Systems Research and Development Engineer

This position is based on‑site in Reston, VA, within the Systems Engineering Department of the Undersea Systems Office (USO) at Penn State’s Applied Research Laboratory (ARL). The role supports development of complex physical undersea systems — advanced vehicles, sensors, and integrated hardware/software technologies for defense applications. This is a traditional systems engineering position for defense hardware, spanning concept development, system architecture, subsystem integration, test, and transition to fielded military systems. ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes transitioning military members.

Responsibilities

• Translate stakeholder needs into system‑level requirements and architectures
• Perform analysis of alternatives and develop system concepts for hardware‑centric undersea platforms and payloads
• Conduct system and requirements decomposition, interface definition, and integration planning
• Support model‑based systems engineering (MBSE), system modeling, and hardware/software integration
• Develop verification and validation strategies, test plans, and test procedures for physical prototypes and fielded systems
• Participate in and support lab, dockside, and at‑sea test events
• Collaborate regularly with engineering teams, program sponsors, Navy partners, and program management
• Identify risks, develop mitigation strategies, and support lifecycle decision‑making

Requirements

• Applying systems engineering to complex physical systems, preferably in defense, aerospace, maritime, or robotics domains
• Experience collaborating in multi‑disciplinary, team‑oriented cultures
• Ability to express ideas successfully to drive understanding
• Past success in writing white papers or reports
• Past success in a lead role organizing, managing, and directing multi‑disciplinary teams while contributing to project management
• Past success leading or contributing to technical proposals and white papers

Preferred qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace, Computer, Systems Engineering or related engineering discipline
• Unmanned underwater systems development
• Hardware integration, prototype testing, or system‑level test events
• Experience with requirements and MBSE tools (Cameo, DOORS, Jama, etc.)
• Working knowledge of DoD acquisition, especially Department of the Navy systems engineering processes
• Exposure to environmental qualification, hardware‑in‑the‑loop testing, or embedded system integration
• Current eligibility for access to classified information at the Secret level or higher (may be subject to government background investigation to upgrade clearance eligibility if required)

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Science
• 19+ years of relevant experience
• Required certifications: None

Clearance & eligibility

• Must be a U.S. citizen
• Must be eligible to obtain a government security clearance
• Must participate in the ARL drug testing program
• Must comply with electronic and physical monitoring requirements applicable to federal contractors
• Personal electronic devices brought onsite must be registered and may be restricted from certain areas
• Employment requires successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies

Pay

Salary range: $193,200.00 – $318,840.00 (includes geographic adjustment for Reston, VA).

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Robust retirement plans
• Substantial paid time off (holidays, vacation, sick time)
• 75% tuition discount for employees, eligible spouses, and children