Principal Integration Engineer

Job ID: 2614461

Location: Chantilly, VA, US

Date Posted: 2026-07-10

Category: Engineering and Sciences

Subcategory: Sys Integration

Schedule: Full-Time

Shift: Day Job

Travel: Yes - 10% of the time

Minimum Clearance Required: TS.SCI

Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain: TS/SCI with Poly

Potential for Remote Work: ORA_ON_SITE


Description


Position Summary:

The Principal Integration Engineer - Payload leads end-to-end integration of advanced radar and ISR payloads into spacecraft bus architectures. This role requires radar payload integration experience and supports complex interface, verification, and mission integration activities for national security space programs.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead integration of radar and ISR payloads with spacecraft bus subsystems across electrical, mechanical, thermal, RF, and command/data interfaces.
• Develop and manage payload-to-bus interface control documents (ICDs) and verification artifacts.
• Execute system-level functional integration, hardware bring-up, and payload performance testing.
• Coordinate with systems engineering, RF payload, radar design, and MBSE/digital engineering teams.
• Drive integration readiness events including interface reviews, IRRs, environmental test plans, and launch readiness activities.
• Perform integration risk assessments and technical trade studies.
• Lead troubleshooting of payload anomalies during integration, test, and early orbit operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Applied Physics, or related field;
• Master's preferred.
• 10-15+ years of experience in payload or spacecraft integration, including radar or ISR payloads.
• Direct experience with radar payload integration and spacecraft interfaces.
• Expertise with ICD development, verification planning, and configuration-controlled documentation.
• Hands-on experience with system-level test environments and space hardware certification.
• Active TS/SCI clearance .

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience with space-based radar payloads or ISR mission architectures.
• Knowledge of digital engineering workflows and MBSE tools such as Cameo or MagicDraw.
• Experience supporting launch campaigns and early-orbit commissioning.
• Strong communication skills for technical leadership and customer engagement.
• Must have a TS/SCI, and be willing to obtain a poly.

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

SAIC is a premier technology integrator providing full life cycle services and solutions in the technical, engineering, intelligence, and enterprise information technology markets. SAIC is Redefining Ingenuity through its deep customer and domain knowledge to enable the delivery of systems engineering and integration offerings for large, complex projects. SAIC's approximately 15,000 employees are driven by integrity and mission focus to serve customers in the U.S. federal government. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $4.5 billion. For more information, visit saic.com. For information on the benefits SAIC offers, see .