Principal Systems Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

Attalon / Location Overview

Attalon is a leading technology partner to the global aerospace and defense industry, specializing in the physics of light and heat. With over 500 employees in the U.S., Attalon engineers critical optical, laser, and coating technologies that enable systems to see farther, target faster, and survive the harshest environments. From high-energy directed laser systems to satellite optics and hypersonic thermal protection, Attalon equips the warfighter with the advantage of precision.

Located along Colorado’s scenic Front Range and nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Longmont offers a high quality of life, breathtaking natural beauty, and easy access to outdoor recreation, making it the perfect place to balance work and play.

This role is an on-site position based in Longmont, CO. Our Laser and Gimbal Systems Division focuses on building high energy lasers and precision opto-mechanical assemblies for the defense market, supporting critical national security initiatives and defense innovation. At Attalon, we’re redefining performance, precision, and reliability in defense technologies.

Job Details

Attalon, within the Laser and Gimbal Systems Division, is seeking a Principal Systems Engineer to evaluate and implement solutions for the design, integration, and test of high energy lasers, precision pointing gimbaled beam directors, and integrated Directed Energy Laser Systems. The successful candidate will have expertise in requirements development, system architecture definition, specialty engineering, and verification; as well as cross-disciplinary knowledge in areas of optical, mechanical, and electrical systems, software integration, and quantitative data analysis. This role involves leading projects, collaborating with multidisciplinary teams, and providing technical leadership throughout the entire system lifecycle. A successful candidate will have a demonstrated breadth of systems-engineering knowledge necessary to develop and derive requirements related to function, performance, environments, and quality attributes in the context of operational concepts and applicable military specifications and standards. The successful candidate should have modeling and/or simulation experience in radiometry, beam propagation, and electro-optics.

Responsibilities

• System Requirements: Define, manage, and ensure compliance with program requirements. Actively maintain a requirements database including bi-directional traceability and verification strategy. Define CONOPS, use-cases, and day-in-the-life / lifetime use profiles.
• System Architecture: Lead system architecture design and optimization by defining and documenting interfaces, performance characteristics, and functional allocations. Conduct trade studies to balance performance, quality, cost, schedule, and risk. Develop key performance parameters, engineering budgets, and feasibility models while ensuring compliance and system reliability. Perform failure modes and effects analyses, as well as system safety and hazard assessments, to enhance operational performance and maintain reliability.
• System Modeling and Simulation: Design and execute physics-based modeling and simulations for system performance evaluations, including radiometric analysis, beam propagation, pointing and tracking, and environmental effects. Leverage modeling and quantitative analysis to inform design decisions, assess trades, and predict system behavior under operational conditions.
• Integration, Testing, and Verification: Develop system-level test strategies, plans, and procedures to verify performance against requirements. Oversee and participate in system integration activities and troubleshooting, ensuring system functionality across environmental and operational conditions through verification and validation testing. Analyze test results and identify root causes of failures, driving corrective actions to closure.
• Risk and Opportunity Management: Identify, analyze, and mitigate technical risks during the system lifecycle to ensure cost-effective and timely delivery of objectives. Proactively identify opportunities for design improvement, performance enhancements, and cost/schedule efficiency.
• Systems Engineering Documentation: Drive the creation and delivery of critical systems engineering documentation, including but not limited to System Requirements Documents (SRDs), Interface Control Documents (ICDs), System Safety Plans, Verification Plans, Risk and Opportunity Management Plans, and Key Performance Parameters (KPPs). Maintain these documents as living resources throughout the project lifecycle.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Serve as the primary interface between customers, internal teams, and external stakeholders, providing clarity and communication on system architecture, requirements, verification, and risk mitigation strategies. Work closely with program management to align engineering deliverables with program goals and customer needs.
• Leadership and Technical Guidance: Mentor and provide technical direction to cross-disciplinary engineering teams across optical, mechanical, controls, and software disciplines. Advocate for systems engineering best practices and ensure team alignment with system-level thinking and integration principles.
• Maintain and Enhance Technical Expertise: Stay current with advancements in laser systems, photonics, precision gimbals, and directed energy technologies. Collaborate with research organizations and participate in industry forums to inform product development with emerging best practices, standards, and innovations in the field. 

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Optics, Physics, Applied Physics, electrical engineering, or a related technical field
• 12 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 10 years of relevant experience with a Master’s degree; or 7 years of experience with a Ph.D. 
• Strong technical knowledge in System Engineering for Directed Energy, Active Sensing, and Optical Gimbal-based Systems. 
• Strong knowledge of mechanical design principles, control systems, and electro-optical technologies relevant to laser systems and gimballed optical systems.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to analyze complex systems and troubleshoot technical issues
• Proficiency in using engineering software tools for modeling, simulation, and analysis desirable (e.g., CAD, FEA, MATLAB, etc.) 

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in motion control stabilization and high-precision tracking algorithms, including system tuning for optimal performance. 
• Familiar with optical testing and verification methods
• Experience with Government Modeling and Simulation tools for Directed Energy and Active Sensing.
• Proficiency in Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) approaches, tools, and workflows 
• Support quantitative system analyses, including modeling, simulation, and performance evaluation, using advanced engineering tools and approaches (e.g., MATLAB/Simulink). 
• Knowledge of typical constraining reliability and performance factors specific to various environments including air, sea, land and space.
• Advanced understanding of environmental engineering principles, including vibration, thermal effects, shock tolerance, and EMI mitigation.

For Colorado, the salary pay range for this role is $100,500.00 - $178,000.00

Please note this range is provided as a general guideline. When determining an offer, Attalon takes into account multiple factors, including (but not limited to) the responsibilities of the position, your professional experience, education and training, specialized skills, and current market and business conditions.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

Attalon, Inc. is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Export Control Compliance

This role involves access to technology, materials, software, or hardware subject to U.S. export control laws. Therefore, to be considered, candidates must be classified as a “U.S. Person” under applicable regulations or be eligible for authorization under a U.S. government export license.