Systems Engineer

Actalent; Sacramento (CA); On-site; USD 83,000 - 131,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision

401(k) Retirement Plan

Paid time off (PTO)

Life Insurance

Short and long-term disability

HSA options

Transportation benefits

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

Actalent is seeking a Systems Engineer in Sacramento, CA to support unmanned and manned aircraft platforms and unmanned ground vehicles. You will guide system lifecycle from concept through deployment, collaborating with software and hardware teams.

You will develop requirements, architectures, and test strategies, ensuring traceability and adherence to PDR/CDR milestones. DoD clearance eligibility and aerospace experience are valued.

Qualifications

• Experience developing system requirements and architectures in collaboration with a multidisciplinary engineering team.
• Proven involvement in requirements definition, system design, integration, and test.
• Understanding of the V-model lifecycle and how early design affects integration and verification.
• Interface Control Documents (ICD) experience.
• Experience in Defense/Aerospace industries.
• MBSE experience.
• Direct experience with aircraft systems; UAV/UAS preferred.
• Ability to obtain/maintain U.S. DoD clearance (as required).
• Strong analytical skills and cross-functional communication.
• Demonstrated technical leadership and ownership.

Responsibilities

• Analyze customer needs to derive requirements and allocate them to system elements.
• Develop architectures for aircraft and unmanned ground vehicle systems.
• Create and maintain design documents and ICDs.
• Develop models to support system design, trade studies, and performance assessments.
• Conduct trade studies to determine optimal architectures and design approaches.
• Plan and document test strategies, plans, procedures, and reports.
• Develop detailed test cases to verify system performance.
• Lead and conduct I&T, HIL, SIL activities as applicable.
• Ensure traceability across requirements, design, implementation, and test.

Skills

System requirements

System architectures

Requirements tracing

V-model lifecycle

Cross-functional collaboration

MBSE

DoD clearance eligible

UAV/UAS experience

Analytical thinking

Technical leadership

Tools

ICD experience

Job description

Job Title: Systems Engineer

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.

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-on experience in test and integration (I&T), particularly for aircraft and embedded systems.

Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Sacramento, CA.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $60.00 - $95.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Sacramento, CA.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Nov 13, 2026.

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Sacramento,CA.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.