Lead Ground Engineer

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 Defense Systems Group (DSG) provides analysis-based decision support to senior leaders on space architectures, policy and strategy, developmental planning, system of systems engineering, and threat reduction to help shape future space missions across the national security space enterprise. DSG is unique at Aerospace as it not only directly supports major customers, including United States Space Force, United States Space Command, Air Force Materiel Command, and senior leadership at the Pentagon, but also provides a broad range of services and support across the national space enterprise, maintaining vertical responsibilities with customers but also horizontal, matrixed responsibilities across the corporation.

Aerospace support for the SDA resides within the Agile Acquisition Division of the Defense Architectures and Integration office of the Defense Systems Group, which provides decision support at the enterprise level to senior Aerospace customers across the DoD, as well as helping to connect and align customers and Aerospace across the space enterprise. This position supports SDA’s Ground team at its Operations Center-North (OC-North) facility at Grand Forks, ND, for which the selected candidate will provide expertise in ground systems development, space-to-ground and ground-to-space networks, systems engineering, performance evaluation, acquisition oversight, and ground operations planning across the SDA constellations and spacecraft vendors to ensure successful operations of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).

Work Model

This is a full-time position based at the Grand Forks AFB in Grand Forks, North Dakota, which requires 100% onsite work. 

What You'll Be Doing

• The selected candidate will support the SDA Tranche-1 (T1) Ground Operations and Integration (O&I) Program Manager (PM) on-site at SDA’s OC-North, located at Grand Forks Air Force Base in Grand Forks, ND, to bring the T1 satellite network into operation. The PM is responsible for managing the acquisition of the overall Ground system to support the T1 operations network and directing the efforts of the primary Ground contractor. The PM leads a team of Government, FFRDC, SETA, and UARC personnel. The primary contractor has responsibility for procuring ground antennas, developing the operations centers, designing the ground and space network command and control software, and planning and executing subsystem and end-to-end systems testing.

• Help to ensure successful development of the T1 Ground system and its introduction into operations by assisting the SDA Ground PM with overall acquisition of the OC-North system and management of the primary contractor, including participation in subsystem and end-to-end systems testing. Provide day-to-day Ground systems engineering support at OC-North for T1 orbital operations. Interface with Operations Center-South (OC-South) counterparts as part of mission planning operations. Assist with the test planning, test execution, evaluation, and implementation of new Ground systems at OC-North, to include integration of new satellites into the T1 constellation.

• Provide Ground systems engineering expertise to guide contract execution and performance assessments, to include participation in design reviews, technical baseline management, operations planning, and follow-on Ground systems requirements definition. Review technical documentation (e.g. CONOPS, ICD’s, test plans, etc.), and lead Aerospace Independent Review Teams (IRTs). This role will also lead various ETG reachback teams for ad hoc technical activities and anomaly support.

• Employ strategic planning principles across the T1 Ground functions to enable the results of ground segment development activities to support the planned launch dates and completion of satellite early on-orbit checkouts, leading to full mission operations of the T1 constellation.

• This job includes daily interaction with SDA senior leaders, FFRDCs, SETAs, and UARC personnel across all the SDA program Cells (Divi