System Concepts Optimization Engineering Manager

The Aerospace Corporation is the trusted partner to the nation’s space programs, solving the hardest problems and providing unmatched technical expertise. As the operator of a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), we are broadly engaged across all aspects of space— delivering innovative solutions that span satellite, launch, ground, and cyber systems for defense, civil and commercial customers. When you join our team, you’ll be part of a special collection of problem solvers, thought leaders, and innovators. Join us and take your place in space.

At Aerospace, we are committed to providing an inclusive and diverse workplace for all employees to share in our common passion and aspiration – to carry out a mission much bigger than ourselves.

The Enterprise Effects Division (EED) drives integration of Aerospace’s strategic capabilities across the national space enterprise. The division leverages a broad array of engineering disciplines against a diverse and dynamic portfolio of programs, customers, and national challenges. EED spans the capability lifecycle from concept and architecture design to performance assessment to application of space and space-enabled capabilities. 

Are you excited to lead a team applying innovative optimization techniques to spacecraft and orbit design to solve problems of national importance? If so, we would love to have you as the next System Concepts Optimization Engineering Manager within the Space Enterprise Design and Optimization Department (SEDOD) in EED’s Enterprise Design Subdivision (EDS). We bring to bear expertise in a wide variety of fields to tackle tough problems and explore novel ideas, directly impacting the future of the space enterprise. We primarily focus on the modeling, analysis, and optimization of orbits, architectures, satellite access, and space system performance. We are searching for someone to lead a team of engineers, mathematicians, and scientists and grow our department of highly skilled technical specialists. Join us today and become a part of a culture that promotes innovation, growth, and technical excellence! 

As part of SEDOD and EDS, the System Concepts Optimization Engineering Manager will provide managerial leadership and supervision to a team of approximately ten members. They will coordinate support for customers and lead teams performing optimization and constellation design for space and ground concepts, astrodynamics analyses for the Concurrent Design Center (CDC), and general trade space exploration activities. Additionally, they will contribute to technical analyses and help to guide department expansion in these areas. They will also mentor early- and mid-career staff, cultivating growth in technical expertise, project leadership, customer engagement, and communications.  

Work Model: 100% onsite in El Segundo, CA or Chantilly, VA with occasional telecommuting opportunities based on the needs and priorities of the organization.   

What You’ll Be Doing  

• Building and leading teams of multi-discipline analysts, coordinating complex technical tasks among team members, translating customer needs into instructions for analysts and developers, and reviewing work products for quality and accuracy  

• Applying concurrent engineering methods to support the design of space missions at the intersection of constellation design, orbital mechanics, ground systems, and payload development, aiding multidisciplinary teams assessing the technical feasibility of future space missions and new spacecraft concepts  

• Building and maintaining a strong base of customers and collaborators for the section through effective working relationships with c