Engineer II
The Engineer II at Confidential Client is responsible for leading and developing advanced engineering solutions primarily in spacecraft payload and system development for national security applications. This role involves system architecture, requirements management, and integration within a multidisciplinary team, requiring strong technical expertise, leadership, and communication skills. The position demands a security clearance and focuses on innovative, mission-critical technologies for defense and intelligence customers.
About Careertakes
👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, Engineering.
Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.
What You’ll Do
This Engineer II (Systems Engineer) role supports systems and spacecraft-related development for a Confidential Client. You will work with limited direction, exercising technical judgment to define, design, integrate, test, and deliver complex engineering solutions for government and defense customers. Typical responsibilities include:
- Formulate long-term plans for solution development, documentation, testing, deployment, and compliance.
- Define system-level technical objectives and ensure solutions integrate across the engineering environment.
- Lead or advise technical teams and interact with senior external stakeholders and customers on technical matters.
- Develop and maintain system architecture, requirements tracking, system budgets, and system-level analyses to support trade studies.
- Evaluate and coordinate integration, test, maintenance, and engineering updates to sustain operational solutions.
- Develop CONOPS, mission modeling, and system-level documentation; present technical results to internal and external audiences.
- Maintain strict confidentiality of sensitive information and comply with applicable laws, regulations, and safety practices.
- Perform other duties as assigned to meet program objectives.
Qualifications
Minimum qualifications required for this Engineer II role:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in engineering or a related technical discipline, plus typically 2+ years of relevant engineering experience (may substitute equivalent experience for education).
- Demonstrated application of engineering principles with the ability to organize, plan, schedule, and coordinate workloads to meet deadlines.
- Experience with system architecture, requirements management, budget tracking, and system-level analyses.
- Experience with orbital dynamics, attitude control systems, orbital visualization, and spacecraft modeling tools.
- Understanding of spacecraft design, build, test, and operations lifecycle.
- Experience in CONOPS design and mission modeling.
- Strong written and verbal communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills for technical leadership and customer interaction.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a team; willingness to work extended hours when required.
- U.S. Citizenship is required. Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance (SCI access eligible) is required.
Preferred / Nice-to-Have
- Prior experience supporting Department of Defense or Intelligence Community space programs.
- Hands-on experience with spacecraft subsystem trade studies and mission analysis tools.
- Familiarity with secure development practices and handling of classified information.
- Demonstrated leadership on multi-disciplinary engineering projects.
Location & Workstyle
- Authoritative location: Herndon, VA (role supports telecommute/remote work as noted).
- Workstyle: Remote (telecommute) with collaboration expected with the Herndon team and customer stakeholders.
- Travel: Approximately 0%–25% as required by program needs.
- Relocation assistance: Provided (per source posting).
- Security: U.S. Citizenship required; Top Secret (SCI access eligible) clearance required/desired.
Compensation & Benefits
- Pay range (reported): $69,500 – $116,375 per year.
- Estimated market pay (Adzuna estimate shown on original posting): ~$123,428 per year — actual pay depends on experience and role.
- Benefits: Confidential Client provides standard benefits for full-time employees (medical, dental, retirement, paid time off, and other program-specific benefits). Relocation assistance is available for eligible candidates.
Key keywords & candidate profile (for search optimization)
- Engineer II Herndon VA
- Systems Engineer — spacecraft & orbital dynamics
- Requirements management, system architecture, CONOPS
- Top Secret / SCI eligible
- Remote / Telecommute (Herndon-based team)
Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency
Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.
If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.
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