Sr Principal Systems Engineer
Actalent · Colorado Springs, CO
$129000–$160000/hrfrom the description
Jul 7, 2026
Colorado Springs, CO
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A senior systems integration role embedded in a missile defense program, working hands-on in a development and test lab to integrate command, control, and communications components — including sensors and weapon systems. Day-to-day work involves Linux administration, scripting in Bash and Python, Ansible-based automation, containerization with Docker and Kubernetes, and supporting both ground and flight tests. Suits experienced integrators with an active Secret clearance and DoD 8140 IAT Level II certification.
Senior level · 8+ years · Colorado Springs, CO · Bachelor's required · Secret clearance · Contract
Advertised as Principal, but the requirements read as Senior.
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
Posted 4 times — it's one opening, so apply once.
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
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $104,090 (middle half $86,062–$133,513). This posting is around 2887% above it.
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 pay range of '$129,000–$160,000/hr' is almost certainly a data-entry error in the posting (likely annual salary stated on an hourly-rate field). The figures are reproduced exactly as posted; hiring managers should verify the actual compensation basis with Actalent.
The hard-required clearance is an active Secret at time of application, with the ability to obtain Top Secret/SCI — not a current TS/SCI. A current TS/SCI is listed under 'Additional Skills & Qualifications' as 'highly preferred', so it is treated as preferred.
MBSE is listed in the required 'Essential Skills' section but framed as 'understanding of concepts and practices', which is a relatively low bar; it is retained as required because of its placement in the hard-requirements block.
The advertised title is 'Sr Principal Systems Engineer', which maps to the Principal band; however, the actual scope and experience requirements (8 years, component/lab-level integration work) are consistent with a Senior individual contributor, not a true Principal/org-wide authority.
The SOC classification is a close call: the role is primarily systems integration and lab configuration (15-1244 territory) but involves significant scripting, automation coding, and DevOps work that overlaps with 15-1252 Software Developers. 15-1244 was chosen because the primary day-to-day work is operating, configuring, and integrating existing systems rather than building and shipping new software.
The role is posted by Actalent, a staffing firm, and is explicitly described as a Contract position placed at a defense contractor site in Colorado Springs, CO.
Requires a Secret clearance — the cleared population is a small fraction of this occupation, so the real candidate pool is materially smaller than the estimate below, which does not model clearance.
Posting is for a contract engagement — the market benchmarks below price full-time roles, so read the comp comparison with that in mind.
Read the full posting
The employer publishes the full description on their own site — read it there ↗. Or sign in to read it here — it's free, and it also lets you track this application.