Full-Time

Senior Principal Engineer

Electrical Fuze & Initiation Systems

Updated on 9/12/2026

RTX

RTX

10,001+ employees

Manufactures jet engines, avionics, missiles

Compensation Overview

$132.4k - $251.6k/yr

+ Annual incentive compensation

No H1B Sponsorship

Tucson, AZ, USA

In Person

Extensive travel to government and subcontractor facilities is required.

US Citizenship, US Top Secret Clearance Required

Bachelor's, Master's

Category
Hardware Engineering (1)

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Requirements
  • A Bachelor's degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics and 10 years of prior relevant experience, or an advanced degree and 7 years of relevant experience.
  • At least 10 years of experience in fuzing, one-shots, engineering technology, and/or engineering design.
  • Experience designing, manufacturing, testing, safety-certifying, and/or ensuring compliance of fuzing devices.
  • Experience applying project management to team interaction and deliverables.
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance before the start date; U.S. citizenship is required.
  • Experience with fuzing device requirements and their dissemination and flow-down to subcomponent levels.
  • Ability to perform fuzing trade studies, evaluate different electrical designs, and estimate design and production cost and schedule.
  • Experience designing, manufacturing, testing, safety-certifying, and/or ensuring compliance of safety devices.
  • Experience performing electrical stress analysis, electrical thermal analysis, and environmental survivability assessment.
  • Ability to analyze analog, digital, mixed-signal, and power-conversion circuits using simulation and computational skills.
  • Experience developing fuzing and safe-and-arm products that meet MIL-STD-1316, MIL-STD-1901, and MIL-STD-464.
  • Working knowledge of JOTP-051, JOTP-052, and JOTP-053.
  • Experience with energetic and pyrotechnic initiators, exploding foil deflagrating initiators, and low-energy exploding foil initiators and their operation.
  • Project engineering experience using an Earned Value Management System.
  • Willingness to travel, including internationally, to provide supplier support.
  • Supplier collaboration and oversight experience, including generating specifications and statements of work.
  • Working knowledge or experience with missile design or development, production support, and integration.
  • Active Secret or Top Secret Department of Defense security clearance, or the ability to obtain the required clearance.
Responsibilities
  • Apply or develop advanced technologies, scientific principles, theories, and concepts for systems integration of fuzing devices, controllers, software, mechanical and electrical interfaces into missile systems and space vehicles.
  • Support development and production programs across Raytheon product lines.
  • Review manufacturing processes and resolve problems while working directly with subcontractors on the design and manufacture of fuzing devices.
  • Collaborate with program management on long-range program planning for new or projected technology research and advancements.
  • Serve as a key spokesperson for program technical capabilities and future directions.
  • Manage fuzing device development projects and propulsion subcontracts.
  • Review and disposition subcontract data and change requests, and oversee supplier operations.
  • Provide frontline technical leadership and mentor engineers developing fuzing devices.
  • Develop and deliver technical presentations to management and government agencies.
  • Interface frequently with customers to identify user needs.
  • Support new business acquisition and independently uncover and resolve issues related to developing and implementing operational missile programs.
  • Travel extensively to government and subcontractor facilities.
Desired Qualifications
  • An advanced STEM degree.
  • Twelve or more years of directly related experience in fuzing devices and their applications.
  • Experience with safety devices design, manufacturing, testing, safety certification, and/or compliance.
  • Experience performing electrical stress analysis, electrical thermal analysis, and environmental survivability assessment.
  • Ability to analyze analog, digital, mixed-signal, and power-conversion circuits using simulation and computational skills.
  • Experience developing fuzing and safe-and-arm products meeting MIL-STD-1316, MIL-STD-1901, and MIL-STD-464.
  • Working knowledge of JOTP-051, JOTP-052, and JOTP-053.
  • Experience with energetic and pyrotechnic initiators, exploding foil deflagrating initiators, and low-energy exploding foil initiators.
  • Technical writing experience for detailed design requirements, test requirements, statements of work, white papers, and technical presentations.
  • Project engineering experience using an Earned Value Management System.
  • Willingness to travel internationally to provide supplier support.
  • Supplier collaboration and oversight experience, including generating specifications and statements of work.
  • Working knowledge or experience with missile design or development, production support, and integration.
  • Experience advocating process improvement, including CMMI and R6s, and building strong relationships with internal and external resources.
  • Active Secret or Top Secret Department of Defense security clearance.

RTX produces jet engines, cockpit electronics, and avionics through Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace, and develops defense systems and missiles via Raytheon. Pratt & Whitney engines provide propulsion for commercial and military aircraft, while Collins Aerospace supplies flight controls, navigation, and integrated cockpit systems, and Raytheon offers missiles, radar, and sensing technologies. The company differentiates itself by offering a single, integrated portfolio that spans both commercial aviation and national defense under one corporate umbrella, drawing on the legacy of Raytheon and UTC. Its goal is to help customers fly more efficiently and protect nations by advancing propulsion, electronics, and defense technologies for civilian air travel and security needs.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Arlington, Virginia

Founded

2022

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Raytheon’s five February 2026 Pentagon frameworks expand Tomahawk, AMRAAM, and SM-6 output.
  • RTX raised 2026 sales guidance to $95 billion-$96 billion after strong Q2 execution.
  • HADALUS demonstrated in August 2026, proving Raytheon’s low-cost long-endurance unmanned undersea capability.

What critics are saying

  • Pratt & Whitney’s GTF defects triggered Airbus damages claims in March 2026.
  • ITA Airways threatened suit in June 2026 over grounded A320neo engines and €150 million damage.
  • If GTF remediation slips, Airbus and airlines keep diverting orders, crushing Pratt growth.

What makes RTX unique

  • RTX’s $289 billion backlog funds defense scale while commercial aerospace absorbs volatility.
  • Raytheon won a $22.9 billion Tomahawk contract on August 17, 2026.
  • GTF Advantage reached EASA certification in April 2026 and enters service this year.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

401(k) Company Match

401(k) Retirement Plan

Flexible Work Hours

Remote Work Options

Paid Vacation

Paid Sick Leave

Paid Holidays

Parental Leave

Family Planning Benefits

Fertility Treatment Support

Adoption Assistance

Employee Assistance Plan

Wellness Program

Gym Membership

Tuition Reimbursement

Student Loan Assistance

Home Office Stipend

Phone/Internet Stipend

Short-term Disability

Long-term Disability

Employee Scholar Program

Three weeks of vacation for newly hired employees

Generous 401(k) plan that includes employer matching funds

Ovia Health, fertility, and family planning

Bright Horizons, child and elder care services

Doctor on Demand, virtual doctor visits

Teladoc Medical Experts, second opinion program

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

5%

1 year growth

5%

2 year growth

5%
PR Newswire
Sep 4th, 2026
Pratt & Whitney invests $25M to expand Poland manufacturing, adding 120 jobs

RTX's Pratt & Whitney is investing $25 million to expand its manufacturing facility in Niepołomice, Poland. The site produces complex tubular assemblies for commercial and military engines. The expansion, supported by the Polish government through the Polish Investment Zone Programme, will add more than 120 jobs when it becomes operational in 2028. The facility currently manufactures precision components for multiple engine types, including the GTF engine for commercial aircraft and the F135 for F-35 fighter aircraft. This investment is part of Pratt & Whitney's $125 million commitment to Polish facilities this year, including a $100 million investment in Rzeszow. Poland represents RTX's largest investment base outside the United States, with more than 9,500 employees across its businesses in-country.

Yahoo Finance
Aug 30th, 2026
RTX's $289B backlog: 60% commercial aerospace strengthens defense business flexibility

RTX's $289 billion backlog splits 60% commercial aerospace and 40% defence, a combination that benefits both divisions. The commercial segment's strong profitability allows the defence business to avoid risky fixed-price development contracts that have troubled competitors like Boeing and Lockheed Martin. This flexibility enabled RTX to terminate an unfavourable classified programme in 2024, taking a $575 million charge rather than pursuing losses. CEO Chris Calio said the contract fell outside the company's core competencies and predated RTX's formation. The arrangement works both ways. Defence earnings supported RTX through a costly powder metal coating issue affecting its geared turbofan engine. The structure allows RTX to focus on established defence solutions like Patriot missiles whilst maintaining investment in commercial aerospace during downturns.

PR Newswire
Aug 17th, 2026
RTX's Raytheon wins $22.9B contract to accelerate Tomahawk missile production

Raytheon, an RTX business, has secured a seven-year, $22.9 billion contract from the US Navy to accelerate production of Tomahawk cruise missiles. The agreement, part of the Department of War's Arsenal of Freedom initiative, will support ramping annual production to over 1,000 missiles. RTX has already tripled Tomahawk deliveries in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. The contract will enable the company to expand capacity and work with hundreds of suppliers nationwide to scale output. Tomahawk cruise missiles provide long-range strike capabilities, allowing the Navy to target hostile forces from hundreds of miles away across multiple launch platforms.

PR Newswire
Aug 10th, 2026
RTX's Raytheon demonstrates new unmanned undersea vehicle with 2,000 nautical mile range

Raytheon, an RTX business, and Composite Energy Technologies have successfully demonstrated HADALUS, a new unmanned undersea vehicle, during a US Navy exercise. The 34-foot UUV completed at-sea missions whilst submerged, marking the first time the Navy has witnessed this integrated capability in water. HADALUS features a carbon-fibre design with over 2,000 nautical miles of endurance. The vehicle costs roughly one-third to one-fifth of comparable long-endurance vehicles. The companies progressed from conceptual sketch to working prototype in under 18 months. The demonstration showcased the UUV's ability to perform detect, reacquire, and engage functions within a single mission. "By tightly coupling design, integration and at-sea experimentation, we've proven we can bring new autonomous solutions to the fleet quickly and cost-effectively," said Jen Gauthier, vice president at Raytheon.

Yahoo Finance
Aug 3rd, 2026
RTX's Raytheon installs first SPY-6(V)4 radar array at Wallops Island for US Navy destroyer upgrade

Raytheon, an RTX business, has installed the first SPY-6(V)4 radar array at the Surface Combat Systems Center at Wallops Island, Virginia. The installation marks a milestone for the US Navy's Flight IIA Destroyer modernisation programme. The land-based test facility will support radar testing and power system integration before installation on USS Pinckney (DDG 91), the first ship scheduled for the SPY-6(V)4 backfit from late 2026 to 2028. Testing will begin later this year and continue through mid-2028. SPY-6 variants are already onboard two commissioned Navy ships, with 11 additional vessels undergoing testing. Over the next decade, more than 50 Navy ships are expected to deploy SPY-6 radars. Raytheon has invested $800 million in manufacturing facilities and aims to double production by 2028.