MODEL BASED SYSTEM ENGINEER

Job Title

MODEL BASED SYSTEM ENGINEER

Location

Dayton, OH US (Primary)

Category

Engineering

Job Type

Full-Time

Career Level

Experienced (Non-Manager)

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Security Clearance Required

TS/SCI

Job Description

Igniters operate in the world's most demanding environment. Igniters are self-motivated, mission-driven, and relentless in solving the Warfighters' hardest problems. We move fast, think differently, and execute with precision to tackle high-stakes challenges across AI/ML, space and missile defense intelligence, EMSO, advanced analytics, and programmatic domains. As an employee-owned SDVOSB headquartered in Huntsville, AL, our team delivers mission-critical impact for the Army, Air Force, Space Force, MDA, NASA, DIA, and FBI.


Ignite exists to outpace the threat and deliver results that matter in the moments that count.

Position Overview

This is a builder's role at the leading edge of how the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community design, evaluate, and field next-generation systems. The Model-Based Systems Engineer (MBSE) will develop authoritative engineering models that shape decisions made by senior leaders at the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) and across the joint force. Work products must be technically rigorous, operationally relevant, and defensible under scrutiny at the program, service, and Intelligence Community levels.

Ignite's Modeling, Analytics, and Simulation Sciences (MASS) Operation is hiring engineers who want their models to matter. You will work shoulder to shoulder with systems engineers, software developers, and government partners to translate complex aerospace and defense problems into integrated SysML models that drive analysis, acquisition, and operational outcomes. This position is on-site in Dayton, OH.
Why Ignite

Ignite is 49 percent employee-owned (ESOP). That ownership is not a perk on a benefits page; it is the operating culture. Every engineer holds a stake in the mission, the company, and the outcome. We fight together for the War Fighter, and we share in the results of that fight.

Ignite is an ISO 9001:2015 and CMMI Services Level 3 certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) headquartered in Huntsville, AL, delivering professional services across federal, defense, intelligence, and commercial sectors. We compete on competency, collaboration, innovation, reliability, and results, and we intend to be the preeminent provider in this space.
Key Responsibilities

Model Development & Architecture

• Develop and maintain authoritative SysML models, artifacts, and integrated datasets for complex aerospace and defense systems and systems of systems.
• Apply MBSE methodologies and industry-leading tools (Cameo Systems Modeler, MagicDraw, IBM Rhapsody, Enterprise Architect) to capture architectures, behaviors, and interfaces.
• Produce engineering products suitable for technical review, formal briefing, and integration into customer decision processes.

Analysis & Decision Support

• Analyze architecture and engineering data to solve complex problems, recommend solutions, and drive measurable improvements in products and processes.
• Translate technical, statistical, and operational findings into clear, concise narratives that senior leaders can act on.
• Surface and resolve ambiguous queries from stakeholders, strengthen arguments, and eliminate unsupported assumptions.

Collaboration & Mission Integration

• Operate inside a multi-disciplinary team of Ignite engineers, external contractors, and government customers at NASIC.
• Brief technical documentation and model artifacts to engineering peers and senior decision-makers.
• Contribute to a culture of collective ownership, share what you learn, raise the bar for the team, and protect the integrity of every product that leaves the shop.

Job Requirements

Required Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Systems Engineering, Aerospace, or a related STEM/technical field.
• Minimum of 3 years of relevant engineering experience.

Technical Expertise

• Strong working knowledge of SysML for modeling architectures and system behaviors.
• Proficiency with MBSE methodologies and tooling (Cameo Systems Modeler, MagicDraw, IBM Rhapsody, Enterprise Architect, or equivalent).
• Demonstrated ability to build and sustain models, artifacts, and integrated datasets for complex systems of systems.

Operational & Communication Skills

• Effective in a multi-disciplinary team environment, including internal staff, external contractors, and government customers.
• Strong written and verbal communication; able to produce and present technical documentation and artifacts to varied audiences.

Clearance & Citizenship

• Active TS security clearance.
• Must be a U.S. citizen and able to obtain and hold an active security clearance.

Desired Skills

• Master's Degree in an engineering field, or certifications such as OCSMP, INCOSE CSEP, or PMP.
• Working knowledge of SysML 2.0.
• Proficiency in object-oriented programming languages, such as Java, C++, or Python.
• Experience with DoD Architecture Framework (DoDAF), Unified Architecture Framework (UAF), or comparable frameworks.
• Hands-on experience with aerospace and defense systems and processes.
• Experience with modeling and simulation (M&S) tools and practices.

What Success Looks Like

Within the first year, the engineer will:

• Stand up and sustain authoritative MBSE products that directly inform NASIC analysis and decisions.
• Elevate the technical rigor and integration quality of team models and artifacts.
• Become a trusted technical voice for senior-facing engineering deliverables.
• Anticipate questions from stakeholders and decision-makers and structure models and documentation accordingly.
• Integrate quantitative analysis, architecture frameworks, and operational context into a single, defensible engineering picture.

Compensation & Ownership

As a 49 percent ESOP company, every engineer at Ignite participates in the long-term ownership and upside of the company they help build.

We are equal opportunity/affirmative action employers, committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under state or local law.

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