JobsMotorola Solutions

Principal Systems Engineer

Motorola Solutions · Schaumburg, IL

Posted Mar 22, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

Behavioral

Walk me through a custom wireless communications product you owned from requirements through delivery. What was your role at each phase and where did it get hard?

whether the candidate has genuinely carried a product across the full lifecycle rather than only touching one phase

Tell me about a time you had to reprioritize across multiple active projects because something changed. How did you decide what slipped?

real experience juggling competing project ownership, not hypothetical time management

Describe a disagreement between hardware and software teams you had to resolve as the technical lead. What did you do?

cross-functional influence without formal authority over those teams

Tell me about a time you had to explain a technical delay or risk directly to a customer. How did that conversation go?

comfort and skill communicating hard technical truths to external stakeholders

Tell me about a time you contributed to a proposal or business development effort. What was your part in it?

whether the candidate has experience beyond pure engineering, since this role touches BD and proposals

Technical

How do you approach writing requirements and a test plan for a system that spans software, RF, FPGA, and mechanical hardware?

depth of hands-on systems engineering practice across disciplines, not just familiarity with the terms

What embedded operating systems have you worked with, Android, Linux, RTOS, and how did the choice affect your system design decisions?

actual depth in embedded platforms versus surface-level exposure

How do you translate a vague customer use case into concrete, testable product requirements?

skill at requirements elicitation directly with customers, a core part of this job

What's your experience with RF or digital hardware design tradeoffs, and can you give an example where you had to weigh RF performance against another constraint like size or power?

real preferred-skill depth in RF and hardware since the role touches wireless comms products directly

How have you used tools like Jira, Confluence, or GitHub to manage requirements and configuration across a multi-discipline project?

practical fluency with configuration management, not just name recognition

Situational

Say you're six months into an 18-month program and the customer changes a core use case. How do you handle the architecture and schedule impact?

ability to absorb requirement churn without losing technical control or team confidence

A junior engineer on your team is stuck on a technical problem and it's threatening the schedule. What do you do?

mentoring instinct and whether they proactively catch technical hurdles early

This work requires U.S. citizenship and eligibility for a security clearance tied to government contracts. Can you speak to your status there and any experience working under clearance or contract restrictions?

basic eligibility and comfort operating under classified or restricted program constraints

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The full job description

As published by Motorola Solutions.

Company Overview At Motorola Solutions, we believe that everything starts with our people. We’re a global close-knit community, united by the relentless pursuit to help keep people safer everywhere. We build and connect technologies to help protect people, property and places. Our solutions foster the collaboration that’s critical for safer communities, safer schools, safer hospitals, safer businesses, and ultimately, safer nations. Connect with a career that matters, and help us build a safer future. Department Overview Our Applied Technology organization puts some of Motorola Solutions' brightest minds on unique, highly challenging projects. Based on decades of experience with our customers, we apply leading-edge technologies to support security and safety throughout the world. We engineer our products from start to finish and manufacture them in-house. We're known for low volume and high capability with focused specialization in areas including software-defined radios, advanced antenna solutions, artificial intelligence and machine learning, cybersecurity, signals intelligence and more. We can't tell you much more about what we do, but we can tell you it's amazing. Job Description Applied Technology seeks a technically proficient and versatile individual to fulfill a Systems Engineering / Technical Lead role.  This flexible, results-oriented problem-solver will be responsible for the following for multiple custom wireless communications products: System Engineering • Drive product and feature requirements, architecture, design, and test strategy with customers, management, and individual engineering teams. • Author requirements, system design, and test plan documentation, and manage their realization • Product ownership and technical authority through the entire product lifecycle (typically 6 to 18 months per project)  • Ownership of multiple projects and ability to efficiently reprioritize when priorities change • Development of technology and product roadmaps • Serve as a technical catalyst and mentor for the project team, fostering a culture of engineering excellence and proactively identifying technical hurdles to maintain development momentum.. • Build trust and buy-in across all functional teams: Software, Electrical Hardware, Mechanical Hardware, FPGA, Test Engineering Customer Technical Interface • Regularly work directly with customers to develop use cases and product requirements • Communicate technical status verbally, written, and in customer meetings • Occasional travel to customer meetings may be required. • Contribute to Business Development and Proposal efforts Required skills: • Bachelor’s (BS) or Master’s (MS) engineering degree, preferably in Computer Engineering, Software Engineering or Electrical Engineering. • Experience in embedded software and/or electrical architecture and development. • Experience in requirements and test management • Excellent verbal / written communications skills. • Excellent multitasking and prioritization • Strong interpersonal skills. • 8+ years design experience, with at least 2 years in a technical leadership role • Must be a U.S. citizen with the ability to obtain necessary security clearance as required by government contracts Additional preferred skills: • Experience with development of wireless communications technology • Experience with RF, Digital Hardware, FPGA, and Mechanical design • Embedded OS systems (Android, Linux, RTOS, etc.) • Configuration Management tools (GitHub, Jira, Confluence) #LI-JM2 #LI-ONSITE #AppliedTech Target Base Salary Range: $130,100  - $170,125  USD Consistent with Motorola Solutions values and applicable law, we provide the following information to promote pay transparency and equity. Pay within this range varies and depends on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The actual offer will be based on the individual candidate. Basic Requirements • Bachelor’s (BS) or Master’s (MS) engineering degree, preferably in Computer Engineering, Software Engineering or Electrical Engineering • Experience in software and/or electrical architecture and design • Excellent verbal / written communications skills. • Strong interpersonal skills • Must be a U.S. citizen with the ability to obtain necessary security clearance as required by government contracts Travel Requirements None Relocation Provided None Position Type Experienced Referral Payment Plan Yes Our U.S. Benefits include: • Incentive Bonus Plans • Medical, Dental, Vision benefits • 401K with Company Match • 10 Paid Holidays • Generous Paid Time Off Packages • Employee Stock Purchase Plan • Paid Parental & Family Leave • and more! EEO Statement Motorola Solutions is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other legally-protected characteristic.  We are proud of our people-first and community-focused culture, empowering every Motorolan to be their most authentic self and to do their best work to deliver on the promise of a safer world. If you’d like to join our team but feel that you don’t quite meet all of the preferred skills, we’d still love to hear why you think you’d be a great addition to our team. We’re committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruiting experience for candidates with disabilities, or other physical or mental health conditions. To request an accommodation, please complete this  Reasonable Accommodations Form  so we can assist you.

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