Staff Engineer, Early Engagement

• →Lead Client Technical Engagement: Serve as the primary technical leader throughout early customer engagement, from discovery through contract close. Translate business objectives into viable system concepts that result in secured contracts and well-defined projects with managed risk
• →Architect Systems for Value: Drive the requirements discovery, analysis, and negotiation process. Leverage divergent thinking to explore the solution space and convergent thinking to define and champion a robust system architecture that delivers mutual value for both the client and the firm
• →Drive Cross-Functional Alignment: Lead collaboration across engineering disciplines during early engagement, ensuring clear alignment and effective handoff from architecture to detailed development
• →Champion Organizational Growth: Act as a force multiplier within the engineering organization by mentoring technical staff, establishing systems and processes that elevate our capabilities, and fostering a culture of curiosity and continuous improvement
• →Own the Outcome: Be accountable for the technical success of early engagements. Partner with Business Development to make data-driven decisions that balance near-term execution with long-term strategy

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Physics, or Mathematics is required; a graduate degree in a relevant engineering discipline is highly preferred
• Experience: 15+ years of engineering experience in client-facing roles, system architecture, or senior technical leadership, with a track record of delivering complex systems involving custom electronics
• Domain Expertise: Demonstrated ability to not only analyze and deconstruct novel and complex problems within a core domain, but also to evaluate and make critical judgments about different technical solutions and approaches.
• Systems Engineering Mastery: Deep experience applying systems engineering principles in ambiguous, early-stage environments, including requirements development, trade studies, and architecture definition
• Strategic Leadership: Proven ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to diverse audiences, including senior client stakeholders. Demonstrated experience acting as a trusted technical advisor externally and a mentor and leader internally

• Applicant must be willing to work 40 hours a week on-site in Redmond, Washington, USA
• Applicant must be eligible to work on export controlled projects
• Job Type: Full-time (Salary)

Export Control Requirements:
To conform with U.S. Government export control regulations, including the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide sponsorship at this time.

If you don’t meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply!
Second Order Effects is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SOE is governed on the basis of excellence and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.