Senior Project Lead, Space-Ground Systems Engineering

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 National Systems Group serves as the technical advisor to the Intelligence Community and its mission partners involved in the collection and distribution of national and tactical intelligence, including electronics programs, advanced technologies, ground and communications, imagery programs, and systems engineering and launch.
 

Imagery Programs Division’s (IPD) Reconnaissance Systems (RS) Office is looking for a Senior Project Leader with expertise in Space Systems Engineering, Space-Ground, Space-Space interface and communications, Enterprise test, and Threat knowledge and experience to support a next-generation major system acquisitions across multiple phases of the Systems Engineering process. This role will organize and lead Aerospace domain expert support of requirements development, interface development, assembly, integration, test, and sell-off, guide teams to address and resolve risks and issues in testing, and coordinate with counterparts across Enterprise interfaces to ensure mission success.
 

Work Model

This position requires 100% in-person work in Chantilly, VA

What You’ll Be Doing

• Coordinate Aerospace technical support for the vehicle unique portions of an integrated ground control and processing system.
• Support Space-Ground interface development, test, requirement verification and Enterprise sell-off
• Provide technical leadership to Aerospace domain expert engagement in Enterprise sell-off activities
• Collaborate with Aerospace counterparts external to the program office across the Enterprise
• Coordinate Aerospace team support of threat-related customer activities
• Lead non-conformance, anomaly, and major technical issue response teams during Space-Ground and Enterprise-related customer activities
• Coordinate space-ground support for milestone reviews
• Provide on-site Aerospace presence and communicating with the customer, SETA, and contractors
• Collaborate with SETA and government customer counterparts to meet mission needs

What You Need to be Successful

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in System Engineering or a related technical field
• Twelve or more years of responsible professional engineering experience, including multi-disciplinary systems engineering and/or program management environments
• Experience with development, test, and implementation of Space-ground systems
• Prior engineering leadership or project management experience
• Willing to support frequent travel (typically 1-2 weeks per month)
• This position requires a current and active TS/SSBI/SCI security clearance and polygraph, which is issued by the U.S. government. U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.

How You Can Stand Out

It would be impressive if you have one or more of these:

• Advanced degree in System Engineering or related technical field
• Experience working Space-Ground development and across the Enterprise for National Security Space customers
• Technical knowledge of the current threat environment
• Understanding of and experience working with a matrixed engineering organization.
• Ability to function optimally, efficiently, and collaboratively with limited supervision
• Strong customer focused demeanor with outstanding skills in coordinating exchanges between technical staff and the customer.

Leadership Competencies

Our leadership philosophy is simple: every employee, regardless of level and role, can demonstrate leadership. At Aerospace, our commitment is our people. To cultivate our talent and ensure that we have a strong pipeline of future leaders, we want individuals who:

• Operate Strategically
• Lead Change   
• Engage with Impact   
• Foster Innovation   
• Deliver Results  

Ways We Reward Our Employees

During your interview process, our team will provide details of our industry-leading benefits.

Benefits vary and are applicable based on Job Typ