Systems programmer h1.location_city

Why Join Rincon Research Corporation (RRC)?

At Rincon Research Corporation, our main focus is innovating, developing, and fielding digital signal processing (DSP) products and services for the United States Defense and Intelligence Communities to support national security.

Rincon Research Corporation is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer to serve as the lead systems engineering leader of an end-to-end development program studying, designing, and demonstrating space radar technologies and systems for radar imaging. RRC is looking for an exceptional systems engineering leader to guide this program through all phases of development—from early architecture and System Requirements Review (SRR) through Critical Design Review (CDR), integration, environmental testing, and ground test demonstration. In this role, you will serve as a lead system engineer for a complex space program, with primary customer-facing technical responsibility. As a small business, RRC offers a unique opportunity to combine hands-on technical depth with senior-level leadership, allowing you to remain deeply engaged in detailed design and engineering decisions while guiding the overall program.

You will work in a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary R&D environment alongside talented electrical engineers, mathematicians, and computer scientists/engineers. At RRC, systems engineers are involved across the entire system lifecycle from architecture and development through deployment, operations, and sustainment—receiving direct feedback from customers and seeing their work make a tangible, real-world impact. Innovation is expected: team members are encouraged to propose improvements to system architectures, engineering processes, tools, and security posture.

Come join the team that is creating cutting edge signal processing and geolocation systems for the future!

What are the primary responsibilities in the Sr. Systems Engineer position?

System Architecture & Technical Leadership

• Define and evolve the overall system architecture, ensuring coherence across subsystems, interfaces, and mission phases
• Balance performance, risk, cost, schedule, and margin in system-level decisions and trade studies
• Resolve cross-discipline technical issues and elevate critical risks or trades to program leadership as needed

Requirements, Verification & Risk Management

• Lead system requirements definition, allocation, traceability, and change control across the program lifecycle
• Establish system-level verification and validation strategies aligned with mission objectives
• Maintain system technical risks, margins, and mitigation plans

Program & Subcontractor Technical Execution

• Provide system engineering direction to integrated internal teams and major subcontractors
• Manage requirements flow-down, interfaces, and technical performance of subcontractors
• Lead and support system-level technical reviews, including SRR, PDR, and CDR

Integration, Test & Customer Interface

• Define and oversee system integration, test, and verification activities
• Serve as a technical interface to the customer, presenting architectures, design decisions, and technical status
• Support environmental testing, launch preparation, commissioning, and anomaly resolution, as applicable

Innovation & Continuous Improvement

• Stay current with emerging technologies, tools, and methodologies, applying them when beneficial
• Work across the full mission lifecycle from development through operations and proactively recommend improvements
• Operate independently with minimal supervision and a strong sense of ownership

A key duty is staying current with the latest technologies, tools, and methodologies, as well as experimenting with new technologies to bring innovative solutions into RRC projects. RRC team members can expect to work across all functional areas: systems engineering, development, integration and testing, deployment and operations & maintenance, gaining direct mission feedback from customers and seeing your work make a meaningful impact. You are encouraged and expected to suggest improvements for the projects you work on. The ability to work independently with minimal supervision and to self-initiator is essential.

What required background will make you successful?

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field (Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, or related discipline)
• 10+ years of progressive systems engineering experience with demonstrated success performing the responsibilities listed above
• Direct, hands-on experience developing and deploying space systems
• Proven track record of leading SRR, PDR, and CDR for complex systems
• Demonstrated experience carrying a space system from early concept through integration, test, and system-level verification
• Proficiency with systems engineering and requirements management tools (e.g., DOORS, Jama, Cradle)
• Working knowledge of NASA General Environmental Verification Standard (GEVS) and space system environmental testing
• CURRENT TS/SCI SECURITY CLEARANCE
• US CITIZENSHIP REQUIRED

Preferred skills:

• Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in Systems Engineering or related discipline
• Direct experience working with DoD, DoW, and/or Intelligence Community customers
• Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) methodologies and tools
• Familiarity with RF imaging systems, signal processing architectures, and/or satellite communications
• Experience serving as a prime contractor technical lead on space development programs
• Professional certifications (e.g., INCOSE CSEP, PMP)
• Experience supporting launch operations, early orbit operations, or anomaly resolution

Where is the position located?

This position is located at our Tucson, AZ Headquarters. Remote work/telework is not available for this position.

*The likely salary range for this position is $200,000 to $244,000. This is not, however, a guarantee of compensation or salary. Rather, salary will be set based on experience, geographic location and possibly contractual requirements and could fall outside of this range.

What benefits does RRC offer?

• 100% employer-paid premiums for family medical and dental insurance, employee life insurance, short-term and long-term disability (STD & LTD)
• Flexible reimbursement spending accounts for medical expense and dependent care
• Immediate participation and vesting in the company’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and 401(k) Plan
• Employer contributions to RRC’s ESOP
• Employer matching contributions to the company’s 401( k) Plan
• Employer discretionary contributions to the company’s 401(k) Plan

Rincon Research Corporation is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected factor.