinary engineering teams and driving cross-functional collaboration.
• Deep understanding of the systems engineering lifecycle and associated processes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for communicating with engineering teams, leadership, and customers.
• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Ability to obtain a DoD security clearance; active clearance preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• Masteris degree in Systems Engineering or a related discipline.
• Experience working directly with DoD customers, program offices, or prime contractors.
• Experience with MBSE tools (e.g., Cameo, MagicDraw); helpful but not required.
• Familiarity with applicable DoD standards, including MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-882, MIL-STD-961, or similar.
• Experience developing system specifications, ICDs, verification matrices, CONOPS, and technical baselines.
• Experience supporting SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, and FRR design reviews.
• Experience in risk management, reliability, maintainability, and safety engineering.
• Experience supporting integration and test of complex hardware/software systems.
• Experience with configuration management and change control processes.
• Active DoD clearance preferred.

Key Competencies

• Systems engineering leadership and ownership
• Advanced requirements management and traceability
• System architecture and interface control
• Integration, verification, and validation expertise
• Complex problem solving and decision support
• Technical documentation and clear communication
• Risk identification and mitigation
• Trade study development and analysis
• Familiarity with MBSE tools and modern SE methods
• Customer interaction and collaboration
• Understanding of DoD program environments