Principal Design Engineer

Position is contingent upon contract award and funding.

Entarian is seeking an experienced Principal Design Engineer to serve as the solution design authority across complex defense and federal mission systems. The Principal Design Engineer is responsible for leading end-to-end technical solution design, ensuring architectural coherence, engineering rigor, and implementation feasibility across cloud, software, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and mission systems domains. This role provides technical leadership across cross-functional teams and ensures that system designs meet mission requirements, performance objectives, security constraints, and operational sustainment needs.

The ideal candidate will have demonstrated experience supporting large-scale technical environments involving space systems, ground infrastructure, mission operations, communications networks, cloud platforms, or enterprise IT capabilities.

Lead end-to-end solution design activities across cloud, software, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and systems engineering domains.
• Define and maintain detailed system and solution designs aligned with mission requirements and enterprise architecture standards.
• Develop and review technical architecture artifacts including system diagrams, interface definitions, data flows, and design specifications.
• Translate high-level requirements into executable engineering designs and implementation guidance.
• Conduct technical trade studies, feasibility analyses, and design evaluations to support program decision-making.
• Ensure integration consistency across multiple systems, platforms, and mission environments.
• Provide technical oversight and design direction to engineering teams during implementation and integration activities.
• Participate in design reviews, technical working groups, and architecture governance forums.
• Identify design risks, performance constraints, and integration challenges, and develop mitigation strategies.
• Ensure alignment of design solutions with cybersecurity, scalability, reliability, and operational requirements.
• Support transition of designs into implementation, testing, and operational environments.
• Provide technical briefings and recommendations to program leadership and government stakeholders.

Salary range: $190,000.00 - $210,000.00

• Active Top Secret security clearance with SCI eligibility preferred.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, Systems Engineering, or related technical discipline. Equivalent experience may be considered.
• Minimum ten (10) to fifteen (15) years of experience in systems engineering, solution architecture, or technical design roles.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex system or solution design efforts in defense, aerospace, or federal environments.
• Experience designing distributed systems across cloud, software, infrastructure, and network domains.
• Strong understanding of systems engineering principles, integration concepts, and technical architecture frameworks.
• Experience developing technical design documentation, system diagrams, and engineering artifacts.
• Experience working across multidisciplinary engineering teams including cloud, cybersecurity, software, and infrastructure.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and technical communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Power-Point, Excel, Project, and Outlook.
• Experience with architecture and modeling tools such as Visio, SysML tools, or similar platforms.
• Ability to travel approximately 25% to support customer locations, design reviews, and technical engagements.

• Experience supporting DoD, Intelligence Community, U.S. Space Force, NASA, or other federal mission systems.
• Experience with enterprise architecture frameworks such as DoDAF, TOGAF, or equivalent.
• Experience supporting cloud architectures including AWS GovCloud, Azure Government, or hybrid environments.
• Experience with DevSecOps, CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure as Code, and digital engineering practices.
• Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), Digital Thread, or Digital Twin environments.
• Experience designing SATCOM, space systems, or mission operations architectures.
• Familiarity with Zero Trust Architecture, RMF, and federal cybersecurity compliance requirements.
• Experience transitioning system designs into operational environments at scale.
• Professional certifications such as INCOSE ASEP/CSEP, AWS Solutions Architect, or PMP.