Senior Principal Systems Engineer Weapons and Energetics

Industry: Aerospace / Aviation / Defense

Job Category: Engineering - Systems

Company Overview:

General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS) engineers a diverse portfolio of high technology solutions, products and services that enable customers to successfully execute missions across all domains of operation. With a global team of 12,000+ top professionals, we partner with the best in industry to expand the bounds of innovation in the defense and scientific arenas. Given the nature of our work and who we are, we value trust, honesty, alignment and transparency. We offer highly competitive benefits and pride ourselves in being a great place to work with a shared sense of purpose. You will also enjoy a flexible work environment where contributions are recognized and rewarded. If who we are and what we do resonates with you, we invite you to join our high-performance team!

Equal Opportunity Employer / Individuals with Disabilities / Protected Veterans

Project/Program Overview:

GDMS is expanding its Weapons & Networked Solutions (WNS) munitions capability to support next-generation precision weapons, obstacle systems, and autonomous payloads. The organization seeks a Principal Engineer - Weapons & Energetics to provide authoritative technical leadership for energetic payload architecture, material selection and qualification, safety, insensitive munitions (IM), test, and production readiness.

The ideal candidate has led 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.

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 [note: bold skills and certification are required]
Energetic Payloads
Warheads
Modeling and Simulation Processes and Tools

Security Clearance Required: Yes

Visa Candidate Considered: No

Compensation

Base Salary - USD $174,000 to $183,000

*** Never repost ***

Full-time

Benefits - Full

Relocation Assistance Available - No

Commission Compensation - No

Bonus Eligible - No

Overtime Eligible - No

Interview Travel Reimbursed - No

Candidate Details

10+ to 15 years experience

Seniority Level - Mid-Senior

Management Experience Required - No

Minimum Education - Bachelor's Degree

Willingness to Travel - Often

Screening Questions
Do you have experience leading fielded DoD warhead or energetic subsystem efforts
Do you have experience with modeling and simulation processes and tools?
If working remote, there will be 25% travel or more to facility in Ft. Wayne, IN.Are you OK with this?
Do you have an active DoD Secret clearance?

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.

Why we're a great company

Award-Winning Culture

GDMS won the 2026 Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award, which is based on rigorous standards of employee engagement and reflects a positive, motivating work culture.

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

• 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, and a culture that values its people.