Senior Principal Field Engineer

Job ID: 2618076
Location: San Diego, CA, US
Date Posted: 2026-10-16
Category: Engineering and Sciences
Subcategory: Field Engineer
Schedule: Full-Time
Shift: Day Job
Travel: Yes - 25% of the time
Minimum Clearance Required: Secret
Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain: Top Secret
Potential for Remote Work: ORA_ON_SITE
Description
SAIC is seeking a Senior Field Engineer / Site Lead in San Diego, CA to support a critical Department of Defense communications systems program providing ongoing sustainment and depot-level maintenance for strategic systems. This individual will serve as the primary on-site representative for the Program Manager and the face of the program to government customers, while also leading, mentoring, and supervising on-site staff.
MUST BE LOCAL TO SAN DIEGO, CA. Up to 25% CONUS travel required
JOB DUTIES:
Site Leadership & Customer Interface

• Serve as the on-site lead and primary representative to the government customer organization on behalf of the Program Manager
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with DOD customer stakeholders
• Communicate program status, issues, and resolutions to the Program Manager and customer leadership
• Mentor, supervise, and provide technical guidance to on-site engineering and logistics staff

Systems Sustainment & Depot Maintenance

• Provide depot-level maintenance and sustainment support for DOD strategic communications system.
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical problems with hardware and software in accordance with product and customer specifications
• Troubleshoot legacy hardware and repair/refurbish units for system sustainment
• Build, test, and configure hardware and software for Windows and Nutanix-based systems
• Troubleshoot serial connections, network connectivity, RF systems, and time systems
• Perform patching for computer and network devices
• Conduct PITCO testing and hardware setup

Integration & Documentation

• Participate in and lead on-site system integrations
• Develop, maintain, and update system and process documentation
• Log and respond to site tickets in a timely manner

Logistics Oversight

• Provide oversight for the Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) team to ensure shipping, procurement, and inventory requirements are met
• Coordinate with supply chain and logistics personnel to support program sustainment needs

Qualifications
REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelors and fourteen (14) years or more experience; Masters and twelve (12) years or more experience; PhD or JD and nine (9) years or more experience.
• Demonstrated experience in C4I systems environments, including systems requirements, operational requirements, and test and evaluation
• Proven experience supporting DOD communications systems sustainment and/or depot-level maintenance
• Experience leading, supervising, and mentoring technical teams in a field environment
• Experience building and installing infrastructure
• Active Secret security clearance required to start;
• Must be able to obtain Top Secret clearance after start
• Must obtain CompTIA Security+, CISSP, or CASP certification within 6 months of hire
• Up to 25% CONUS travel required

DESIRED SKILLS:

• Logistics experience within the Navy or Air Force strongly preferred
• Familiarity with ILS processes including procurement, inventory management, and shipping coordination
• Prior experience as an on-site lead or program representative interfacing directly with government customers

Target salary range: $120,001 - $160,000. The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors.
SAIC is a premier technology integrator providing full life cycle services and solutions in the technical, engineering, intelligence, and enterprise information technology markets. SAIC is Redefining Ingenuity through its deep customer and domain knowledge to enable the delivery of systems engineering and integration offerings for large, complex projects. SAIC's approximately 15,000 employees are driven by integrity and mission focus to serve customers in the U.S. federal government. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $4.5 billion. For more information, visit saic.com. For information on the benefits SAIC offers, see .