Specialty Systems Engineer 

Mid-Senior Level | Travel Up to 10% | Active Secret Clearance Required | $100,000 - $118,000 | Location: Huntsville, AL | Onsite

Support the development and lifecycle management of complex defense systems through specialty systems engineering activities focused on reliability, maintainability, software architecture, risk management, and system performance. As a Specialty Systems Engineer, you will apply systems engineering principles to identify and mitigate system risks, develop and verify RAM requirements, perform FMECA assessments, and produce technical products that support informed engineering and program decisions.

A Day in the Life - What you’ll do

• Perform Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) assessments to identify potential system failures, evaluate their effects, and support risk mitigation activities.
• Develop, analyze, and verify Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability (RAM) requirements throughout the systems engineering lifecycle.
• Evaluate system architectures and software designs to identify reliability, maintainability, performance, and mission risks.
• Apply systems engineering methodologies to translate technical requirements into actionable engineering solutions and documented work products.
• Use requirements management tools such as DOORS to develop, maintain, trace, and verify system requirements.
• Conduct risk analysis and support risk management activities by identifying technical risks, assessing potential impacts, and recommending mitigation strategies.
• Collaborate with software, systems, reliability, and other engineering disciplines to ensure specialty engineering considerations are incorporated into system development.
• Review engineering documentation, analyses, and technical products to ensure accuracy, completeness, and alignment with program requirements.
• Develop technical presentations, reports, analyses, and other engineering work products to communicate findings and recommendations.
• Participate in technical reviews and engineering discussions with multidisciplinary teams and program stakeholders.
• Apply critical thinking and independent technical judgment to solve complex engineering problems and identify potential issues before they affect system performance.
• Support the integration and verification of specialty engineering requirements throughout the development and test lifecycle.
• Work independently on assigned engineering activities while coordinating effectively with team members and technical leads.
• T3 engineers will contribute to specialty engineering analyses, requirements development, and technical work products under established engineering processes and guidance.
• T4 engineers will take increased ownership of complex specialty engineering activities, provide technical direction, and support risk, reliability, and architecture decisions across the program.
  • Travel up to 10% to support customer engagements, technical reviews, program activities, and business needs.

Required Qualifications

T3 - Mid-Level

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university and 5 years of related experience; OR
• Master’s degree and 3 years of related experience; OR
• PhD and 1 year of related experience.

T4 - Senior-Level

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university and 8 years of related experience; OR
• Master’s degree and 6 years of related experience; OR
• PhD and 4 years of related experience.

All Levels

• Experience performing Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) assessments.
• Experience with software architecture and design.
• Experience developing and verifying Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability (RAM) requirements.
• Experience with systems engineering tools such as DOORS.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to think critically and capture complex technical concepts in engineering work products, presentations, and technical discussions.
• Ability to work independently and effectively within multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Current, active, in-scope U.S. Government DoD Secret security clearance required at time of application and required to start.
  • Ability and willingness to travel up to 10% to support business needs.

Preferred Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience specifically within Reliability and Maintainability engineering disciplines.
• Experience performing risk analysis and risk management for complex defense systems.
• Experience supporting Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) programs or systems.
• Experience with reliability engineering, maintainability analysis, or system safety methodologies.
• Experience developing and managing technical requirements within complex defense programs.
• Experience supporting system architecture development and software/hardware integration activities.
• Experience working within formal systems engineering lifecycle processes.
• Experience supporting verification and validation activities for complex defense systems.
  • Experience working in classified Department of Defense engineering environments.

Who is Caribou Thunder?

Caribou Thunder is a HUBZone-certified small business providing advanced technical and engineering services to the U.S. Department of Defense and its mission partners.

35+ states and 20+ countries.

We've delivered trusted solutions for over two decades - strengthening national readiness across missions on land, undersea, in the air, and throughout LEO, MEO, GEO, and deep space.

Why Caribou Thunder?

TEAM THUNDER - Mission Focused. Delivery Proven. Ready to Serve.

Employee Advocacy | Mission Proven | Global Reach | Skilled Teams | Modern Tools | Empowering Culture

Our engineers and innovators ensure capability from sea floor to space frontier - delivering on time, maintaining compliance, and performing with precision in high-consequence environments.

We specialize in Engineering Services, Cybersecurity, Software Development, Modeling & Simulation, Digital Engineering, and Artificial Intelligence - disciplines powering the nation's most complex technical missions.

Employee Advocacy + Benefits

Our people are the heart of Caribou Thunder. We invest in their growth, flexibility, and well-being - knowing their success drives ours.

Benefits include:

• Premium Health, Dental & Vision Insurance
• 401(k) with 6% Company Match
• Flexible PTO & Work Schedule
• Education & Certification Reimbursement
• Support for Military Leave
  • Work-Life Balance & Traditional Family Values

Your future, your flexibility, your well-being - we invest in you.

Apply and let's connect.