MDA Principal Engineer Target Systems

GovSG is seeking a highly skilled Principal Engineer Target Systems to provide engineering oversight for target system payloads and countermeasure development. In this role, you will act as a trusted advisor to the program office, delivering critical assessments of prime contractor designs, technical plans, and target instrumentation layouts. You will serve as a technical anchor during major program milestones—from System Requirements through Product Acceptance—while seamlessly collaborating across multiple organizations, modeling teams, cost analysts, and schedulers to ensure items are delivered accurately and on time.

LCAT: ENG IV

This requisition is targeted at the Engineer IV level; EXCEPTIONAL candidates with less tenure may be considered at the Analyst III, Analyst IV, or Engineer III level but must have specific TARGETS related detailed experience or understand in detail IR/RCS signatures and Threats Analysis.

This is an on-site position in Huntsville, AL.

Position Duties:

Engineering Oversight & Design Assessment

• Expert Advisory: Serve as the technical expert on payload and countermeasure requirements development, analysis, design, qualification, and fielding.
• Independent Evaluation: Review and provide assessments of prime contractor designs, plans, reports, and technical procedures.
• Instrumentation Analysis: Evaluate target instrumentation requirements, physical layouts, component selection, and testing methodologies

Program Milestone & Lifecycle Support

• Milestone Reviews: Provide technical evaluation and engineering support during all major program milestones (including SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, FRB, MRB, and PAR).
• Cross-Agency Coordination: Answer technical inquiries from external MDA organizations and lead multi-disciplinary Technical Interchange Meetings (TIMs).

Program Management & Operations Collaboration

• Cost Estimation: Provide technical assessments to the cost analysis team to ensure accurate program management budget estimates.
• Schedule Alignment: Partner with the program scheduler to track delivery deadlines and proactively keep leadership advised of status.

Other duties as assigned

Position Required:

• Security Clearance: Active DoD Secret clearance
• Education & Experience: Master's degree in STEM and 12+ years supporting missile defense or large-scale, complex DoD programs.
• Program Execution: Experience managing end-to-end program lifecycles, including the development, testing, and fielding of complex systems.
• Adaptability: Thrive in a fast-paced environment where priorities change quickly.
• Multitasking: Handle multiple urgent tasks at once without losing focus.
• Travel: Able to support travel request up to 20% of the time. (Word, Excel and PowerPoint)

Position Desired:

• Understanding of IR/RCS signatures for flight objects and countermeasures.
• Experience with material properties and material property measurements.
• Knowledge of real-world threat systems and how they impact target designs.
• Have an understanding of MDA flight test requirements and apply that to the payload hardware development.
• Technical proposal development and evaluation.

Salary: $145,000-$160,000. Actual compensation offered to candidate may vary from posted hiring range based upon geographic location, work experience, education, and/or skill level.

Why You’ll Want to Work at GovSG:

• Competitive pay and benefits, including PTO and company matched 401k
• Development opportunities through comprehensive training suite
• Ability to make an impact supporting the warfighter
• Opportunities to engage with the community through volunteering

The above description reflects the details considered necessary to describe the principal functions of the job and should not be construed as a detailed description of all the work requirements that may be performed in the job.

GovSG is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including Minorities/Females/Veterans/Disabled. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, pregnancy, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, physical or mental disability, military service, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state and local law. Know your Rights: If you would like more information, please visit www.eeoc.gov/poster.

GovSG participates in E-Verify.