below marketmost similar roles pay hereabove market
This role pays less than
81%
of similar roles. Most pay
$132,000–$193,000
— the blue band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$128k
versus about
$162k
for comparable roles.
Based on 240 similar postings.
Employer
About General Dynamics
General Dynamics is a global aerospace and defense company offering a broad portfolio of products and services in business aviation, ship construction, land combat vehicles, and information technology. It serves customers in the U.S. government, allied governments, and a diverse array of commercial markets.
General Dynamics currently has
1377 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$124,093–$150,385
across 1184 roles with salary data.
The Advanced Systems Engineer - Free Space Optics (FSO) joins the GDMS Free Space Optical communications team to define, develop, integrate, and verify FSO products as they mature from prototype to product. Working across electrical, optical, mechanical, software, and test disciplines, the engineer translates customer and mission needs into clear system requirements and practical technical solutions for space, airborne, and tactical ground domains. Key responsibilities include developing and maintaining system models, requirements traceability, and architectures using Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) tools like Cameo or SysML-based platforms. The role requires applying optical fundamentals such as beam propagation, link budgets, and pointing and tracking to support system design. The engineer coordinates cross-functional interfaces and supports system-level verification to solve complex communication challenges in diverse operational environments.
What does a Systems Engineer earn?
Median $160000 from 251 postings across 41 companies.
Systems Engineering
Python
Requirements Management
Signal Processing
Space Payloads Design
Environmental Testing
TVAC
Vibe
EMI/EMC
RF
Electronic Test Equipment
Root Cause Analysis
AI
Systems Integration and Test
Verification
Validation
Systems Engineering
MBSE
SysML
Python
MATLAB
Digital Signal Processing
CI/CD
DevOps
Agile
MagicDraw
Cameo
Hardware in-the-loop
Monte Carlo Analysis
Radar Processing
Space Payloads
SmallSats
CubeSats
Optical Engineering
MATLAB
Zemax
Code V
FRED
DOORS
Jama
free‑space optical communication
Link Budgets
Adaptive Optics
Requirements Management
Space Systems
Earned Value Management
SDA) OCT Standard