Software Engineering Lead - Guidance Test Equipment at General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc
Pittsfield, MA
$112,924–$125,275from the description
Jul 19, 2026
Pittsfield, MA
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A technical leadership role focused on software for test equipment supporting a strategic missile guidance system. The position heads a small cross-functional team building software, automation, and integration tools used to test and verify complex guidance hardware in a lab environment. It suits an experienced engineer comfortable bridging embedded systems, hardware integration, and modern software practices such as CI/CD and containerization in a classified defense setting.
Senior level · 5+ years · Pittsfield, MA · Bachelor's required · Secret clearance · Full-time
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
Posted 2 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 $158,265 (middle half $125,306–$199,584). 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 (10)
The title 'Software Engineering Lead' carries no standard seniority level word, so the title states no level; the 5+ years requirement and hands-on technical leadership scope support a Senior classification.
This role sits between a hands-on IC Software Developer (15-1252) and a people manager (11-3021): the JD emphasizes technical leadership, mentoring, and planning for a small team (~5 ICs), but also explicitly calls for hands-on software design and development. Primary day-to-day work is assessed as software development/engineering, hence 15-1252 is primary with 11-3021 as the runner-up.
The Secret clearance is described as 'obtainable within a reasonable amount of time after hire' — it is a gate (candidates must be eligible to obtain it), but active clearance is not required on day one.
The minimum degree requirement is a Bachelor's in a STEM field with 5+ years, OR a Master's with 3+ years. A Bachelor's is the minimum formal degree gate.
C, C++, and Python are listed together as interchangeable language options ('C, C++, Python, or similar languages') under the 'What We're Looking For' section, which functions as the requirements block. All three are captured as the required/preferred flag with each other as alternatives.
Embedded software, CI/CD, Docker/Podman, and test automation are all listed under the 'What We're Looking For' requirements-style section and are treated as hard gates.
MATLAB and generative AI tools appear under 'What Will Help You Stand Out' and 'AI-Enabled Engineering' preferred/bonus sections respectively, and are marked as preferred.
Networking, middleware, distributed systems, lab instrumentation (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, data acquisition systems), and systems engineering concepts are mentioned in the requirements section but name no specific named technology or product — they are omitted per the generic-concept rule.
The position is fully on-site or flex (partial on-site) in Pittsfield, MA — not fully remote.
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.
Read the full posting
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