Principal Systems Engineer RF Systems at BAE Systems
Westminster, CO
$118,095–$200,762from the description
Jun 29, 2026
Westminster, CO
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A mid-to-senior systems engineering role focused on RF, radar, communications, and electronic sensing systems across the full development lifecycle. Day-to-day work spans requirements decomposition, architecture definition, interface control, trade studies, and integration and verification activities, in close coordination with software, hardware, FPGA, and DSP engineering teams. Best suited to engineers with hands-on experience in complex RF or signal-processing systems who are eligible for a DoD security clearance.
Senior level · 6+ years · Boulder, CO · Bachelor's required · Full-time
Advertised as Principal, but the requirements read as Senior.
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Roughly 15 people in CO plausibly meet what this posting asks for (computer systems analysts). range 5–25
Applicant volume Moderate — A normal amount of company. The rare requirements below are what will separate a shortlisted application from the rest.
Rare in this occupation — lead with these, and say what you built with them.
What the occupation pays Median $135,669 (middle half $104,979–$172,767). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (8)
The job title is 'Principal Systems Engineer RF Systems' but the actual requirements (6+ years, BS-level entry, no org-wide scope described) support a Senior-level role. The 'Principal' in the title appears to be a BAE Systems internal grade label rather than a true principal/distinguished engineer designation.
Location is not explicitly stated in the posting body. BAE Systems SMS is headquartered in Boulder, CO; the CBSA reflects that assumption and should be verified.
Clearance: the posting states the applicant must be willing and eligible to obtain a DoD security clearance depending on program requirements, but explicitly notes a clearance or polygraph is NOT required to be eligible. Treated as no hard clearance gate.
The degree requirement is a BS or higher in Engineering or a related technical field; equivalent experience is also accepted ('Related technical experience may be considered in lieu of education'), so the hard gate is effectively a BS or equivalent — flagged as Bachelors per the stated minimum.
RF systems, radar, communications, SDR, FPGA-based systems, and embedded systems are listed as a disjunctive group in the required section — one skill entry with alternatives captures this.
MATLAB, Python, C/C++, and Simulink appear only under Preferred qualifications and are captured as a single preferred skill with alternatives.
SOC classification: Systems Engineering for complex RF/radar/defense systems most closely maps to 15-1211 (Computer Systems Analysts); 15-1299 (Computer Occupations, All Other) is noted as a runner-up given the specialized defense/RF engineering nature of the role.
Ignored 3 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): systems engineering, system requirements development, system architecture.
Read the full posting
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