Senior Principal Systems Engineer, Disruptive Systems (Onsite)

Date Posted:

2025-08-14

Country:

United States of America

Location:

HIA32: Cedar Rapids, IA 400 Collins Rd NE , Cedar Rapids, IA, 52498-0505 USA

Position Role Type:

Onsite

U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements:

The ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government issued security clearance is required.​ U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance

Security Clearance:

DoD Clearance: TS/SCI

Collins Aerospace, an RTX company, is a leader in technologically advanced and intelligent solutions for the global aerospace and defense industry. Collins Aerospace has the capabilities, comprehensive portfolio, and expertise to solve customers’ toughest challenges and to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving global market. 

Collins Aerospace Mission Systems Advanced Technology & Capabilities (ATC) Engineering seeks a Senior Principal Systems Engineer to join the Disruptive Systems Technology Team. Our cross-discipline team solves defense customers’ toughest problems through rapidly developing, integrating, and demonstrating systems that employ cutting-edge signal processing and networking innovations.  We pride ourselves on creativity, facing challenging and complex problems head on, and pushing the limits of the possible – all to provide the Warfighter with the most responsive and disruptive capabilities that navigate the intersection of communications; position, navigation & timing (PNT); cyber space; and other radio frequency (RF) systems.

ATC focuses on cutting-edge Department of Defense research and development projects. As an ATC engineer, you will continually advance the state of the art through the creation of innovative system concepts and technological capabilities.  As concepts / capabilities are proven, matured, and demonstrated, you will collaborate with business unit engineers in the adoption and transition of technologies into the next generation of Collins Aerospace products and services. 

What You Will Do:

• Lead the design and development of innovative cross-functional solutions for communication, navigation and electronic warfare applications

• Lead development of proposals for customers or internal funding to advance technology portfolio

• Lead and coordinate across multiple multi-disciplinary teams, providing technical direction and mentorship

• Collaborate closely across multi-disciplinary teams to rapidly identify and implement innovative, effective solutions

• Conceive new approaches and technology solutions, carry them through design and delivery of functional prototypes

• Shape programs to meet explicit and inferred customer needs

• Create and deliver decision briefs that leverage technical analysis and designs to support future planning and leadership decision making

• Lead assigned tasks with accountability for technical execution, cost, schedule, and design-to-cost/manufacturability targets

• Ability to travel up to 15%

Qualifications You Must Have:

• Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and minimum 10 years prior relevant experience or an Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 7 years of experience

• Extensive experience with rapid systems prototyping from concept to field demonstration, encompassing software engineering, signal processing and hardware engineering subcomponents

• Experience with software defined radios (SDRs) or multi-function radio frequency (MFRF) systems

Qualifications We Prefer:

• Extensive experience with Communication and Position, Navigation & Timing (PNT) and Electronic Warfare (EW) systems

• Specialized experience in Digital Signal Processing, FPGAs, embedded processors, communications and radar systems

• Experience conceiving and leading complex technology research and development efforts

• Experience leading field demonstrations and integration of multiple RF systems and platforms

• Familiar with Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning techniques

• Active and transferable U.S. government issued Top Secret with SCI security clearance

Do you want to be a part of something bigger? A team whose impact stretches across the world, and even beyond? At Collins Aerospace, our Mission Systems team helps civilian, military and government customers complete their most complex missions — whatever and wherever they may be. Our customers depend on us for intelligent and secure communications, missionized systems for specializ