Senior Principal Systems Engineer

Senior Principal Systems Engineer - Weapons and Energetics_Fort Wayne, IN_Full-Time(FTE)_Direct Hire

Position Title: Senior Principal Systems Engineer - Weapons and Energetics

Job Type: Full-Time

Location: Fort Wayne, IN

Base Salary: $174,000 to $183,000 Best-in-class benefits

Industry: Aerospace / Aviation / Defense

Job Category: Engineering - Systems

Department of Defense Secret security clearance is required at time of hire.

Basic Qualifications:

Education Requirements:

Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, or a related Science, Engineering or Mathematics field, plus a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience; or Master's degree, plus a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience.

Clearance Requirements:

Department of Defense Secret security clearance is required at time of hire. Applicants selected will be subject to a U.S. Government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

*Due to the nature of work performed within our facilities, U.S. citizenship is required.

Job Description:

Required Skills and Expertise:

* Demonstrated technical ownership of warhead, energetic payload, munitions, or comparable high-consequence hardware through design, qualification, and production readiness.

* Experience defining payload architecture and decomposing system requirements into interfaces, verification evidence, technical trade studies, and risk-reduction plans.

* Ability to balance mission effects, safety, insensitive-munitions objectives, integration, manufacturability, cost, and schedule in defensible engineering decisions.

* Experience managing interfaces among energetic payloads, initiation or fuzing systems, mechanical structures, and weapon or delivery platforms.

* Experience planning and leading verification, qualification, environmental, and live-fire test activities; interpreting results and driving corrective action.

* Experience applying system-safety, hazard-analysis, and safety-evidence practices for energetic or safety-critical hardware.

* Experience with supplier technical oversight, configuration control, traceability, and technical-data review for controlled or safety-critical components.

* Experience with modeling and simulation processes and tools (e.g. Design of Experiments ,Digital Twins, Ansys Tool chain, MATLAB, Hydrocode, CTH).

* Technical leadership experience across engineering, safety, test, manufacturing, quality, suppliers, customers, and program management.

* Ability to lead technical reviews, communicate risks and evidence clearly, and mentor engineers in disciplined engineering practice.

Highly Desired Differentiators:

* Leadership on fielded or government-qualified warhead, energetic-payload, or munitions programs.

* Direct experience shaping or executing insensitive-munitions strategy, survivability assessment, or associated redesign efforts.

* Experience preparing technical evidence for DoD or service munitions-safety reviews.

* Background with government laboratories, test ranges, or munitions-development organizations.

* Experience using physics-based analysis, modeling, and test correlation to support payload design decisions.

* Experience transitioning energetic hardware from development into qualified, repeatable production.

* Experience supporting multiple military services, international programs, or controlled export programs.

Our Commitment to You:

* An exciting career path with opportunities for continuous learning and development.

* Research oriented work, alongside award winning teams developing practical solutions for our nation’s security

* Flexible schedules with every other Friday off work, if desired (9/80 schedule)

* Competitive benefits, including 401k matching, flex time off, paid parental leave, healthcare benefits, health & wellness programs, employee resource and social groups, and more

* See more at gdmissionsystems.com/careers/why-work-for-us/benefits]

Workplace Options:

*This position is fully onsite or hybrid/flex with opportunity to be fully remote/telework for candidates with strong experience and background.

*While on-site, you will be a part of the Advanced Electronics Systems team located in Ft Wayne, Indiana

Skills and Certifications:

*Energetic Payloads

*Warheads

*Modeling and Simulation Processes and Tools

*Security Clearance Required: Yes

Compensation

*Full-time

*Benefits - Full

Candidate Details

*10 to 15 years experience

*Seniority Level - Mid-Senior

*Minimum Education - Bachelor's Degree

*Willingness to Travel - Often

Ideal Candidate:

*Candidate needs to have an active Dept. of Defense Secret clearance.

*Experience leading fielded DoD warhead or energetic subsystem efforts from early requirements through qualification, safety approval, and production.

*The individual combines practical engineering judgment with established relationships across the government energetics, weapons safety, range, and supplier communities, and can translate mission needs into defensible technical decisions.

Work-Life Balance:

* Flexible schedules including a 9/80 option (every other Friday off)

* Generous paid time off and parental leave

* Employees consistently highlight low micromanagement and autonomy in their roles

* Strong Benefits

* 401(k) with 6% company match and immediate vesting

* Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance

* Life and disability coverage

* Tuition assistance for continued education

Meaningful, Impactful Work:

*A team of 12,000 professionals engineering high-tech solutions across defense and scientific domains

*Employees get to work on challenging projects that contribute to national security and scientific advancement

Collaborative Environment:

* Employees praise the supportive, collaborative culture -- "Everyone helped each other in a time of need"

*Strong community involvement and veteran support programs

Employee Loyalty:

*Average employee tenure of 12 years, which speaks to long-term satisfaction and retention

*4.0 out of 5 stars on Indeed in 2026

It's a combination of mission-driven work, strong compensation/benefits, genuine work-life balance.