Systems Engineer

Actalent; Round Rock (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Actalent is seeking a Systems Engineer to support unmanned, manned, and optionally piloted aircraft platforms, as well as unmanned ground vehicles. You will work across the full lifecycle of complex aerospace and defense systems, from concept and requirements definition through design, integration, test, and deployment.

Responsibilities include requirements analysis, system architecture development, ICD creation, test strategy planning, and leading integration and test activities within a

Qualifications

• Experience developing system requirements and architectures with a multidisciplinary team.
• Proven involvement in requirements definition, system design, integration, and test.
• Understanding of V-model and how early decisions affect integration and validation.
• Experience with interface control documents (ICDs).
• Defense or aerospace industry experience.
• MBSE experience.
• Experience with aircraft systems; UAV experience preferred.
• Ability to obtain/maintain DoD Secret clearance.

Responsibilities

• Analyze customer and stakeholder needs to derive and allocate requirements to system and subsystem elements.
• Develop system architectures for new and existing aircraft and unmanned ground vehicle systems.
• Create and maintain system design documentation, including ICDs and interface definitions.
• Maintain analytical models and develop new ones to support design, trade studies, and performance assessments.
• Conduct trade studies and design research to determine optimal requirements and architectures.
• Plan, develop, and document test strategies, plans, procedures, and reports.
• Develop detailed test cases from requirements to verify system and subsystem performance.
• Lead testing activities including I&T, HIL, SIL, and operational test execution as applicable.
• Ensure traceability across requirements, design, implementation, and test within the V-model lifecycle.

Skills

System requirements

System architectures

MBSE

UAV experience

DoD clearance

V-model

ICD experience

Defense industry

Job description

Job Description

This Systems Engineer role focuses on supporting unmanned, manned, and optionally piloted aircraft platforms, as well as unmanned ground vehicles. You will work across the full lifecycle of complex aerospace and defense systems, from initial concept and requirements definition through design, integration, test, and deployment.

Job Title: Systems Engineer

This Systems Engineer role focuses on supporting unmanned, manned, and optionally piloted aircraft platforms, as well as unmanned ground vehicles. You will work across the full lifecycle of complex aerospace and defense systems, from initial concept and requirements definition through design, integration, test, and deployment.

Responsibilities

• Analyze customer and stakeholder needs to develop, decompose, derive, and allocate requirements to system and subsystem elements.
• Develop system architectures for new and existing aircraft and unmanned ground vehicle systems, ensuring alignment with mission and customer objectives.
• Create and maintain system design documentation, including system schematics, interface control documents (ICDs), and system/subsystem interface definitions.
• Utilize and maintain existing analytical models and develop new models to support system design, trade studies, and performance assessments.
• Conduct trade studies and perform design research on core engineering concepts to determine optimal requirements, architectures, and design approaches.
• Plan, develop, and document test strategies, test plans, test procedures, and test reports based on requirements and system architecture.
• Develop detailed test cases directly from requirements documentation to verify and validate system and subsystem performance.
• Lead and conduct testing activities, including integration and test (I&T), hardware‑in‑the‑loop (HIL), software‑in‑the‑loop (SIL), and operational test execution as applicable.
• Ensure clear traceability between requirements, design, implementation, and test results, understanding and managing the full V‑model lifecycle from left (definition and design) to right (integration and test).
• Participate in planning, design, integration, testing, and deployment of moderately complex engineered systems and software to ensure conformance with functional specifications and customer definitions.
• Work closely with the Software Engineering team to develop software system requirements and test requirements that align with overall system needs.
• Adhere to structured and defined development processes, including formal design and review milestones such as Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and Critical Design Review (CDR).

Essential Skills

• Experience developing system requirements and system architectures in collaboration with a multidisciplinary engineering team.
• Proven experience with involvement in requirements definition, system design, integration, and test.
• Experience working with both sides of the V‑model, with a strong understanding of how early requirements and design decisions relate to integration, verification, and validation activities.
• Interface control Documents experience.
• Experience within the Defense and/or Aerospace industry.
• MBSE experience.
• Direct experience with aircraft systems; experience with unmanned aircraft systems (UAVs) is strongly preferred.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. DoD Secret Clearance or higher, if required.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex technical information and make sound engineering decisions.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to work effectively in a dynamic, cross‑functional environment.
• Demonstrated technical leadership capabilities and the ability to work in a self‑directed manner.
• Results‑oriented mindset with a strong sense of ownership, urgency, and drive to meet project goals.
• Hands‑