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Fso Engineer Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

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Fso Engineer information

What is an FSO engineer?

An FSO (Field Service Operations) Engineer is a professional responsible for installing, maintaining, and repairing equipment or systems at client sites. They often work in industries such as telecommunications, energy, or IT, providing technical support and troubleshooting to ensure optimal performance of products and services. FSO Engineers frequently travel to customer locations, respond to service requests, and provide on-site training or guidance. Their role is crucial for minimizing downtime and ensuring customer satisfaction.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an FSO engineer?

To thrive as an FSO (Field Service Operations) Engineer, you need a solid background in electronics, network engineering, and troubleshooting, typically backed by a relevant engineering degree or technical certification. Familiarity with diagnostic tools, network management systems, and industry-specific certifications like CCNA or CompTIA Network+ is often required. Strong problem-solving skills, effective communication, and adaptability are crucial soft skills for addressing on-site issues and working with diverse clients. These skills ensure that technical problems are resolved efficiently, minimizing downtime and maintaining high customer satisfaction.

What are some common challenges faced by FSO engineers when deploying Free Space Optics systems in urban environments?

FSO Engineers often encounter challenges such as signal interference from weather conditions (like fog, rain, or smog), line-of-sight obstructions from buildings, and alignment issues during installation in densely populated urban areas. Addressing these requires careful site surveys, precision in device alignment, and sometimes the integration of redundancy or backup links. Collaboration with building management and other engineering teams is also crucial to ensure successful deployment and ongoing maintenance of the FSO systems.

What is the difference between Fso Engineer vs Network Engineer?

AspectFso EngineerNetwork Engineer
Required CertificationsCCNA, CCNP, Cisco certificationsCCNA, CCNP, Cisco certifications
Work EnvironmentField operations, site inspections, infrastructure setupOffice, data centers, network design and troubleshooting
Industry UsageTelecom, utilities, infrastructure projectsIT, telecommunications, enterprise networks

Fso Engineers and Network Engineers often share certifications and work in related industries. However, Fso Engineers focus more on field operations and infrastructure deployment, while Network Engineers primarily handle network design, configuration, and troubleshooting in office or data center environments. Both roles are essential in telecommunications and IT sectors, but their daily tasks and work settings differ.

Advanced Systems Engineer - Free Space Optics (FSO)

Annapolis Junction, MD • Hybrid

General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc
Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing • 10K+ employees

$124K - $132K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Retirement

Posted 13 days ago


Key responsibilities

  • Help define, develop, integrate, and verify FSO products as they mature from prototype to product.

  • Coordinate interfaces among optical, electrical, mechanical, software, and test teams using system models and requirements traceability.

  • Support system-level verification and apply optical fundamentals to support FSO system design and integration.


General Dynamics Mission Systems rating

8.1

Company rating: 8.1 out of 10

Based on 31 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz


Job description

Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, or a related Science, Engineering or Mathematics field, plus a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience; or Master's degree, plus a minimum of 3 years of relevant experience.

CLEARANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Ability to obtain a Department of Defense TS/SCI security clearance is required at time of hire. Applicants selected will be subject to a U.S. Government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Due to the nature of work performed within our facilities, U.S. citizenship is required.


ROLE AND POSITION OBJECTIVES:

As an Advanced Systems Engineer on the GDMS Free Space Optical (FSO) communications team, you will help define, develop, integrate, and verify FSO products as they mature from prototype to product. You will work across electrical, optical, mechanical, software, and test disciplines to translate customer and mission needs into clear system requirements and practical technical solutions. This role supports multiple programs across space, airborne, and tactical ground domains, with opportunities to own meaningful system engineering work and grow within an experienced, collaborative team.

We encourage you to apply if you have any of these preferred skills or experiences:

  • Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE): Develop and maintain system models, requirements traceability, interfaces, and system architectures using tools such as Cameo or similar SysML-based platforms.

  • Optical systems understanding: Apply knowledge of optical fundamentals, including beam propagation, alignment, link budgets, pointing and tracking, and environmental effects, to support FSO system design and integration.

  • Cross-functional system integration: Use MBSE artifacts and optical-domain knowledge to coordinate interfaces among optical, electrical, mechanical, software, and test teams, and support system-level verification.

What sets you apart:

  • Success leading the systems development life cycle with strong proficiency with requirements management and system modeling tools
  • Creative thinker motivated to apply technical standards and methodologies to develop solutions
  • Collaborative team player with the ability to provide technical leadership and position others for success
  • Strong presentation and communications skills with experience in the art of negotiation and the ability to meet challenging customer requirements with win-win solutions
  • Commitment to ongoing professional development for yourself and others
  • Identifies opportunities to apply AI for continuous improvement and innovation

Our Commitment to You:

  • An exciting career path with opportunities for continuous learning and development. 
  • Research oriented work, alongside award winning teams developing practical solutions for our nation’s security
  • Flexible schedules with every other Friday off work, if desired (9/80 schedule)
  • Competitive benefits, including 401k matching, flex time off, paid parental leave, healthcare benefits, health & wellness programs, employee resource and social groups, and more
  • See more at gdmissionsystems.com/careers/why-work-for-us/benefits

Workplace Options:

This position is fully on-site with occasional Hybrid/Flex available.

While on-site, you will be a part of the Annapolis Junction, MD team.


This estimate represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors (geographic location, etc.). Actual pay may vary. This job posting will remain open until the position is filled.
USD $124,445.00 - USD $132,000.00 /Yr.

General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS) engineers a diverse portfolio of high technology solutions, products and services that enable customers to successfully execute missions across all domains of operation. With a global team of 12,000+ top professionals, we partner with the best in industry to expand the bounds of innovation in the defense and scientific arenas. Given the nature of our work and who we are, we value trust, honesty, alignment and transparency. We offer highly competitive benefits and pride ourselves in being a great place to work with a shared sense of purpose. You will also enjoy a flexible work environment where contributions are recognized and rewarded. If who we are and what we do resonates with you, we invite you to join our high-performance team!


Equal Opportunity Employer / Individuals with Disabilities / Protected Veterans


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