Senior Principal Electro-Optics Engineer in Annapolis Junction, Maryland at Mission Systems

Senior Principal Electro-Optics Engineer

ID: 2026-74593
US-MD-Annapolis Junction
Required Clearance: TS/SCI, obtainable within reasonable time based on requirements
Posted Date: 8/27/2026
Category: Engineering-Hardware
Employment Type: Full Time
Hiring Company: General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc.
Basic Qualifications

Education Requirements:

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, or a related Science, Engineering or Mathematics field, plus a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience; or Master's degree plus a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience.

Clearance Requirements:
Ability to obtain a Department of Defense TS/SCI security clearance is required at time of hire. Applicants selected will be subject to a U.S. Government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Due to the nature of work performed within our facilities, U.S. citizenship is required.

Responsibilities for this Position

Job Description:

As a Senior Principal Electro-Optics Engineer, you will be a leader on the GDMS Free Space Optical (FSO) communications team, and own the architecture, engineering practices, and technical direction for our hardware, helping mature our work from prototype to product. You'll set the standard for how we design, build, test, and ship hardware across multiple concurrent programs spanning space, airborne, and tactical ground domains, while mentoring and growing the engineers around you. This role is as much about how we build as what we build.

What you bring to the table:

• Strong grounding in the use of optical and electrical engineering concepts, principles, and theories
• Strong knowledge of telecommunication applications and electrical engineering design tools
• Ability to recognize and clearly report information relevant to sound electro-optical engineering design
• Experience with optical and RF test and measurement equipment and laboratory tools
• Familiarity with one or more of the following: MATLAB, Lumerical, Zemax, VPI, Python, C/C++, LabView

What sets you apart:

• Demonstrated ownership of the full electro-optic hardware development lifecycle
• Proven technical leadership of teams of engineers
• Track record of taking hardware from prototype/R&D maturity to production-quality, maintainable, deliverable products

Our Commitment to You:

• An exciting career path with opportunities for continuous learning and development
• Research oriented work, alongside award winning teams developing practical solutions for our nation’s security
• Flexible schedules with every other Friday off work, if desired (9/80 schedule)
• Competitive benefits, including 401k matching, flex time off, paid parental leave, healthcare benefits, health & wellness programs, employee resource and social groups, and more
• See more at gdmissionsystems.com/careers/why-work-for-us/benefits

Workplace Options:

This position is fully on-site with occasional Hybrid/Flex available.

While on-site, you will be a part of the Annapolis Junction, MD team.

Salary Note

This estimate represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors (geographic location, etc.). Actual pay may vary. This job posting will remain open until the position is filled.

Combined Salary Range

USD $191,246.00 - USD $206,000.00 /Yr.

Company Overview

General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS) engineers a diverse portfolio of high technology solutions, products and services that enable customers to successfully execute missions across all domains of operation. With a global team of 12,000+ top professionals, we partner with the best in industry to expand the bounds of innovation in the defense and scientific arenas. Given the nature of our work and who we are, we value trust, honesty, alignment and transparency. We offer highly competitive benefits and pride ourselves in being a great place to work with a shared sense of purpose. You will also enjoy a flexible work environment where contributions are recognized and rewarded. If who we are and what we do resonates with you, we invite you to join our high-performance team!

Equal Opportunity Employer / Individuals with Disabilities / Protected Veterans

#GDMS-US#