Senior Systems Engineer
Kranze Technology Solutions, Inc · Des Plaines, IL
$100,000–$150,000
Jul 13, 2026
Des Plaines, IL
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A senior systems engineering role centered on tactical networking for defense applications. Day-to-day work involves developing and evaluating networking algorithms, modeling and simulation, requirements writing, and integrating tactical radios and communications systems into existing network designs. The role also covers system verification, test events with military customers, and rapid prototyping — suited to an experienced engineer with a strong networking and routing background.
Senior level · 10+ years · Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI · Bachelor's required · Full-time
Pay in the description: $100,000–$150,000
“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 630 people in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI area plausibly meet what this posting asks for (computer occupations, all other). range 260–940
Applicant volume Heavy — This req sits in a large pool with little in its requirements to thin it, and auto-apply tools fire at everything in the occupation. Applying early and leading with the rare skills below is what gets read.
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $103,896 (middle half $68,463–$140,851). 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 role is titled 'Senior Systems Engineer' in the defense/avionics domain with a focus on tactical networking — it spans requirements development, algorithm design, modeling & simulation, hardware integration, and test. No single SOC code fits cleanly; 15-1299 (Computer Occupations, All Other) is used as the best available match for a systems engineering role with heavy networking and software content. 15-1211 (Computer Systems Analysts) is the closest runner-up given the requirements/integration analysis work.
Security clearance is NOT a hard gate: the JD states candidates must be able to 'obtain' a clearance (US citizenship required), not that an active clearance is required at hire.
Degree requirement is Bachelor's or Master's in EE, Systems Engineering, or related field — Bachelor's is the minimum stated, so the degree requirement is set to Bachelors.
C/C++ is listed with 'or scripting language programming' as an alternative — both are captured under one skill with scripting languages as the alternative.
MANET radios and HAIPE encryptors appear under 'Other Preferred Skills' and are marked as preferred accordingly.
'Algorithm design' is retained as a skill because the JD explicitly gates on 'experience in algorithm design' as a concrete, named technical competency — not a generic soft skill.
The role is on-site at the KTS facility in Des Plaines, IL (Chicago metro); no remote option is indicated.
Ignored 2 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): networking and routing protocols, algorithm design.
Read the full posting
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