Principal Systems Engineer

Business Unit:

Cubic Transportation Systems

Company Details:
When you join Cubic, you become part of a company that creates and delivers technology solutions in transportation to make people’s lives easier by simplifying their daily journeys, and defense capabilities to help promote mission success and safety for those who serve their nation. Led by our talented teams around the world, Cubic is committed to solving global issues through innovation and service to our customers and partners.
We have a top-tier portfolio of businesses, including Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS) and Cubic Defense (CD). Explore more on Cubic.com.

Job Details:

JOB SUMMARY: The Program Systems Engineer (PSE), Principal Systems Engineering is the leading practitioner, functioning as the technical manager on assigned programs. The Principal Systems Engineer leverages broad expertise across specialized fields or several related disciplines to lead complex systems engineering efforts and guide program systems ensuring alignment with CTS architecture standards. This role will work on advanced electronic and software-intensive systems, providing technical direction and thought leadership. The position requires significant conceptual thinking, creativity, and independent judgment to address unique, complex issues and drive results that impact broader company functions. The Principal Systems Engineering will collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, coordinate cross-functional projects, and serve as a recognized subject matter expert.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Define project concepts, develop objectives, and manage project resource needs.
• Manage the engineering Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) tasks, budgets (burn rates, Earned Value, Estimate-at-Completion), technical performance, and subcontractors while ensuring compliance with contractual requirements.
• Execute systems engineering work products through all levels of the project and workflow through the product development teams.
• Direct the application of existing principles while contributing to the development of new policies and ideas. Leverage cross-disciplinary expertise to advance the organization's technical capabilities.
• Direct the application of advanced engineering principles, procedures, and techniques to perform systems engineering tasks related to the development of electronic and software-intensive systems and subsystems across programs.
• Serve as the primary technical consultant, guiding program teams on the most suitable technical approaches and solutions for complex challenges.
• Exercise independent judgment in evaluating advanced technical methods, techniques, and data to solve significant and unique issues across systems engineering disciplines.
• Direct the application of existing principles while contributing to the development of new policies and ideas. Leverage cross-disciplinary expertise to advance the organization's technical capabilities.
• Direct the development and application of innovative solutions and contribute to the advancement of company objectives and strategic goals.
• Mentor and guide junior engineers, providing technical leadership and knowledge transfer to ensure individual growth and organizational development.
• Oversee architectural design, system performance evaluations, and risk mitigation strategies, identifying both technical risks and creative ways to mitigate them.
• Maintain a strong awareness of technological advancements in systems engineering and actively contribute to the improvement of processes, policies, and methods across the organization.
• Interface with customers, vendors, subcontractors, and interdisciplinary teams to drive project success, ensuring that systems meet all performance, cost, and schedule requirements.
• Lead system design studies, evaluate technical risks, and communicate findings and advancements through briefings, presentations, and technical papers.
• Actively lead proposal efforts, offering technical advice, developing system architectures, and preparing cost estimates.
• Develop proposals for new business, including technical planning and cost estimation, ensuring alignment with business and technical goals.
• Participate in broader organization projects, requiring effective persuasion of diverse stakeholders and the ability to articulate advanced technical information to non-technical audiences.

Background and Experience:

• College Degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related technical discipline.
• Ten (10)+ years of related experience, or a master’s degree with eight (8)+ years of experience. 
• Strong experience in Business Analysis, including requirement gathering, technical documentation, and translating business needs into functional specifications.
• Proficient in Scrum/Agile methodologies with hands-on experience in iterative development processes.
• Working knowledge of SQL for data querying and analysis.
• Experience creating and interpreting UML diagrams for system design and analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to work in customer-facing roles, handling stakeholder expectations and delivering technical solutions.
• Familiarity with APIs, including understanding of integration principles and API documentation.
• Solid grasp of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) concepts.
• Hands-on experience with tools like EA (Enterprise Architect), Microsoft Visio, and Azure DevOps.
• Exposure to or involvement in testing activities, including test planning, defect management, and verification processes.
• Proficient in tools such as DOORS, EPDM, and AllChange.
• Ability to effectively interface with customers, subcontractors, and vendors, and engage with employees and managers at all levels within and outside of the engineering organization.
• In-depth knowledge of customer needs and awareness of competing products.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with the mental agility to address engineering challenges.
• Capable of working effectively under project deadline pressures and within cost and schedule constraints.
• Proficient in standard desktop applications, including spreadsheets and word processing software.

The description provided above is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all job duties, responsibilities and requirements.  Duties, responsibilities and requirements may change over time and according to business need.

#LI-NB1

Worker Type:
Employee