Principal Radiation Effects Engineer

Position Title: Principal Radiation Effects Engineer
Requisition ID: 1813
Position Location: Fairfax, VA / Sterling, VA / Littleton, CO
Position Reports To: Engineering Vice President
Supervises Others: No

At Trident Systems Space Electronic Systems (SES) division, we believe in the power of using strong engineering principles to drive innovation and solve complex problems. We foster a culture of rigorous engineering and continuous improvement, leveraging the full knowledge of our organization through collaborative product development processes that include design and peer reviews. We combine our expertise in space electronics with right-sized development processes to create innovative, high-performance space-based electronic systems that meet our customers' evolving needs.

We are a mission partner supporting DoD, Intelligence Community, and Civil space customers. We develop complex, radiation effects mitigated, designs that balance competing requirements in modern space programs, delivering cutting-edge solutions that enable our customers to achieve more in space.

Position Summary

The Principal Radiation Effects Engineer will serve as the technical authority for radiation environment definition, analysis, mitigation, and verification across advanced aerospace and defense programs. As a senior member of the engineering organization, this individual will lead radiation effects strategy for complex, integrated electronic systems-spanning semiconductors, boards, sensors, avionics, and spaceborne platforms.

The successful candidate will leverage deep expertise in radiation physics and microelectronics reliability to guide design teams, assess mission environments, define test approaches, and ensure hardware survivability. Acting as both a hands-on engineer and a cross functional leader, the Principal Radiation Effects Engineer will proactively identify radiation driven risks, manage component level and system level effects analyses, and partner with program management, design engineering, and suppliers to embed radiation resilience throughout the development lifecycle.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Principal Radiation Effects Engineer ensures mission success by providing rigorous technical leadership in radiation characterization, modeling, test planning, and compliance verification.

Radiation Environment & Effects Analysis:

• Define product radiation environments (TID, SEE, displacement damage, dose rate, etc.) and perform system/component level effects assessments.
• Model radiation transport and shielding effectiveness to inform system architecture decisions.
• Perform worst case analysis, margin assessments, and susceptibility evaluations.

Mitigation Strategy Development:

• Recommend component selection, shielding strategies, circuit level hardening techniques, and system level architectural approaches.
• Guide electronic design teams on layout, redundancy, error detection/correction, derating, and other resilience mechanisms.

Testing & Verification Leadership:

• Develop radiation test plans, including heavy ion, proton, neutron, gamma, X ray, and dose rate testing.
• Coordinate with external radiation test facilities and oversee execution and data analysis.
• Document results, maintain compliance evidence, and communicate performance impacts and required mitigations.

Cross Functional Technical Leadership:

• Partner with design engineering, suppliers, reliability teams, and program management to ensure radiation requirements are flowed down and met.
• Identify risks early, recommend corrective actions, and support variance resolution.
• Provide technical leadership reviews and serve as the subject matter expert during customer engagements.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Nuclear Engineering, or related discipline (or equivalent experience).
• Minimum 10 years of experience in radiation effects engineering for aerospace, space, or defense electronic systems.
• Deep technical knowledge of TID, SEE, SEU, SEL, SET, DDD, and dose rate effects on microelectronics.
• Proficiency in radiation modeling tools (e.g., GEANT4, MCNP, FASTRAD) and device level analysis methodologies.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing radiation test campaigns at accredited facilities.
• Strong communication, leadership, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with spaceborne electronics, rad hard design, FPGA radiation characterization, or microelectronics reliability.
• Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in radiation physics, microelectronics reliability, or related field.
• Experience guiding multidisciplinary engineering teams and mentoring junior radiation engineers.
• Familiarity with aerospace program lifecycles, requirements development, and mission environment definition.

Pay Information

Full-Time Salary Range: $113,000 - $211,000

Please Note: Actual compensation offered will be determined based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant experience, skills, education, certifications, internal equity, business considerations, and geographic location where applicable.

Benefits

Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits including but not limited to:

• Health benefits
  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • Basic life with AD&D
  • Short term disability
  • Long term disability
  • Ancillary (Voluntary life with AD&D, accident, critical illness, hospital, and pet)
  • Spending accounts (HSA, FSA, and DCFSA)
• Paid time off
• Holidays
• 401(k) (including company match)
• Tuition reimbursement
• Leaves (Parental, maternity, and military)
• Annual discretionary bonus (for eligible roles)

Trident Systems reserves the right to change or assign other duties to this position.

Trident Solutions is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact recruiting@tridsys.com.

Pay Transparency: The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)