Systems Engineer III

Caribou Thunder; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Premium Health Insurance

401(k) with Company Match

Flexible PTO

Education & Certification Reimburs e

Military Leave Support

Work–Life Balance

Job summary

Caribou Thunder in Huntsville, AL is seeking a Systems Engineer III to design and manage requirements and architectures powering Ground Fire Control systems for Missile Defense, with an active DoD Secret clearance.

This role collaborates across software, test, and mission engineering teams, supports lifecycle processes, and travels up to 10% for coordination. A Bachelor's in STEM and 5+ years of related experience are required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline from an accredited university.
• 5 years of related systems engineering experience with a Bachelor’s degree or 3 years with a Master’s or 1 year with a PhD.
• Solid understanding of systems engineering principles and lifecycle processes.
• Experience applying systems engineering methods to develop product and mission solutions.
• Experience supporting software development and requirements verification activities.
• Experience supporting large-scale missile defense systems such as Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD).
• Strong communication skills for technical collaboration and documentation.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within engineering teams.
• Ability to support an in-person / closed-area engineering development environment.
• Ability to travel up to 10% to support program needs.
• Active in-scope DoD Secret security clearance required at time of application.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage system requirements supporting ground-based weapons systems and ground fire control mission software.
• Contribute to the systems engineering lifecycle including requirements analysis, architecture development, and capability integration.
• Collaborate with software, test, and mission engineering teams to ensure requirements traceability and system performance alignment.
• Support verification and validation of system requirements ensuring capabilities meet Missile Defense Agency (MDA) mission objectives.
• Participate in technical reviews, engineering discussions, and cross-functional collaboration activities.
• Assist in the development of systems engineering documentation including specifications, use cases, architecture descriptions, and technical analyses.
• Contribute to system integration activities supporting large-scale missile defense capabilities.
• Travel up to 10% to support mission coordination and program collaboration activities.

Skills

Systems engineering principles

Requirements analysis

Architecture development

Mission software integration

Traceability

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Travel readiness

Active DoD Secret clearance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in STEM

Master’s degree in STEM

PhD in STEM

Job description

Systems Engineer III
5+ Years | $80,000 - $100,000 | Huntsville, AL | Active Secret Clearance Required

Engineer the requirements and architecture that power Ground Fire Control systems—supporting the missile defense technologies protecting the United States.

A Day in the Life - What you’ll do

• Develop and manage system requirements supporting ground-based weapons systems and ground fire control mission software.
• Contribute to the systems engineering lifecycle including requirements analysis, architecture development, and capability integration.
• Collaborate with software, test, and mission engineering teams to ensure requirements traceability and system performance alignment.
• Support verification and validation of system requirements ensuring capabilities meet Missile Defense Agency (MDA) mission objectives.
• Participate in technical reviews, engineering discussions, and cross-functional collaboration activities.
• Assist in the development of systems engineering documentation including specifications, use cases, architecture descriptions, and technical analyses.
• Contribute to system integration activities supporting large-scale missile defense capabilities.
• Travel up to 10% to support mission coordination and program collaboration activities.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics) discipline from an accredited university.
• 5 years of related systems engineering experience with a Bachelor’s degree or 3 years of related experience with a Master’s degree or 1 year of related experience with a PhD
• Solid understanding of systems engineering principles and lifecycle processes
• Experience applying systems engineering methods to develop product and mission solutions
• Experience supporting software development and requirements verification activities
• Experience supporting large-scale missile defense systems such as Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD)
• Strong communication skills for technical collaboration and documentation
• Ability to think critically and translate complex concepts into engineering artifacts, presentations, and technical discussions
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within engineering teams
• Ability to support an in-person / closed-area engineering development environment
• Ability to travel up to 10% to support program needs
• Active in-scope DoD Secret security clearance required at time of application

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting the Missile Defense Agency
• Advanced degree in Mathematics or Physics
• Experience supporting Battle Management or Fire Control systems
• MBSE or INCOSE certification
• Experience developing systems engineering artifacts including specifications, Interface Control Documents (ICDs), use cases, system architecture descriptions, and trade studies

Who is Caribou Thunder?

Caribou Thunder is a HUBZone-certified small business providing advanced technical and engineering services to the U.S. Department of War and its mission partners.

35+ states and 20+ countries. We’ve delivered trusted solutions for over two decades — strengthening national readiness across missions on land, undersea, in the air, and throughout LEO, MEO, GEO, and deep space.

Why Caribou Thunder? TEAM THUNDER — Mission Focused. Delivery Proven. Ready to Serve.

Employee Advocacy
Mission Proven
Global Reach
Skilled Teams
Modern Tools
Empowering Culture

Our engineers and innovators ensure capability from sea floor to space frontier — delivering on time, maintaining compliance, and performing with precision in high-consequence environments.

We specialize in Engineering Services, Cybersecurity, Software Development, Modeling & Simulation, Digital Engineering, and Artificial Intelligence — disciplines powering the nation’s most complex technical missions.

Employee Advocacy + Benefits

Our people are the heart of Caribou Thunder. We invest in their growth, flexibility, and well‑being — knowing their success drives ours.

Benefits include:
Premium Health, Dental & Vision Insurance
401(k) with 6% Company Match
Flexible PTO & Work Schedule
Education & Certification Reimbursement
Support for Military Leave
Work–Life Balance & Traditional Family Values

Your future, your flexibility, your well‑being — we invest in you.