Senior Systems Engineer - Segment lead

Peraton is seeking incumbent and external qualified candidates to support North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) Cheyene Mountain Complex (NCMC) – Integrated Tactical Warning/Attack Assessment (NCMC-ITW/AA) and Space Support Contract III (NISSC III).  

Please note that this is contingent upon contract award, with an anticipated decision expected by Mid to late 2026  

Qualified candidates will help operate, maintain, and sustain critical national mission systems to deliver resilient strategic threat warning and space capabilities as part of a world-wide architecture, providing strategic warning that our nation depends on during a conflict. This program will provide an opportunity to exploit the capabilities inherent in our diverse national systems to better meet the needs of the national command authority and warfighters to detect, track, and respond to strategic threats through 2030 and beyond  

The Senior Systems Engineer / Segment Lead Systems Engineer will lead systems engineering, integration, sustainment engineering, and digital engineering activities supporting mission-critical NORAD and USSPACECOM operations within the Cheyenne Mountain Complex environment. This role will oversee requirements analysis, system integration, technical baseline management, modernization, testing, sustainment, and operational engineering efforts across complex space, missile warning, and command-and-control systems. The ideal candidate will possess strong experience supporting complex DoD programs in operational or classified environments while leading collaboration efforts across software, cybersecurity, integration, and operations teams to improve system reliability, mission readiness, and operational effectiveness throughout the program lifecycle. 

Responsibilities  

• Lead systems engineering activities across the full system lifecycle including requirements development, architecture, integration, testing, deployment, sustainment, and modernization  
• Serve as a technical lead for assigned mission systems, engineering segments, or integrated capability areas  
• Oversee development and maintenance of engineering documentation, interface definitions, technical baselines, architecture products, and engineering change activities  
• Lead system integration efforts across hardware, software, cybersecurity, networking, and operational mission environments  
• Provide technical leadership for troubleshooting, root cause analysis, risk mitigation, and resolution of complex engineering and operational issues  
• Support digital engineering and Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) initiatives across the program  
• Coordinate engineering efforts across software development, cybersecurity, operations, integration, and external stakeholder teams  
• Support verification and validation activities, test planning, readiness reviews, and operational assessments  
• Participate in Agile engineering activities including sprint planning, backlog refinement, technical reviews, and integration planning  
• Identify technical risks, support mitigation planning, and provide engineering recommendations to program leadership  
• Mentor junior engineers and provide technical guidance across engineering teams  
• Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on mission readiness, reliability, scalability, and maintainability 

Required Qualifications  

• Bachelor’s degree with 8+ years of relevant experience; OR Master’s degree with 6+ years of relevant experience. Additional four (4) years of experience may be considered in lieu of degree  

• Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility required, ability to obtain and maintain TS/SCI access required 

• Experience leading systems engineering activities within DoD, Intelligence Community, space, missile defense, or command-and-control environments  

• Experience leading integration, sustainment engineering, or modernization efforts supporting mission-critical systems  

• Strong understanding of systems engineering lifecycle processes, technical baselines, integration methodologies, and operational sustainment  

• Experience leading technical teams in classified operational environments  

• Experience supporting complex troubleshooting, engineering analysis, and operational issue resolution  

• Experience working within Linux and/or Windows environments  

• Strong written and verbal communication skills with experience briefing technical and program leadership 

Desired Qualifications  

• Experience supporting NORAD, USSPACECOM, Space Force, missile warning, or space domain awareness missions  

• Familiarity with MBSE and digital engineering methodologies  

• Experience with Agile development environments and DevSecOps processes  

• Experience supporting satellite ground systems, command-and-control systems, or enterprise mission systems  

• Familiarity with tools such as Jira, Confluence, GitLab, DOORS, Cameo, or similar engineering platforms  

• Experience supporting integration and test activities in classified environments  

• Security+ or other DoD 8140/8570 compliant certification preferred  

• Prior experience serving as a technical lead, segment lead, or engineering lead on large-scale DoD programs