Senior Systems Engineer

Overview

Nakupuna Companies is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer to support Navy Platform Engineering and Integration (PE&I) customers under the Platform Delivery Office (PDO) 20 Next Generation (NexGen) Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) Integration services contract.

This role emphasizes platform and system-of-systems integration rather than the design ownership of a single product. The Senior Systems Engineer evaluates how independently managed C4I, mission, network, hardware, software, and support systems are integrated into a Navy platform to achieve interoperable, mission-ready capability across the lifecycle. 

The position provides advanced systems-engineering, technical integration, and technical program management support across the lifecycle of C4I capabilities on board Navy surface ships. The engineer helps the Government translate mission needs into technically sound, integrated, executable work by analyzing requirements, architectures, interfaces, dependencies, risks, and implementation alternatives; developing clear technical products; and coordinating follow-through among engineering, program, acquisition, logistics, test, cybersecurity, and operational stakeholders.

Assignments may support new construction, modernization, in-service engineering, capability integration, fielding, sustainment, or cross-platform technical initiatives. The position operates within established customer and company authorities: it provides analysis, recommendations, coordination, documentation, and technical support, but does not exercise Government decision, approval, direction, or commitment authority.

This is an open-continuous posting. Qualified candidates may be considered as opportunities become available.

Responsibilities

The following reflects management’s definition of essential functions for this job but does not restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

• Apply systems engineering principles to define, analyze, integrate, and support delivery of complex Navy surface platforms, C4I, mission system, software, hardware, network, and infrastructure capabilities.
• Analyze operational needs, technical requirements, architectures, interfaces, design constraints, and dependencies to identify viable implementation approaches and associated tradeoffs.
• Support requirements development, decomposition, traceability, allocation, validation, and change coordination for assigned systems, subsystems, interfaces, and capability increments.
• Assess technical, programmatic, integration, schedule, cybersecurity, test, sustainment, and fielding risks; identify impacts and dependencies; and develop technically grounded recommendations for resolution.
• Develop and maintain engineering analyses, technical plans, integration roadmaps, interface artifacts, risk assessments, issue papers, decision briefs, presentations, executive summaries, and status products.
• Coordinate technical information and activities among Navy program offices, product managers, engineering organizations, warfare centers, system commands, shipyards, original equipment manufacturers, and other Government and contractor stakeholders, as assigned.
• Support the planning, preparation, facilitation, and documentation of technical exchanges, integrated product teams, engineering working groups, design reviews, program reviews, test events, and stakeholder engagements.
• Analyze stakeholder inputs, reconcile differing technical perspectives, identify material decisions and unresolved issues, and maintain disciplined action-item and risk follow-through through closure or transition.
• Support platform integration, installation, modernization, test, verification, validation, certification, fielding, and sustainment activities, as applicable to the assigned effort.
• Review technical documentation, engineering change information, configuration data, test results, and system performance information; identify impacts to requirements, interfaces, readiness, or planned implementation.
• Prepare clear, technically accurate communications and recommendations for engineering, program-management, acquisition, operational, and executive audiences.
• Maintain current records of technical actions, decisions, assumptions, risks, dependencies, milestones, and supporting analyses in accordance with applicable processes, records-management practices, and information-security requirements.
• Anticipate upcoming technical needs, identify information gaps or coordination requirements, and elevate issues requiring Government attention sufficiently early to support timely decisions.
• Provide technical guidance, quality review, and knowledge transfer to junior personnel when assigned, without assuming supervisory authority unless separately designated.

Qualifications

Skills

• Demonstrated experience applying systems engineering disciplines to complex military, maritime, C4I, shipboard, software, hardware, network, or comparable mission systems.
• Demonstrated experience with platform-level or system-of-systems integration, including analysis of external interfaces, interoperability, technical dependencies, installation and configuration impacts, verification and validation, and end-to-end mission performance across multiple independently managed systems. 
• Ability to analyze and communicate the relationships among mission needs, technical requirements, system architectures, interfaces, implementation constraints, risks, and lifecycle impacts.
• Experience supporting technical planning, integration, modernization, test, fielding, sustainment, or lifecycle management of complex systems.
• Working knowledge of systems-engineering processes, including requirements management, interface management, configuration coordination, technical risk management, verification and validation, and technical planning.
• Experience developing technically accurate analyses, engineering recommendations, roadmaps, decision briefs, presentations, and written products for technical and senior-leadership audiences.
• Ability to coordinate across multidisciplinary organizations involving engineering, acquisition, program management, logistics, cybersecurity, test, ship integration, and operational stakeholders.
• Familiarity with Navy acquisition, NAVWAR, PEO C4I, NAVSEA, warfare centers, ship integration, platform modernization, or related Department of Defense environments is preferred.
• Ability to facilitate technical exchanges, organize complex information, reconcile competing inputs, identify material decisions, and sustain action and risk follow-through across multiple organizations.
• Strong analytical, written, oral, critical-thinking, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex technical matters to nontechnical audiences.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and collaboration and action-management tools.
• Ability to work independently and as part of an integrated customer-facing team, exercise sound judgment, and protect sensitive information.
• Ability to travel when authorized for customer engagements, shipyard or site visits, integration activities, technical reviews, test events, or fielding support.

Education / Experience

This position aligns to the Government's eCRAFT Labor Category: Engineer, Systems (ESY), Level III. The following qualifications support evaluation and staffing of candidates for this role:

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline
• At least 7 years of professional experience in systems engineering

In lieu of a bachelor’s degree, at least 14 years of directly relevant professional experience demonstrating progressively responsible systems-engineering, technical integration, engineering, acquisition, platform, or mission-support responsibilities may be considered.

Relevant active duty, reserve, National Guard, or civilian military experience in systems engineering, C4I, platform integration, engineering, test, operations, acquisition, logistics, or comparable technical mission support may be evaluated as directly relevant professional experience when it demonstrates the required systems engineering competencies and progressively responsible duties.

Candidates must meet the applicable eCRAFT labor-category and level requirements, including any authorized education-experience equivalency applied through the staffing process. Additional education, relevant technical experience, military experience, acquisition background, and professional certifications may be considered during staffing but do not supersede applicable qualification requirements.

Certification

No certification is required. INCOSE, DAWIA, PMP, Agile, cybersecurity, or other relevant systems-engineering, acquisition, or program-management certifications are desirable.

Clearance Requirements

Must be a U.S. citizen and able to obtain and maintain a Government-issued Common Access Card and all required site and system access credentials.

An active Secret security clearance is not required at the time of application and may not be required for every assignment. However, the selected candidate must be eligible for and able to receive a favorable Interim Secret clearance determination as a condition of employment or assignment. The candidate must also be able to obtain and maintain a final Secret security clearance should mission requirements require access to classified information.

Employment and continued assignment are contingent upon successful completion of all applicable background screening, security-processing, and customer-access requirements.

Work Location

This role is based in San Diego, California, with initial work performed on site at the Navy customer’s Old Town Complex (OTC). New hires are normally expected to work on site during their first 30 calendar days to support onboarding, customer integration, and transition into the assigned task area.

After the initial period, work may be performed at the customer location, Nakupuna’s nearby San Diego office, or another approved work location, as mission, collaboration, security, and customer-support requirements permit. Work arrangements are coordinated through Nakupuna and may evolve based on tasking needs.

The position requires reliable availability for scheduled meetings, on-site engagements, classified work, travel, and time-sensitive deliverables. Performance is evaluated on quality, responsiveness, and results within authorized hours.

Highly qualified candidates residing outside the San Diego commuting area are encouraged to apply. Remote work arrangements may be considered on a case-by-case basis, following the required on-site onboarding period and subject to mission, customer-support, security, collaboration, and travel requirements.

Physical Requirements

The ideal candidate must, at a minimum, be able to meet the following physical requirements of the job with or without reasonable accommodation:

• Ability to perform repetitive motions with the hands, wrists, and fingers.
• Ability to engage in and follow audible communications in emergency situations.
• Ability to sit for prolonged periods at a desk while working on a computer.
• Ability to move within the office to support visitors, meetings, supplies, equipment coordination, and other routine workplace activities.

The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities, or requirements. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

The Nakupuna Companies use a market-based compensation strategy to ensure that our employees are compensated within applicable market ranges commensurate with multiple factors, including but not limited to the individual’s particular combination of education, knowledge, skills, competencies, and experience, as well as contract-specific affordability, organizational requirements, and position location. The projected compensation range for this position is $145,000 to $180,000 (annualized USD). The salary range displayed represents the typical salary range for this position and is just one component of Nakupuna Companies total compensation package for employees.