Description

If you're a Senior Systems Engineer who is genuinely good at this work and wants to keep doing it -- not manage it, not present it, not delegate it -- we think you should keep reading.

Who We Are

We're Nerd Up. Since 2000 we've been making unusually good matches between smart engineers and teams that genuinely deserve them -- the kind of matches that stick because the work is right, the culture fits, and both sides actually want to stay.

We're selective about who we represent and equally selective about the clients we partner with. This is one of those clients.

What This Actually Is

We're hiring a handful of senior systems engineers to join a long-tenured team embedded at a major defense prime's facility in the Mount Laurel, NJ area, supporting Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense programs. The kind of work that matters. The kind of program that doesn't end.

These are not management roles. Not lead roles. Not roles where you spend your week in strategy offsites and your Friday writing status reports about status reports.

These are roles for engineers who still like engineering.

The engineers thriving in this role are lifecycle systems engineers. They are equally comfortable in a requirements review, a verification event, and an integration lab. They are not pure software engineers, pure test engineers, or pure architects. They move across the program because that is what the work requires -- and honestly because that is what they enjoy.

If your entire identity is requirements, or test, or MBSE architecture, this probably isn't your next move. If you have touched all of it, are comfortable moving between them, and genuinely like working that way, keep going.

The Company Behind the Role

Our client is a specialized engineering firm that has been partnered with this customer since 2007 and specifically supporting the Aegis Combat System since 2015. More than 36 engineers are embedded at this facility right now.

In 18 years, across every East Coast site and through every tumultuous economy, they have never had a layoff.

That's not a line. That's a data point.

And this team specifically -- more than 36 engineers in New Jersey -- has the lowest turnover of all their sites. People here don't just stay. They stay for years and years. That kind of loyalty doesn't come from a ping pong table. It comes from a place that has genuinely earned it.

The Environment

The engineers embedded here are treated as part of the team, not as outside vendors managed at arm's length. There's a business area manager on-site who actually knows your name, checks in regularly, and creates genuine learning moments where he can. People here are supported, known, and valued as humans first and engineers second.

That said, this isn't a technical hand-holding environment. The expectation is that you arrive ready to do the work. The support is there for everything else.

What You'll Do

Depending on your team assignment, your day-to-day will include some combination of:

Requirements development, decomposition, tracking and validation
Verification and validation (V&V)
Systems integration and test support
ET&T activities
Data analysis and problem investigation
Working alongside senior technical leads on complex, mission-critical problems
How You'll Work

Real schedule flexibility, as long as it's planned, consistent, and works for the team you're supporting:

Flex 4/10 -- four days a week, ten hours a day
Flex 9/80 -- nine days over two weeks, every other Friday off
Straight 5/8 -- five days a week, eight hours a day
The Practical Stuff

Salary: Up to $150K depending on experience
Sign-on bonus available for the right candidate
Medical, dental, vision, 401(k) Safe Harbor, PTO, STD/LTD, life insurance, tuition assistance
On-site in the Mount Laurel, NJ area

Sound Like You -- Or Someone You Know?

We'd love to hear from you. Apply using the link provided or pass this along to someone you think would be a great fit. We always appreciate referrals to good humans and any excuse to grow our Nerd Network.

If the timing isn't right but you want to stay in the loop, find The NerdWord -- our occasional dispatch of career tips, industry insights, and humor. No promises on the laughs. But we do share opportunities with our favorite companies -- the ones where we know and love the people on the inside -- before they go anywhere else.

xo from your NerdPal,

Julie, Nerd-in-Chief
Nerd Up since January 2000

Requirements

Must-Haves

• 5 to 10+ years of systems engineering experience across the full lifecycle -- requirements through verification and test
• Active DoD Secret clearance or higher. If your clearance has lapsed recently and you are eligible for reinstatement, we encourage you to apply
• U.S. Citizenship required
• BS in Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field
• DOORS / Jazz DOORS Next Gen experience
• Requirements development and decomposition experience
• Verification and validation (V&V) experience
• Systems integration and test background
• Environmental Test and Evaluation (ET&T)
• Ability to read and write C++
• Python scripting experience
• Comfortable working independently and taking direction from senior technical leads without requiring heavy supervision

Strong Differentiators

• Aegis, BMD, naval combat systems, or missile defense experience -- if this is your world, definely let us know
• MATLAB
• Cameo / MBSE exposure
• Experience with automated test, containers, or Kubernetes

A Note on Fit

This role is best suited for engineers who are still actively doing systems engineering across the lifecycle -- not transitioning out of it. If you have spent recent years primarily in people management, program leadership, or a single technical specialty, this particular role may not be the right next step. If you are ready to contribute from day one and genuinely enjoy working across requirements, integration, and test, we would love to hear from you.