Senior Principal Systems Engineer

Senior Principal Systems Engineer

Job ID: 2615948

Location: Chantilly, VA, United States

Date Posted: Aug 21, 2026

Category: Engineering and Sciences

Subcategory: Systems Engineer

Schedule: Full-Time

Shift: Day Job

Travel: Yes - 10% of the time

Minimum Clearance Required: TS/SCI with Poly

Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain: None

Potential for Remote Work: On-Site

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Job Description

Description

SAIC is seeking a Senior Principal Systems Engineer to fill a critical position supporting a large SETA program supporting the NRO's Ground Enterprise Directorate (GED) in Chantilly, VA. The job requires the ability to flexibly manage task execution, provide technical/professional expertise on a variety of Systems Engineering topics, and advise the government on program activities.

All candidates must have an active TS/SCI clearance with CI Polygraph.

A successful candidate in this position will bring a record of application of systems engineering and creative thought-leadership to mature and develop revolutionary multi-intelligence solutions.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Provide technical leadership in planning capabilities needed to better support mission operations (e.g. automation, resiliency, situational awareness, etc.)
• Analyze user needs, develop concepts of operation, and high-level systems architectures, and define capability needs and system requirements
• Work with government and contractor points of contact across multiple Agencies, Directorates and Offices to refine future ground system capabilities
• Identify and communicate key architecture and system level trades, system engineering risks, issues, opportunities, and dependencies
• Support integration of architectures with other components of the technical baseline
• Collaborate with SETA team members, engineers from various contractor and government organizations, and mission users
• Develop assessments and briefings to a variety of audiences to convey information in crisp, articulate manner

Qualifications

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelors and fourteen (14) years or more experience; Masters and twelve (12) years or more experience.
• Ability to obtain a Top Secret/SCI clearance with polygraph
• Proven experience in core systems engineering and analysis disciplines and processes
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast paced, dynamic, and energetic environment
• Demonstrated ability to work as a team player requiring collaboration and open communication
• Strong oral and written communication skills

Desired Education and Experience :

• Advanced degree in STEM (science, technical, engineering, math) or related discipline
• Engineering, computer science, or information systems background
• Ability to build, integrate and analyze MBSE architectural representations
• Domain and tool knowledge in Agile software development practices (e.g. Scrum, DevOps, JIRA, Kanban)
• Prior experience with data management services and cloud software architecture
• Prior US military and/or IC customer experience

Target salary range: $160,001 - $200,000. The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors.

Overview

SAIC accepts applications on an ongoing basis and there is no deadline.

SAIC is a premier mission integrator focused on advancing the power of technology and innovation to serve and protect our world. Our robust portfolio of offerings across the defense, space, intelligence, and civilian markets includes secure high-end solutions in mission IT, enterprise IT, engineering services, and professional services. We integrate emerging technology, rapidly and securely, into mission critical operations that modernize and enable critical national imperatives.

We are approximately 23,000 strong; driven by mission, united by purpose, and inspired by opportunities. SAIC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $7.3 billion. For more information, visit saic.com. For ongoing news, please visit our newsroom.

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