{"id":1884414,"url":"https://alion.io/job/trident-systems-principal-software-systems-engineer-embedded-flight-systems","title":"Principal Software Systems Engineer (Embedded Flight Systems)","company":{"id":2311281,"name":"Trident Systems","domain":"tridsys.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/tridsys","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"ADP","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":80,"open_postings":5,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.8,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":30,"computed_at":"2026-10-24T06:02:35Z"}},"role":"Hardware","role_family":"Hardware","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Fairfax, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":129000,"max":196000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":196000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":9,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Agile","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-21T17:18:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-19","last_verified_at":"2026-10-24T22:05:36Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":33,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":1,"flags":[],"days_open":32},"description":"Position Title: Principal Software Systems Engineer (Embedded Flight Systems)\nRequisition ID: 1877\nPosition Location: Fairfax, VA\nPosition Reports To: Director, Software Engineering\nSupervises Others: No\nAt Trident Systems Space Electronic Systems (SES) division, we believe in the power of using strong engineering principles to drive innovation and solve complex problems. We foster a culture of rigorous engineering and continuous improvement, leveraging the full knowledge of our organization through collaborative product development processes that include design and peer reviews. We combine our expertise in space electronics with right-sized development processes to create innovative, high-performance space-based electronic systems that meet our customers' evolving needs.\nWe are a mission partner supporting DoD, Intelligence Community, and Civil space customers. We develop complex, radiation effects mitigated, designs that balance competing requirements in modern space programs, delivering cutting-edge solutions that enable our customers to achieve more in space.\nPosition Summary\nThe Principal Software Systems Engineer (Embedded Flight Systems) defines, develops, integrates, and verifies software-intensive aerospace systems for flight and flight-like environments. This role bridges systems engineering and software engineering, translating mission and vehicle requirements into embedded software architectures, interfaces, verification approaches, and technical plans.\nThe ideal candidate has experience with real-time embedded software, hardware/software integration, and flight- or safety-critical systems. This position also provides leadership in agile software development while maintaining technical rigor, traceability, and mission assurance.\nDuties and Responsibilities\nSystems Engineering for Embedded Flight SoftwareDecompose system requirements into software functional, performance, interface, and verification requirements. \nMaintain traceability across stakeholder needs, requirements, architecture, implementation, and test artifacts. \nDefine software-related interfaces for avionics, sensors, payloads, actuators, buses, and ground systems. \nSupport architecture development with attention to timing, fault handling, determinism, and operational constraints. \nParticipate in major technical reviews, including SRR, PDR, CDR, and TRR. \nDevelop verification strategies, test methods, and acceptance criteria aligned with system requirements. \nAssess technical risk, identify gaps early, and support mitigation planning. \n\nEmbedded Flight Software Development and IntegrationCollaborate with software, firmware, electronics, and test teams to develop integrated flight solutions. \nSupport embedded software development and hardware/software integration in labs, testbeds, and flight-like environments. \nTroubleshoot issues across software, firmware, interfaces, and electronics to identify root cause and drive resolution. \n\nAgile Software Development LeadershipProvide leadership in agile software development for embedded and mission-critical software teams. \nHelp establish and maintain an agile execution model that supports disciplined engineering, predictable delivery, and strong technical quality. \nLead or support sprint planning, backlog refinement, reviews, retrospectives, and release planning. \nCoordinate across systems, software, firmware, hardware, and test teams to manage dependencies, integration points, and delivery risks. \n\nPerform other duties as assigned. \nRequired Qualifications\nBachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field. \nMinimum of 9 years of experience in software systems engineering, embedded software, avionics, flight systems, or related aerospace/defense development. \nExperience with real-time embedded software, requirements development, decomposition, traceability, and verification. \nExperience with hardware/software integration and debug. \nFamiliarity with the systems engineering lifecycle, formal technical reviews, and agile development environments. \nStrong written and verbal communication skills. \nPay Information\nFull-Time Salary Range: $129,000 - $196,000\nPlease Note: Actual compensation offered will be determined based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant experience, skills, education, certifications, internal equity, business considerations, and geographic location where applicable.\nBenefits\nHired applicants may be eligible for benefits including but not limited to:\nHealth benefitsMedical \nDental \nVision\nBasic life with AD&D\nShort term disability\nLong term disability\nAncillary (Voluntary life with AD&D, accident, critical illness, hospital, and pet)\nSpending accounts (HSA, FSA, and DCFSA)\n\nPaid time off\nHolidays\n401(k) (including company match)\nTuition reimbursement\nLeaves (Parental, maternity, and military)\nAnnual discretionary bonus (for eligible roles)\nTrident Systems reserves the right to change or assign other duties to this position. \nTrident Solutions is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact .\nPay Transparency: The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)","description_format":"text","description_chars":6399,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":9,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Defense Manufacturing","Engineering Services"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-05T01:29:48Z"},{"event":"close","at":"2026-10-05T15:47:14Z"},{"event":"reopen","at":"2026-10-19T15:18:58Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":43,"band":"fade","label":"Fading","p_open":1,"p_active":0.781,"p_room":0.55,"age_days":32,"expected_fill_days":30,"reasons":["conf:0","velocity","win:tail"],"computed_at":"2026-10-24T06:02:35Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":196000,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/trident-systems-principal-software-systems-engineer-embedded-flight-systems","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/trident-systems-principal-software-systems-engineer-embedded-flight-systems.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-25T01:24:45Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":2193,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-26T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":2311281},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=2311281"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Ftrident-systems-principal-software-systems-engineer-embedded-flight-systems"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Ftrident-systems-principal-software-systems-engineer-embedded-flight-systems"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Ftrident-systems-principal-software-systems-engineer-embedded-flight-systems"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/trident-systems-principal-software-systems-engineer-embedded-flight-systems\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Ftrident-systems-principal-software-systems-engineer-embedded-flight-systems"}]}