NSS Senior Principal Systems Engineer (Hybrid)

Job Description Thank you for your interest in BAE Systems! This opening is for candidates who are interested in interviewing at our November 2026 Navigation & Sensor Solutions Engineering Hiring Event. If your background and skill set match our hiring needs, we will reach out with next steps. If selected for an interview, specific opportunities based on your interests and skill set will be discussed with the hiring team. For candidates not local to the Cedar Rapids area, virtual interviews will be accommodated.

At BAE Systems, our engineers develop the world’s most critical electronics, delivering life-saving capabilities that protect pilots in contested airspace and provide precision navigation to soldiers on the ground. We are seeking a seasoned Systems Engineer to join a high-impact team dedicated to advancing the next generation of military GPS and Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) solutions across the weapons, airborne, and ground domains.

In this role, you will be a key technical driver in the development of next-generation navigation solutions supporting programs. You will apply deep systems engineering rigor to ensure our products are technologically superior, reliable, and developed through a disciplined process that ensures mission success in the most challenging environments.

You will operate across the full Systems Engineering V-Model—from initial concept and architecture to integration and qualification. This role requires a professional who can bridge the gap between high-level operational requirements and detailed technical specifications for real-time embedded systems, ensuring that every requirement is traceable, verifiable, and aligned with customer needs.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Systems Development: Lead the analysis, decomposition, and derivation of system-level requirements into detailed software, hardware, and interface specifications.

• Process Leadership: Implement and drive a disciplined product development process, ensuring high-quality engineering artifacts and robust configuration management.

• Architecture & Design: Contribute to the architectural design of real-time embedded GPS receivers, focusing on performance, reliability, and seamless integration into complex GPS receiver platforms.

• Verification & Validation: Develop comprehensive system test plans, procedures, and reports. Lead system integration and verification activities in a lab environment to validate that the product meets all performance and operational requirements.

• Digital Engineering: Utilize and promote Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) techniques to improve requirements traceability, system modeling, and design communication.

• Technical Collaboration: Partner with cross-functional teams—including software, RF, and hardware engineers—to resolve complex technical challenges and perform trade studies.

• Mentorship: Serve as a technical mentor to junior and mid-level engineers, promoting best practices in systems engineering and professional development.

• Customer Engagement: Prepare and deliver technical presentations to internal leadership and external government/military customers.

Because this role requires a balance of collaborative team integration and independent technical analysis, it will be performed in a hybrid work format (minimum 50% onsite).

Required Education, Experience, & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field (Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Science, or related).

• Experience:

• 10+ years with a BS

• 8+ years with an MS

• 6+ years with a PhD

• Systems Rigor: Proven experience across the full product development lifecycle (Requirements, Architecture, Design, Integration and Test).

• Technical Domain: Experience with real-time embedded systems and a solid understanding of system-level interfaces and hardware/software interaction.

• Communication: Expertise in documenting and communicating complex technical designs, results, and reports to diverse stakeholders.

• Security: Ability to obtain and maintain a US Government Secret security clearance.

Preferred Education, Experience, & Skills

• Certification Experience: Familiarity with airborne product requirements and development processes used for certification (e.g., DO-178C and DO-254).

• MBSE Expertise: Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) tools such as Cameo, MagicDraw, or SysML.

• PNT Domain Knowledge: Specific experience with military GPS, anti-jam (AJ) technology, or PNT (Positioning, Navigation, and Timing) solutions.

• Tool Proficiency: Experience with requirements management tools (e.g., DOORS, Jama) and modeling/analysis tools (e.g., MATLAB, Python).

• Clearance: Currently hold an active US Government Secret or Top Secret security clearance.

• Advanced Degree: Master’s or PhD in Electrical or Systems Engineering.

• Applied AI: Proven experience leveraging generative AI tools to enhance and automate engineering tasks.

Pay Information

Full-Time Salary Range: $136000 - $231200

Please note: This range is based on our market pay structures. However, individual salaries are determined by a variety of factors including, but not limited to: business considerations, local market conditions, and internal equity, as well as candidate qualifications, such as skills, education, and experience.

Employee Benefits: At BAE Systems, we support our employees in all aspects of their life, including their health and financial well-being. Regular employees scheduled to work 20+ hours per week are offered: health, dental, and vision insurance; health savings accounts; a 401(k) savings plan; disability coverage; and life and accident insurance. We also have an employee assistance program, a legal plan, and other perks including discounts on things like home, auto, and pet insurance. Our leave programs include paid time off, paid holidays, as well as other types of leave, including paid parental, military, bereavement, and any applicable federal and state sick leave. Employees may participate in the company recognition program to receive monetary or non-monetary recognition awards. Other incentives may be available based on position level and/or job specifics.
About BAE Systems, Inc.BAE Systems, Inc. is a defense, aerospace, and security company headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, with more than 40,000 employees worldwide. We serve, supply, and protect those who protect us. As one of the most geographically diverse international defense companies, we deliver a full range of products and services spanning air, land, maritime, space, and cyber, including advanced electronics, intelligence solutions, and dedicated customer support.

Our culture is performance-driven and values-led, built on curiosity, creativity, and collaboration. Purpose isn't a tagline here. It's what drives us. We're developing breakthrough technologies that defend national security and make a lasting impact on our communities and our planet. When you join BAE Systems, you're not just building a career. You're contributing to a mission that truly matters.

This position will be posted for at least 5 calendar days. The posting will remain active until the position is filled, or a qualified pool of candidates is identified.