Systems Engineer - All Levels

Company Overview
ACS (Allen Control Systems) is a defense technology company building precision robotic systems for the United States and its allies. Founded by two former U.S. Navy electrical engineers with deep experience in robotics and software, ACS brings together AI, computer vision, precision motion, and advanced hardware to solve complex defense challenges across land, air, and maritime environments.

Our flagship product, Bullfrog, is an autonomous precision weapon system that transforms existing weapons into highly accurate counter-drone systems — giving warfighters a scalable, cost-effective response to one of the fastest-growing threats on the modern battlefield. Bullfrog is deployed with U.S. forces, and ACS works with organizations throughout the U.S. military and national security community.

Following a $200 million Series B at a $2.2 billion valuation, ACS is rapidly expanding manufacturing, accelerating Bullfrog deployments, and developing the next generation of autonomous battlefield systems. This is an opportunity to join a proven, fast-moving team and help scale technology with direct, real-world impact on national security.

ACS is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with additional operations in Alexandria, Virginia; Mountain View, California; and Huntsville, Alabama. For more information, visit allencontrolsystems.com.

About The Role:

You'll join Allen Control Systems' Systems team — one team, three tracks (Systems, Systems Test, and Systems Reliability) reporting to the Director of Systems Engineering. We work cross-functionally across mechanical, electrical, software, controls, test, and operations to build ACS's autonomous weapon platforms, including Bullfrog.

We are looking for a Systems Engineer to join our team and help architect, define, and mature our next-generation autonomous weapon platforms. In this role, you will turn high-level mission and product objectives into clear requirements, interfaces, verification plans, and technical decisions that guide development across hardware and software. You will work cross-functionally with design, controls, software, test, and operations teams to drive alignment, manage system-level tradeoffs, and ensure the overall system performs as intended. The ideal candidate is technically rigorous, highly collaborative, and excited to bring structure and clarity to complex, fast-moving engineering programs.

This role can be filled with a SW, ME/EE (hardware), or Analysis focus — tell us which lane fits you best; strong generalists are welcome too.

We're hiring across multiple experience levels, including:

• Associate Engineer

• Engineer

• Senior Engineer

• Staff Engineer

• Senior Staff Engineer

Your title and level will be determined based on your experience, skills, and the scope of responsibility appropriate for the role.

What You’ll Do:

• Build first-order physics and engineering models, such as power budgets, SWaP budgets, and kill chain timelines, early in design before detailed design or hardware exists.

• Use model results to derive and allocate requirements, drive design trade studies, support verification by analysis, and shape test plans.

• Grow models as the design matures, and judge when a first-order answer is good enough and when more fidelity is worth the cost.

• Own analyses end to end with minimal direction: frame the question, state assumptions, build the model, and present results and sensitivities to engineering leads and customers.

• Work with hardware, software, and test engineers to anchor models to measured data, and update the models as test results come in.

What You’ll Need:

• BS in physics, engineering, applied math, or a related quantitative field. MS or PhD preferred.

• Strong first-principles physics foundation in areas such as dynamics, heat transfer, and electrical power.

• 5+ years building analysis models on hardware development programs.

• Proficient in Python or MATLAB. Simulink or other simulation tools preferred.

• DoD program experience preferred. Ability to obtain a U.S. security clearance preferred.

You’ll Stand Out:

• Strong systems thinking with the ability to see where interfaces, assumptions, or missing requirements are likely to create downstream problems.

• A track record of turning ambiguous technical goals into structured requirements, verification plans, and closure criteria.

• A strong bias toward automation — building scripts or tooling to automate requirements traceability, verification tracking, data analysis, and evidence generation instead of doing it by hand.

• Comfort pushing for clarity when ownership, pass/fail criteria, or verification evidence is vague.

• Prior experience qualifying defense, aerospace, and/or safety-critical applications.

• Experience with requirements management in JAMA or DOORS.

• A bias toward technical rigor without becoming overly process-heavy.

• Good judgment about how much structure is needed to keep fast-moving engineering work aligned and accountable.

What We Offer:

• Competitive salary

• ACS Equity Package

• Health, Dental, Vision Insurance

• Paid Time Off

Allen Control Systems is an Equal Opportunity Employer, providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment. Allen Control Systems prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type 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.