Applied Research Associates, Inc. logo

Staff Control Systems Engineer

Applied Research Associates, Inc.

Indian Head, MDJob$87–115K/yrSeen 5 days agoSeen in employer's feed 5 days ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$87–115K/yr
Location
Indian Head, MD
Work Authorization
US work authorization required

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Requirements

Credentials this posting asks for.

Secret clearance

Job overview

Applied Research Associates seeks a Control Systems Engineer to evaluate test equipment, ordnance, and test facilities or ships for fault tolerance and electrical safety. The role includes engineering work involving electrical and electronic components, systems, and equipment, and collaboration with engineers in other disciplines. Work is performed onsite at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head, and employment is contingent on obtaining at least an Interim Secret clearance.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Control Systems TroubleshootingDiagnostic RepairAllen Bradley/Rockwell Control SystemsAutoCADEPLANProcess SafetyMaterial HandlingRegulatory ComplianceAdaptabilityWritten CommunicationOral CommunicationPresentation SkillsReport Writing

Qualifications

Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering or Master's2+ Years Related Work Experience0-2 Years Related Work ExperienceUS CitizenshipAbility to Obtain Security ClearanceDOT Medical Physical ExamDrug Screening

Full job description

Description

ARA’s team solves problems related to national defense and security. We are actively searching for a Control Systems Engineer to join our team. In this position, you will evaluate the test equipment, ordnance and test facility / ship for fault tolerance and ensure that the associated components of the equipment (Cabling, hardware, laptop and related software) while connected to the ordnance Unit Under Test (UUT) has been evaluated for electrical safety. Performs a variety of engineering work in designing, planning and overseeing manufacture, construction, installation, operation, and maintenance of electric or electronic components, equipment, systems, facilities, and machinery used in generation, transmission, distribution, and utilization of electrical energy for domestic, commercial, and industrial consumption. Works directly with engineers in other disciplines to augment production size and value

Work Environment Details: The duties of this role must be performed entirely onsite within a high-activity environment that features standard industrial/office lighting and ambient noise. Because continuous proximity to the team and operations is an essential function of the position, certain workspace modifications—such as isolating the worker in a quiet, dimly lit, or entirely private office—cannot be accommodated while fulfilling the core responsibilities of this role.

Employment is contingent upon the successful attainment of at least an Interim Secret clearance, granted by the sponsoring agency .

Due to the nature of this work, candidates for this position must be US citizens residing within the US. This position is located at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head and will require you to be onsite. This position does not allow for a remote or hybrid work schedule.

Requirements of a Control Systems Engineer

  • Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering plus 2-4 years of related work experience or Master’s degree with 0-2 years or related work experience.

  • Experience with troubleshooting and diagnostic repair of Allen Bradley/Rockwell control systems

  • AutoCAD experience

  • EPLAN experience

  • U.S. Citizenship with the ability to obtain a security clearance.

  • Experience with process safety and material handling ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.

  • Ability to work effectively in high-pressure, dynamic environments, managing rapid changes in program scope, funding, and priorities.

  • Strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to tailor presentations and reports to diverse technical and non-technical audiences.

  • Ability to undergo and pass a Department of Transportation compliant medical physical exam.

  • Ability to undergo and pass a drug screening.

Applied Research Associates, Inc. is a 100% employee-owned international research and engineering company recognized for providing technically superior solutions to complex and challenging problems in the physical sciences. We invite you to visit our website (https://www.ara.com/) to learn more about who we are (https://www.ara.com/who-we-are/) , what we do (https://www.ara.com/what-we-do/) , the excellent careers (https://www.ara.com/careers/) and each of the competitive benefits (https://www.ara.com/benefits/) we offer and explore some of our featured offices (https://www.ara.com/featured-offices/) .

Anticipated Salary Range: $87,000 - $115,000

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.

For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.

How this job compares

Set against the 305 open Control Systems Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 9, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$87–115K/yr
  • US median$108–155K/yr175 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $101K, is 21% below the US median midpoint ($128K) — in the lowest quarter of Control Systems Engineer salary ranges across the US.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 305 open Control Systems Engineer jobs across the US. 2% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most across the US
Experience
This posting asks for no prior experience — less than three in four Control Systems Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for (median 5 years, across 263 postings).
Education
214 of the 305 open Control Systems Engineer jobs (70%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 9, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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