Senior Principal Engineer - Systems Engineering

About Edge Group

At EDGE bold ideas are engineered into technologies that protect, improve and save lives.

Headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, EDGE is a leading advanced technology group working at the forefront of defence and emerging technologies. Spanning more than 35 specialised companies and multiple centres of excellence, we are purpose-built to move fast. Free from heavy legacy processes, we give our people the autonomy, accountability, and agility to bring breakthrough technologies from concept to reality.

Based in Abu Dhabi, a globally connected hub at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, EDGE is home to a truly multicultural community where bold ideas thrive, and the future is shaped.

Together, we are shaping the future.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Principal System Engineer to act as the Design Authority for advanced Precision Guided Munition (PGM) systems. This is a senior technical leadership position responsible for the end-to-end systems engineering lifecycle, including requirements definition, system architecture, integration, verification, qualification, and ongoing product enhancement.
The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in ensuring that weapon systems meet operational, performance, quality, reliability, and safety requirements while collaborating closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams and key stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Systems Engineering

• Lead the systems engineering activities for Precision Guided Munition (PGM) programs.
• Perform requirements analysis and develop system-level requirements specifications.
• Design and maintain overall system architecture, ensuring alignment between subsystems and mission objectives.
• Act as the Design Authority for assigned weapon systems throughout the product lifecycle.
• Develop and maintain System Development Specifications, Interface Control Documents (ICDs), and other technical documentation.
• Conduct trade-off studies and engineering assessments to support design decisions.

Integration, Verification & Qualification

• Oversee integration activities across guidance, navigation, control, seeker, servo, warhead, and other subsystems.
• Define and execute system verification and validation strategies.
• Lead qualification activities, including the development of Qualification Test Plans and procedures.
• Manage quality control processes throughout development and qualification phases.
• Analyze test data and generate technical reports to assess compliance against requirements.

Risk & Compliance Management

• Identify technical risks and implement effective mitigation strategies.
• Ensure compliance with applicable military standards, engineering processes, and company procedures.
• Support safety, reliability, and maintainability analyses throughout the program lifecycle.

Technical Leadership & Collaboration

• Collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams, including mechanical, electrical, software, and quality engineers.
• Participate in Change Control Boards (CCBs) to evaluate, manage, and resolve technical issues.
• Review subsystem design solutions and ensure alignment with approved requirements.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to engineering teams where required.

Product Development & Continuous Improvement

• Support the development, enhancement, and testing of PGM subsystems.
• Conduct investigations and technology assessments to improve product performance and reduce costs.
• Monitor emerging technologies and recommend innovations that enhance operational capability, reliability, and maintainability.
• Support business development activities by contributing to technical proposals, customer presentations, and engineering reviews.

Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC)

• Support the design, modelling, and validation of GNC algorithms.
• Evaluate performance metrics including miss distance, stability margins, robustness, and response times.

Navigation Systems

• Support development and testing of navigation algorithms.
• Contribute to the integration of IMU, GPS, and seeker-based navigation systems.
• Support robust state estimation and navigation performance under operational conditions.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• Formal training or certification in Systems Engineering is desirable.

Experience

• Minimum 10-15 years of defense industry experience 
• Proven experience in the design, integration, verification, validation, and qualification of complex aerospace or defence systems.
• Demonstrated experience in systems engineering for weapon systems, guided munitions, missiles, or related aerospace platforms.
• Experience working within regulated military or defence environments.
• Experience acting as a technical authority or lead systems engineer is highly desirable.

Why Choose EDGE?

Working at EDGE comes with a package that genuinely reflects how much we value our people. Salaries are highly competitive and tax-free and, depending on your role and seniority, benefits can include family visas, annual flight tickets, medical insurance for you and your dependants, and education allowances for your children.

But the real investment goes further than compensation. Through our own learning academy and digital learning platform, there are extensive opportunities to develop your skills and advance your career. Add to that the freedom to innovate, strong career guidance, and the chance to work alongside world-class talent from across the globe, and EDGE becomes a place where you can keep growing, keep learning, and keep turning bold ideas into something real.

Candidate Privacy & Equal Opportunity Statement 

Any information you share as part of your EDGE candidate profile or job application will be handled in accordance with applicable data protection and privacy regulations.

EDGE is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and high-performing workforce. We believe every individual deserves to be treated with fairness, respect and dignity, and our employment decisions reflect that. We do not discriminate based on race, colour, nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender, marital status, age, disability, pregnancy or parental status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

If you feel your skills, experience and potential are a strong match for a role, we encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every requirement. We are genuinely interested in what you can bring to EDGE.

As a global organisation, effective collaboration across international teams is central to how we work, so English proficiency is required for all roles unless otherwise stated in the job posting.

Please note that EDGE does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruitment agencies. Any resumes in the absence of a formally executed agreement in place will be deemed the property of EDGE, and no placement fees or compensation will be payable in respect of such submissions.