System Architect

We are seeking a System Architect who will be reporting to the Deputy Director of Engineering & Technology, you'll chart technical strategy, uphold engineering rigor, and keep innovation throttled wide-open. You'll translate tomorrow's concepts into today's reference architectures, mentor cross-disciplinary teams, and serve as the engineering voice in company briefings and customer engagements. Bottom line: you'll drive excellence, safeguard alignment with Fuse's mission, and champion our tech story to stakeholders inside and out.

What you'll do:

Project & Technical Governance

• Direct enterprise-level engineering oversight for multi-million-dollar programs, enforcing rigorous technical baselines, proactive risk registers, and transparent status comms to executives and mission partners.
• Partner with PMs and chief engineers to apply Engineering & Design Process, driving on-schedule, on-spec delivery.
• Translate forward-looking concepts into modular reference architectures that unlock future capability inserts and rapid refresh cycles.

Innovation & Capability Development

• Champion emerging tech adoption-AI-enabled network orchestration, SOSA-aligned hardware, zero-trust enclaves-by codifying best practices and coaching scrum teams through thorny edge cases.
• Align customer pain points with IR&D dollars, prioritizing prototypes that close validated gaps and boost ROI.
• Continuously scan the battlespace: track regulatory shifts, MIL-STD updates, and competitor pivots to recalibrate tech roadmaps ahead of the curve.

Growth & Strategy Support

• Co-author cross-functional product roadmaps with Technology, Growth & Strategy, and Operations, ensuring every campaign has a tech glide-slope and a clear value prop.
• Support the hunt and qualification of new opportunities: leverage intel on platform roadmaps, SWaP-C trends, and coalition needs to seed the funnel.
• Nurture strategic alliances across DoD PEOs, prime integrators, and niche innovators, positioning Fuse as the go-to edge-networking house.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as the technical conscience in executive reviews, translating complex trade-space decisions into crisp, business-centered narratives
• Solicit and integrate feedback from operators, customers, and internal guilds to keep initiatives mission-relevant and revenue-aligned.
• Conduct thorough market research and competitive analysis to inform strategic decisions and identify growth opportunities.

We are looking for:

• Bachelor's or Master's in Engineering, Computer Science, or a closely related discipline - or an equivalent track record that proves you can architect, build, and ship.
• U.S. citizen holding an active SECRET-level clearance (or higher).
• 10+ years leading complex engineering efforts, with 5+ years embedded in the aerospace & defense arena.
• Battle-tested at translating strategy into fielded capability: requirements nailed, budgets balanced, risks tamed.
• Hands-on leadership of full-lifecycle design, integration, test, and deployment for POR level systems.
• Deep fluency in DoD/DoN acquisition pathways (PPBE, JROC, DAS, OTA, the works) and the regulatory terrain that shapes them.
• Sharp radar for market pulse - primes, disrupters, shifting tech stacks, and policy headwinds.
• Comfortable diving from 30,000-foot architecture down to board-level schematics; can whiteboard RF chains, zero-trust networks, and SOSA/MOSA hardware without breaking stride.
• Familiar with tactics, techniques, and procedures across air, ground, and maritime platforms in modern multi-domain ops.
• Storyteller who converts engineering nuance into crisp, exec-ready narratives and demo-floor wins.
• Relationship builder who cultivates program office, and industry partnerships that unlock new roadmaps.
• People-first leader who sets the bar high, fosters psychological safety, and keeps teams sprinting in a fast-tempo environment.
• Self-starter able to juggle competing priorities, cut through ambiguity, and deliver under pressure.