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Senior Innovation Engineer Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

Parsons

Principal Innovation Engineer

Reston, VA · On-site +1

This is a hands-on senior engineering role for a technologist who can identify promising ... Explore innovation across areas such as: * digital identity and verification * biometrics and ...

HDR

Senior Civil Engineer

Arlington, VA · On-site

This isn't just a job, it's a chance to lead innovation, engineer impact, and build a legacy of ... HDR is looking for a Senior Civil Engineer to join our Building Engineering Services group. This ...

HDR

Senior Civil Engineer

Arlington, VA · On-site

This isn't just a job, it's a chance to lead innovation, engineer impact, and build a legacy of ... HDR is looking for a Senior Civil Engineer to join our Building Engineering Services group. This ...

HDR

Senior CAD/BIM Lead

Arlington, VA · On-site

This isn't just a job, it's a chance to lead innovation, engineer impact, and build a legacy of ... In the role of Senior CAD/BIM Lead, we'll count on you to: * Perform non-routine and complex ...

HDR

Senior CAD/BIM Lead

Arlington, VA · On-site

This isn't just a job, it's a chance to lead innovation, engineer impact, and build a legacy of ... In the role of Senior CAD/BIM Lead, we'll count on you to: * Perform non-routine and complex ...

HDR

Senior Mechanical Commissioning Agent

Arlington, VA · On-site

This isn't just a job, it's a chance to lead innovation, engineer impact, and build a legacy of ... In the role of Senior Mechanical Commissioning Agent, we'll count on you to: * Be the main contact ...

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Senior Innovation Engineer information

What is a senior innovation engineer?

Senior Innovation Engineers are experienced professionals who lead the development and implementation of new technologies, products, or processes within a company. They identify opportunities for innovation, manage projects from concept to execution, and often collaborate with cross-functional teams to solve complex problems. Their role involves staying updated on industry trends, leveraging advanced engineering techniques, and driving continuous improvement to help organizations stay competitive. Typically, they have a strong background in engineering, creativity, and project management.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a senior innovation engineer?

To thrive as a Senior Innovation Engineer, you need a strong background in engineering principles, creative problem-solving, and experience with research and development, typically supported by an advanced degree in engineering or related fields. Familiarity with innovation management tools, prototyping technologies, and methodologies like Design Thinking or Agile is common, along with certifications such as Six Sigma or PMP being advantageous. Excellent communication, leadership, and the ability to drive cross-functional collaboration are essential soft skills. These competencies are critical for successfully leading projects from concept to implementation and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.

How does a senior innovation engineer typically collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive new product development?

Senior Innovation Engineers play a crucial role in coordinating with cross-functional teams, including product management, marketing, design, and manufacturing. They often lead brainstorming sessions, facilitate technical feasibility discussions, and ensure that innovative concepts align with business objectives. Effective communication and project management skills are essential, as these engineers bridge the gap between technical development and market needs. Regular collaboration ensures that projects move efficiently from ideation to prototyping and, ultimately, to market launch.

What is the difference between Senior Innovation Engineer vs Innovation Engineer?

AspectSenior Innovation EngineerInnovation Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Engineering, Innovation, or related fields; experience preferredBachelor's degree in Engineering, Innovation, or related fields
Work EnvironmentResearch and development teams, product development labsDesign teams, R&D departments, product teams
Employer & Industry UsageTech companies, manufacturing, R&D firmsStartups, corporate innovation units, tech firms
Common Search & ComparisonOften compared for experience level and responsibilitiesEntry to mid-level role focusing on innovation projects

The main difference between a Senior Innovation Engineer and an Innovation Engineer lies in experience and responsibility. Senior Innovation Engineers typically have more experience, lead projects, and mentor junior staff, whereas Innovation Engineers focus on supporting innovation initiatives and executing tasks under supervision. Both roles are vital in fostering innovation within tech-driven industries.

What are popular job titles related to Senior Innovation Engineer jobs in Washington?

For Senior Innovation Engineer jobs in Washington, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Senior Innovation Engineer jobs in Washington look for?

The top searched job categories for Senior Innovation Engineer jobs in Washington are:

What cities in Washington are hiring for Senior Innovation Engineer jobs?

Cities in Washington with the most Senior Innovation Engineer job openings:

Senior Innovation Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Senior Innovation Engineer job openings in Washington as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 75% Full Time, 11% Part Time, and 14% Contract. Highlights an 94% In-person, and 6% Hybrid job distribution.

Principal Innovation Engineer

Reston, VA • On-site

Parsons Corporation
Civil Engineering Construction • 10K+ employees

7.7

Company rating: 7.7 out of 10

Based on 46 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

267th of 450 rated engineering

People enjoy working here

Good employer

Recommended by students

Learn more about Parsons Corporationexternal

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 10 days ago

Job description

In a world of possibilities, pursue one with endless opportunities. Imagine Next!
At Parsons, you can imagine a career where you thrive, work with exceptional people, and be yourself. Guided by our leadership vision of valuing people, embracing agility, and fostering growth, we cultivate an innovative culture that empowers you to achieve your full potential. Unleash your talent and redefine what's possible.
Job Description:
Parsons is seeking a Principal Innovation Engineer to drive applied innovation for a mission-critical global identity and mobility platform deployed across a wide range of operating environments, from remote and austere locations to high-throughput modern facilities to cloud-forward architectures.
This is a hands-on senior engineering role for a technologist who can identify promising technologies, evaluate them against real operational needs, build compelling prototypes and demonstrations, and help transition the best ideas into production-ready capabilities. The right candidate will be comfortable working across software, cloud, edge systems, biometrics/peripherals, networking, resilience engineering, and operational workflows.
We are looking for someone who can help ensure our platform remains modern, resilient, and visibly state-of-the-art to customers, stakeholders, and industry peers.
What you will do
  • Identify, evaluate, and prototype new technologies that improve a globally deployed mission-critical platform
  • Build working demonstrations, proof-of-concepts, and pilot implementations that can be shown to internal leadership, customers, and external stakeholders
  • Explore innovation across areas such as:
    • digital identity and verification
    • biometrics and contactless capture
    • edge computing and low-power deployments
    • resilient/offline-first operations
    • cloud-native modernization
    • analytics and AI-assisted workflows
    • automation and operator experience
    • secure peripherals and smart devices
  • Assess emerging commercial and open technologies for fit, maturity, operational value, security implications, and deployability
  • Translate innovation ideas into practical architectures that can operate in low-bandwidth environments with intermittent connectivity, power-constraints, environmental challenges, or infrastructure limitations
  • Assist leadership with transition from prototypes to implementation roadmaps
  • Produce technical trade studies, architecture recommendations, demonstration plans, and innovation briefings
  • Support technical presentations, showcases, and evaluations with customers, sponsors, and partners
  • Shape an innovation pipeline from concept to prototype to fieldable capability

Required qualifications
  • 10+ years of experience in systems engineering, software engineering, platform engineering, or applied R&D
  • Demonstrated experience turning emerging technology concepts into working prototypes or production capabilities
  • Strong hands-on technical depth in several of the following:
    • distributed software systems
    • cloud platforms, especially AWS
    • edge or embedded deployments
    • networking or hybrid connectivity
    • identity or security systems
    • biometrics or device/peripheral integration
    • observability or operational analytics
  • Experience evaluating technology not only for technical merit, but for operational realism, reliability, security, supportability, and lifecycle fit
  • Experience working in mission-critical, operational, public sector, regulated, or globally distributed environments
  • Strong communication skills with the ability to present complex ideas clearly to both engineers and non-technical decision makers

Preferred qualifications
  • Experience with identity verification, biometrics, access-control, document technologies, automated gate/peripheral systems, or related domains
  • Experience designing solutions for remote, austere, power-constrained, or intermittently connected environments
  • Experience with Java-based distributed systems, microservices, and event-driven architectures
  • Experience with AWS, Terraform, and hybrid edge/cloud architectures
  • Familiarity with technologies such as MongoDB, Elasticsearch/OpenSearch, RabbitMQ/Kafka, Grafana, ELK, HashiCorp Consul, Nomad, and Vault
  • Experience with AI/ML-enabled analytics, computer vision, anomaly detection, or intelligent automation
  • Experience engaging with vendors, standards bodies, industry forums, or customer technical demonstrations

Why join Parsons in this role
  • Work on visible, high-impact innovation with real operational relevance
  • Help shape the future direction of a globally deployed platform operating in some of the most challenging environments
  • Build demonstrable capabilities that influence customer confidence, program growth, and technical direction
  • Operate at the intersection of edge systems, cloud, resilience, identity, security, and emerging technology
  • Join a team where senior engineers can take ideas from concept to showcased capability to operational adoption

Security Clearance Requirement:
An active Top Secret SCI security clearance is required for this position.
This position is part of our Federal Solutions team.
The Federal Solutions segment delivers resources to our US government customers that ensure the success of missions around the globe. Our intelligent employees drive the state of the art as they provide services and solutions in the areas of defense, security, intelligence, infrastructure, and environmental. We promote a culture of excellence and close-knit teams that take pride in delivering, protecting, and sustaining our nation's most critical assets, from Earth to cyberspace. Throughout the company, our people are anticipating what's next to deliver the solutions our customers need now.
Salary Range: $176,900.00 - $332,400.00
We value our employees and want our employees to take care of their overall wellbeing, which is why we offer best-in-class benefits such as medical, dental, vision, paid time off, Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), 401(k), life insurance, flexible work schedules, and holidays to fit your busy lifestyle!
Parsons is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other protected status.
We truly invest and care about our employee's wellbeing and provide endless growth opportunities as the sky is the limit, so aim for the stars! Imagine next and join the Parsons quest-APPLY TODAY!
Parsons is aware of fraudulent recruitment practices. To learn more about recruitment fraud and how to report it, please refer to https://www.parsons.com/fraudulent-recruitment/.

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