Vision Systems - Principal Systems Engineer

RTX (Raytheon); Goleta (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

RTX is seeking a Principal Systems Engineer in Goleta, CA, onsite. You will lead EO/IR surveillance systems efforts, work with cross-functional teams, and ensure requirements traceability from concept through verification, with a DoD Secret clearance requirement.

Required are a STEM degree and 8+ years in systems engineering, with experience in DOORS, CAMEO, and MATLAB. The role emphasizes risk management, trade studies, and technical leadership to deliver high‑reliability sensors.

Qualifications

• Typically requires a STEM degree and 8+ years of experience in product specifications and requirements management.
• Experience in system design, analysis, troubleshooting, testing, and performance assessment.

Responsibilities

• Lead systems engineering activities to ensure cost, schedule, quality, and performance.
• Provide technical leadership for EO/IR surveillance programs and related projects.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams across Systems, Test, Software, Mechanical and Electrical.
• Develop and maintain requirements, interfaces, and verification plans.
• Prepare technical documentation for reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, CTSR).

Skills

Systems engineering

Requirements management

Trade studies

Root-cause analysis

EVMS experience

Education

STEM degree

Tools

DOORS

CAMEO

MATLAB

Job description

Date Posted: 2026-09-15

Country: United States of America

Location: US-CA-GOLETA-B01 ~ 6825 Cortona Dr ~ BLDG B01

Position Role Type: Onsite

U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements: The ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government issued security clearance is required. U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance

Security Clearance Type: DoD Clearance: Secret

Security Clearance Status: Active and existing security clearance required after day 1

At RTX, the world's largest aerospace, and defense company, 185,000 great minds are united by purpose and inspired to make a difference solving the world's most complex problems. With our three market leading businesses, world-class operations and investments in research and development, we offer capabilities and opportunity no one else can. Together, we push the boundaries of known science and find new ways to connect and protect our world.

Raytheon Vision Systems (RVS) Systems Engineering and Test Capabilities (SE&TC) Department is seeking a skilled and experienced Principal Systems Engineer with expertise in airborne and space electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) surveillance and targeting sensor systems.

The SE&TC Department is responsible for all EO/IR Imaging Systems Definition, Architecture, Integration, product Verification & Validation along with program and project technical implementation to cost and schedule. This is an Onsite position located in Goleta, California.

What You Will Do:

• Work with the Program Chief Engineer to ensure products meet cost, schedule, technical quality, and performance requirements
• Provide systems engineering leadership for RVS EO/IR IR, Focal Plane Array (FPA) programs and special projects
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams across Systems, Test, Software, Firmware, Mechanical, Electrical, and Integrated Circuit engineering
• Manage engineering risks and opportunities with the PCE to support proactive program execution
• Coordinate engineering inputs for proposals and present bid summaries to management
• Guide technical support efforts for production and development activities
• Lead and present trade studies and technical analyses to stakeholders
• Communicate technical findings and recommendations to leadership and customers
• Lead teams in resolving hardware, software, and system issues through detailed data analysis and debugging
• Oversee development and maintenance of requirements, concepts of operations, and system interfaces
• Prepare documentation for formal reviews including SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, CTSR, and test data packages
• Develop product specifications and manage requirements, including derivation of lower‑level subassembly and component requirements

Qualifications You Must Have:

• Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and a minimum of 8 years of prior relevant experience developing product specifications and requirements management, including distilling, and deriving requirements for lower-level subassemblies and components
• Experience with system design, analysis, development, troubleshooting, testing, trade studies, optimization, and performance assessment.

Qualifications We Prefer:

• System experience with EO/IR subsystems, IR FPA technology, semiconductor fabrication processes, photonics, optics manufacturing, or related industry experience
• Factory production and direct experience with IR FPA design and testing for tactical and/or space environments
• Vacuum packaging, dewar design, cryogenic cooling, and/or opto-mechanics
• Requirements management via DOORs and/or CAMEO
• Create analytical models and scripting for data analysis (MATLAB preferred)
• ROIC wafer probing, fabrication, integration, verification, and validation for a complex EO/IR system
• Collaborate with Integrate Circuit foundries and semiconductor factory processing
• Test methodology within sensors to include optical performance, analysis, and test verification for EO/IR Focal Plane Array sensor systems and/or relatable experience in development and production program
• EVMS Certification and demonstrated ability to manage Engineering team budgets and staffing demand
• Plan, lead, and execute root-cause and corrective-action (RCCA) effort
• Earned Value Management

What We Offer:

Our values drive our actions, behaviors, and performance with a vision for a safer, more connected world. At RTX we value: Safety, Trust, Respect, Accountability, Collaboration, and Innovation.

Relocation Eligible - relocation assistance available for this position

Please consider the following role type definition as you apply for this role.

Onsite: Employees who are working in Onsite roles will work primarily onsite. This includes all production and maintenance employees, as they are essential to the development of our products.

As part of our commitment to maintaining a secure hiring process, candidates may be asked to attend select st