Senior Principal Systems Engineer, Sensors

The Senior Principal Engineer – Sensors serves as a Chief Engineer and senior technical leader responsible for the architecture, design, development, integration, qualification, and production transition of advanced sensor systems. This position provides technical leadership across multidisciplinary teams developing optical/IR, laser range finding (LRF), RF, and related sensing technologies for aerospace and defense applications.

The ideal candidate is a highly experienced, hands-on engineer capable of leading sensor development from early concepts and rapid prototypes through qualification and production. The role requires broad understanding of the complete sensor signal chain—including sensing elements, optics/RF front ends, analog and digital electronics, FPGA/embedded processing, algorithms, interfaces, packaging, and system-level integration.

This position operates in a fast-paced, rapid-development environment where engineers are expected to make sound technical decisions with incomplete information, rapidly mature designs, solve difficult integration problems, and balance performance, schedule, cost, producibility, and risk.

Essential Job Functions:

• Serve as Chief Engineer / technical authority for sensor development programs, maintaining technical ownership from concept through production transition.
• Develop and own sensor system architectures, requirements, interfaces, performance budgets, and technical baselines.
• Lead design and development of sensing systems incorporating technologies such as:
• Infrared (IR) and electro-optical (EO) sensors
• Laser range finders (LRF), LiDAR, and laser-based proximity sensing
• RF sensing and detection systems
• Multi-sensor and distributed sensor architectures
• Provide technical leadership across optics, RF, analog electronics, digital electronics, FPGA, embedded processing, software/firmware, mechanical packaging, and system integration.
• Lead component and technology trades and make architecture decisions based on performance, SWaP-C, schedule, risk, availability, and producibility.
• Provide hands-on technical support during prototype development, laboratory testing, troubleshooting, and system integration.
• Develop test strategies and methods to verify sensor performance at the component, subsystem, and system levels.
• Lead technical reviews, design reviews, root cause investigations, and corrective-action efforts.
• Identify critical technical risks early and develop practical mitigation and maturation plans.
• Work closely with manufacturing and supply chain teams to transition prototype designs into repeatable, producible, and testable hardware.
• Establish production acceptance criteria, test approaches, calibration requirements, and critical-to-quality characteristics.
• Support supplier selection and technical oversight of key sensor, optics, RF, electronics, and manufacturing suppliers.
• Mentor engineers and provide technical direction across multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Work closely with program management and project engineering in developing executable program schedule accounting for cost and risks.
• Communicate technical status, risks, trades, and recommendations clearly to program leadership, customers, and executive leadership.
• Support proposals, technical evaluations, customer discussions, technology roadmaps, and new product development efforts.
• Contribute to the development and enhancement of the organization’s employer brand to attract top talent.
• Coordinate and attend career fairs and other recruiting events.
• Ensure compliance with relevant employment laws, regulations, and company policies.

Note:  The duties and responsibilities described on this document are not necessarily a comprehensive list and additional tasks may be assigned to the employee from time to time; and the scope of the job may change as necessitated by business demands.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, RF Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 12+ years of relevant engineering experience, with demonstrated technical leadership of complex sensor or electronic system development. Experience serving as Chief Engineer, Lead Systems Engineer or Technical Lead across complex programs.
• Demonstrated experience taking hardware from concept/prototype through qualification and production transition.
• Strong technical background in one or more sensor disciplines such as EO/IR, laser/LRF/LiDAR, RF, radar, or related sensing technologies, with sufficient breadth to lead multidisciplinary sensor development.
• Strong understanding of analog and digital electronics, including low-noise analog design, signal conditioning, ADC/DAC architectures, high-speed interfaces, timing, and power considerations.
• Working knowledge of FPGA, microprocessor/microcontroller, and embedded processing architectures used in real-time sensor systems.
• Understanding of signal processing techniques associated with detection, filtering, thresholding, timing, ranging, tracking, or classification.
• Experience developing system requirements, interface definitions, performance budgets, verification approaches, and technical documentation.
• Strong laboratory and troubleshooting skills with the ability to diagnose complex hardware and system-level issues.
• Demonstrated ability to make technical decisions and lead engineering execution in a rapid-development environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical issues to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to work effectively across engineering, programs, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, customers, and external suppliers.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, RF Engineering, or a related discipline.
• Experience developing sensors for operation in high-clutter, high-background, contested, or otherwise challenging environments.
• Familiarity with environmental and electromagnetic qualification requirements applicable to aerospace and defense hardware.
• Experience with design-for-manufacturing (DFM), design-for-test (DFT), production test equipment, calibration, yield improvement, and supplier qualification.
• Active U.S. Government security clearance.

Tools & Technical Proficiency

Experience with or working knowledge of tools commonly used in sensor design, analysis, development, and verification, including:

• Electrical Analysis: SPICE-based circuit simulation and signal/power integrity analysis tools
• Modeling & Signal Processing: MATLAB/Simulink, Python, or equivalent engineering analysis and signal-processing environments.
• Systems Engineering: Requirements management, interface control, configuration management, technical performance measures, verification planning, and engineering change control tools/processes
• Laboratory Equipment: Oscilloscopes, high-bandwidth probes, spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, signal/function generators, power meters, optical power meters, and related electronic and optical test equipment.
• Sensor & System Test: Experience developing automated test setups, data-acquisition systems, hardware-in-the-loop test environments, and production acceptance test equipment.