Principal Systems Engineer
Hanscom Afb · Hanscom Afb, MA
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Jun 28, 2026
Hanscom Afb, MA
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A senior systems engineering role supporting the Air Force's Command, Control, Communications, and Battle Management division at Hanscom AFB. Day-to-day work centers on translating operational requirements into technical solutions, developing enterprise and mission architectures, and leading Identity, Credential, and Access Management (ICAM) efforts across the DAF Battle Network. The role suits a deeply experienced DoD systems engineer comfortable working across acquisition lifecycles, multi-domain integration, and senior stakeholder engagement.
Senior level · 20+ years · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH · Top Secret clearance · Full-time
Advertised as Principal, but the requirements read as Senior.
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
Why we read it this way (8)
The clearance requirement is stated as 'active Top Secret' with 'ability to get SCI later on' — this is gated on TS but SCI is not yet required, so TopSecret (not TopSecretSci) is used.
All technical skills appear under 'Preferred Qualifications', not a hard-requirements block; the only hard gates are US citizenship and an active TS clearance.
Education (Bachelor's or Master's) is listed under Preferred Qualifications only, so no minimum degree is flagged as required.
The 20+ years overall and 12+ years DoD experience figures appear under Preferred Qualifications as well; the overall years minimum is set to 20 as the best available signal, but these are technically preferred rather than hard-gated.
The role title says 'Principal Systems Engineer' but the scope — supporting a single mission integration team within a division — aligns more with a Senior-level individual contributor than a true org-wide Principal; seniority is assessed as Senior.
SOC classification is Medium confidence: the role is primarily DoD systems engineering / architecture analysis (15-1211), but the heavy acquisition-lifecycle and enterprise-architecture framing could also fit 15-1299 (Computer Occupations, All Other).
Ignored 4 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): Systems Engineering, DoD acquisition lifecycle, System-of-Systems Architecture, Enterprise Architecture.
Requires a Top 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.
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