
Chief Systems Engineer
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc.
Arlington, TXFull-timeSeen 3 days agoSeen in employer's feed 3 days ago
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At a glance
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Requirements
Credentials this posting asks for.
Job overview
5-D Systems, a KRATOS company, seeks a Chief Systems Engineer to lead systems engineering practices and provide technical oversight and individual contributions on aerospace development programs. The role owns organizational systems engineering rules, tools, methods, and training; supports complex programs; and works with customers, company leadership, and other Chief Engineers. The position is full-time and may involve more than 25% travel at times.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Full job description
Job Descriptions:
5-D Systems, a KRATOS Company, is seeking a highly motivated candidate who will provide systems engineering technical contribution and leadership for the 5-D engineering organization. 5-D Systems is an engineering services and solutions company with a rich history in the development and test of unmanned and manned aircraft systems, aircraft upgrades/modifications, ground vehicles, and aerospace technologies. The Chief Systems Engineer will own the systems engineering rules, tools, methods and training for the organization. Additionally, the Chief Systems Engineer will provide technical oversight and individual contributions on complex and exciting aerospace development programs. The successful candidate must be able to mentor technical team members of all experience levels, interface with customers and company leadership, and provide high impact technical input and expertise.
This position is full-time and requires the ability to successfully work in a team environment.
Duties include, but are not limited to:
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Defining and enforcing prescriptive rules for performing systems engineering
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Developing tools or leading the integration of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) tools in the business to enable effective and efficient engineering
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Defining and documenting how we approach systems engineering problems and processes
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Generating and executing applicable training for the systems engineering organization
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Analyzing customer/stakeholder requirements, decomposing requirements, deriving requirements, and allocating requirements to system and subsystem elements
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Developing system architecture for new and existing systems
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Conducting trade studies and performing design research of basic engineering concepts and explorations to determine optimal requirements and system architecture
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Developing system/subsystem interface definitions, system schematics, and system design documentation
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Reviewing test plans and reports
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Working in conjunction with the other Chief Engineers to ensure high quality and consistent engineering services across all our customers
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Performing peer reviews of fellow team members’ work
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Assisting in preparation of proposals and presentation materials
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Supporting the 5-D Business Lead in defining the short- and long-term objectives for the business, and working to achieve those objectives in the systems engineering functional area
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Traveling to customers or internal locations as needed (>25% travel may be expected at times)
Required Experience:
The successful candidate has:
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Self-directed, sharp analytical abilities, excellent communication skills, and capable of working effectively in a dynamic environment
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Proven technical leadership capabilities
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Results-oriented, sense of ownership, urgency, and drive
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Experience working within the Defense and/or Aerospace industry is a must
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Performed full lifecycle systems engineering tasks as an individual contributor and technical lead
Qualifications:
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Bachelors or master’s degree in Aerospace, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineering from an ABET accredited university
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15+ years of applicable industry experience
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A U.S. DoD Secret Clearance or higher (or the ability to obtain such a clearance if needed)
#li-onsite
Keyword: Engineer,engineer,Engineering,engineering,Chief Engineer,Engneering,ENGINEER,Chief Systems Engineer,chief,test plans,reports,design research,system design,subsystem
Kratos Defense is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local laws.
Disability Accessibility Accommodation
If you require an accommodation to navigate or apply to our careers site, please send your request to [email protected] or call 858-964-2916. Any inquires not related to requesting an accommodation will be discarded.
Pay Transparency
The company 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.
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From: Kratos Defense
How this job compares
Set against the 11,546 open Systems Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 4, 2026.
- Pay
- This postingNot listed
- Texas median$108–180K/yr296 salary ranges
- US median$56–70/hr449 hourly ranges
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 598 open Systems Engineer jobs in Texas and 11,546 across the US. 5% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Hiring the most in Texas
- Lockheed Martin61 open
- RTX Corporation35 open
- Serco33 open
- Experience
- This posting asks for at least 15 years of experience — more than three in four Systems Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for (median 5 years, across 9,622 postings).
- Education
- 4,535 of the 11,546 open Systems Engineer jobs (39%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 4, 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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