Principal Radar Systems Engineer

SciTec, a wholly owned subsidiary of Firefly Aerospace, is a dynamic non-traditional defense contractor that delivers advanced technologies in support of U.S. National Security and Defense. For the past forty-five plus years, we have supported Department of Defense customers by developing innovative remote sensing algorithms, tools, and techniques to deliver world-class data exploitation capabilities supporting missile defense; intelligence, surveillance, & reconnaissance; space domain awareness; and aircraft survivability missions.

• → End‑to‑End Ownership: Serve as the primary technical owner for assigned radar modernization features. Understand how digitized radar front‑end components, DSP chains, mission‑data pipelines, and cloud‑based back‑ends contribute to overall performance. Lead cross‑functional teams, validate and debug integrated system behavior, analyze test and operational data, and clearly report status and risks to leadership.
• → Requirements & Architecture Development: Create detailed, testable system requirements and acceptance criteria for modernized radar capabilities. Decompose high‑level mission needs into subsystem requirements for hardware digitization, DSP algorithms, timing/synchronization, interface protocols, data models, and performance tolerances.
• → Data Analysis & Performance Assessment: Conduct Python/SQL analyses on test ranges, simulation outputs, and fielded radar data. Evaluate feature performance against modernization objectives such as digitization fidelity, latency reduction, tracking accuracy, beamforming improvements, interoperability, and system resilience.
• → Integration, Test, and Debug: Oversee integrated testing of modern radar features, including hardware‑in‑the‑loop, simulation‑driven validation, digital engineering workflows, and DevSecOps‑based software deployment. Debug full‑stack radar issues spanning RF data collection, DSP pipelines, message formats, and cloud processing.
• → Planning & Execution: Build and manage the plan for delivering modernization features from concept through customer release. Communicate timeline, scope, risks, and dependencies with engineering and product leadership. Coordinate with internal partners and government stakeholders as required.

• →Other duties as assigned 

• A Bachelor's degree in the physical sciences, mathematics, engineering, or computer science or equivalent experience
• Experience with radar systems- RF front‑end, digital beamforming, signal processing, digitization, or tracking algorithms
• 8+ years of experience integrating hardware, firmware, and software systems—preferably sensors or real‑time mission systems
• Strong problem‑solving and communication skills
• Proficiency with MATLAB, Python and Linux for analysis and tooling
• Demonstrated leadership and ability to collaborate across multiple engineering disciplines
• Experience writing system requirements, test plans, or feature specifications
• Ability to operate autonomously and navigate ambiguous, evolving technical environments
• Experience supporting or integrating hardware and software systems such as sensors, RF systems, or real‑time data processing pipelines
• Detail oriented and strong collaboration skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills 

Candidates who have any of the following skills will be preferred:

• Experience modernizing legacy systems or working with Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA) principles
• Experience writing or automating test scripts for integrated hardware/software systems
• Familiarity with DevSecOps pipelines, digital engineering methods, or high‑security operational environments
• Professional experience with Agile software development processes and tools, such as Jira
• An active DoD security clearance