Senior Principal System Engineer

Systems Engineer / Senior / Principal Systems Engineer – Advanced Aircraft & Autonomy (Defence)For a complete understanding of this opportunity, and what will be required to be a successful applicant, read on. $180,000 – $260,000 Base Salary + Equity Remote, with 1 week on-site per month in California Please read before applying:Travel: the role is remote, but you will be expected to be on-site in California for one week every month. Please make sure this works for you.US Citizenship: you must be a US citizen due to contract requirements.Defence: you must be happy working in the defence sector.I'm working with fast-growing aerospace and defence companies building next-generation autonomous and advanced aircraft. They need Systems Engineers who can own how the whole aircraft comes together and works as one system. This is a systems role, not a design role. We're looking for engineers who define, integrate and verify across disciplines, not engineers who detail-design individual components. The RoleYou'll be the technical integrator across avionics, flight controls, propulsion, landing systems, software and mission systems. You'll also cover the functions that keep the aircraft safe in the air: separation from traffic, terrain and weather.You'll work across the full lifecycle, from architecture and requirements through integration, test and flight readiness. At Senior and Principal level you'll own major system areas, drive technical decisions and set how systems engineering is done across the team.Key Responsibilities:Own system architecture and requirements across avionics, flight controls, propulsion, landing and mission systemsDefine and manage interfaces and ICDs between hardware, software and subsystemsLead system integration and verification & validation, from lab through flight testOwn requirements flow-down and traceability into software and subsystem teamsDefine system-level behaviour for traffic, terrain and weather separation and avoidanceRun trade studies, safety assessments (FHA, FMEA, fault trees) and technical risk reviewsDrive MBSE and requirements management best practiceCoordinate technical interfaces with suppliers, certification authorities and customersSupport anomaly investigation and system performance analysisMentor engineers and lead technical reviews Required Experience:5+ years in aerospace systems engineeringHands-on systems integration across multiple aircraft subsystems (avionics, flight controls, propulsion or software)Strong requirements, ICD and verification planning experienceExperience taking systems through integration, test and operational readinessAble to work across disciplines and communicate clearly with engineering teams, suppliers and customersUS citizenAble to travel to California for one week every month Senior / Principal Level:8–10+ years in aerospace systems engineeringOwnership of major aircraft or system-level technical areasProven record of leading technical decisions and influencing cross-functional teamsExperience xhyhwjd with system architecture, integration and test campaigns, and flight readiness Preferred:Autonomous aircraft, UAS, eVTOL or advanced air mobilityDetect-and-avoid, terrain awareness or weather avoidance systemsFlight test and flight readiness experienceSafety and certification standards (ARP4754A, ARP4761, DO-178C, DO-254)MBSE and requirements tools such as SysML, DOORS, JamaMATLAB/Simulink and PythonDoD or government aerospace programmes Compensation & Benefits:$180,000 – $260,000 base salary depending on level and experienceEquity / stock optionsComprehensive healthcare401(k)Competitive PTO and paid holidaysThe chance to work on genuinely new aircraft technologyIf you're a US-citizen Systems Engineer who wants to own how a complete aircraft works, and you're happy with a monthly week on-site in California, I'd love to hear from you.Apply via the link and I'll reach out directly.