Systems Engineer Principal

Key Responsibilities

• Enable mission integration across the Headquarters Element to support operational effects and mission objectives.
• Synchronize activities across IPC and SOCPAC, ensuring security cooperation, resourcing, and capability requirements are aligned.
• Integrate military and civilian-led efforts to support unity of effort, planning coherence, and mission execution.
• Advise leadership on systems-level interdependencies, operational impacts, and mission integration risks.
• Lead or support development and refinement of a civilian Common Operating Picture (COP) to improve situational awareness and decision support.
• Support concept of employment (CONEMP/CONOPS) development, mission analysis, and operational planning activities.
• Apply modeling, simulation, wargaming, and analytical methods to evaluate options, risks, and operational effectiveness.
• Translate strategic guidance into actionable plans, technical requirements, and integrated mission support activities.
• Serve as a liaison among military staffs, interagency partners, coalition stakeholders, and civilian mission partners.
• Participate in and support Joint Planning Groups (JPGs), Operational Planning Teams (OPTs), Working Groups (WGs), boards, bureaus, centers, cells, and working groups (B2C2WG) as required.
• Facilitate collaboration across functional teams to ensure plans, capabilities, and resources are integrated effectively.
• Build trusted working relationships that strengthen coordination, partnership, and mission alignment.
• Conduct operational and systems analysis to identify mission requirements, capability gaps, and integration opportunities.
• Develop technical reports, decision support products, briefings, white papers, and executive-level documentation.
• Afford mission effectiveness and provide recommendations to improve planning, synchronization, and execution.
• Support data-informed decision-making through structured analysis, metrics, and operational assessments.
• Develop, document, and refine standard operating procedures (SOPs), planning frameworks, and mission integration processes.
• Promote continuous improvement in systems engineering, operational planning, and information-sharing practices.
• Support knowledge management, lessons learned capture, and repeatable mission integration methods.
• Recommend and implement best practices aligned with joint, interagency, and defense mission environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in systems engineering, Engineering, Operations Research, Applied Science, Computer Science, National Security Studies, International Affairs, or a related field.
• Eight (8) years or more experience; six (6) years or more experience with a Master’s degree; four (4) years or more experience with a PhD or JD.
• Relevant experience in systems engineering, mission integration, operational planning, defense consulting, or headquarters-level mission support.
• Demonstrated experience supporting joint, interagency, combatant command, service component, or special operations planning environments.
• Experience integrating military and civilian stakeholder requirements into operational or strategic plans.
• Experience with operational analysis, mission assessment, modeling and simulation, or decision-support methodologies.
• Advanced planning education; School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS).
• Knowledge of joint planning constructs, staff processes, and planning forums such as JPGs, OPTs, and WGs.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including development of senior leader briefings and technical documentation.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, high-visibility, mission-oriented environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Systems Engineering, Engineering Management, Operations Research, National Security Strategy, Defense Analysis, Public Policy, or a related field.
• Ten (10) years or more experience in operational planning, mission integration, systems engineering, or HQ-level defense support.
• Experience supporting INDOPACOM, SOCPAC, Joint Staff, service component commands, interagency coordination, or theater campaign planning.
• Familiarity with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) methods and tools.
• Experience developing or maintaining operational pictures, mission dashboards, COPs, or decision-support environments.
• Experience with wargaming, campaign analysis, force design, capability integration, or experimentation.
• Knowledge of security cooperation, partner integration, and civilian-military coordination in the Indo-Pacific or similar theater environments.
• Experience supporting contract deliverables in a U.S. Government or defense contractor setting.
• Professional certificates such as, INCOSE ASEP or CSEP, PMP, CAP, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher.
• Relevant Professional Military Education (PME) - Preferred For candidates with military or government planning backgrounds, the following PME is highly desirable: Joint Professional Military Education (JPME) Phase I or II, Command and General Staff College (CGSC) or service equivalent, School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS), SAASS, or equivalent advanced planning education, Service War College or equivalent senior-level PME.