Software Architecture and Engineering Department Director

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.

Information Systems and Cyber Division (ISCD) staff couple the latest in information system technologies, such as elastic compute clouds, containerization, microservices, real-time operating systems, and visualization frameworks, with expertise in cyber security, software architecture, software engineering, process improvement, and software development to deliver responsive, resilient, high-performance software intensive systems to our IC, DoD, and civilian customers.  This is a technical leadership position that plays essential role in influencing the state of software architecture and software engineering practice. 

This position will be a 100% onsite work model and required in Chantilly, VA or El Segundo, CA.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Partnering with the Software Engineering subdivision (SES) management team to provide engineering resources and expertise to SES customers
• Providing senior technical guidance to the Software Architecture and Engineering Department
• Advising SES staff and customer regarding acquisition strategies and program decisions considering software architecture and software engineering risks 
• Collaborating with Aerospace program systems directors and SES management to provide technical support to programs to advance both program and Aerospace corporate goals
• Collaborating with SES and department staff to identify, develop, apply, and amplify software architecture and software engineering methods considering customer needs
• Hiring, managing performance, and mentoring of Aerospace technical staff

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

What You Need to be Successful

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or other technical field of study
• Strong technical leadership skills, with and demonstrated experience managing geographically distributed teams
• 12 or more years of experience in software development and 4 or more years of experience in leadership capacity
• A strong technical background and a clearly demonstrated expertise in software architecture and software engineering.
• A demonstrated track record of technical leadership and delivering results
• Excellent oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to tactfully advise decision makers
• A commitment to delivering on organizational goals
• Active Top Secret/SCI security clearance

How You Can Stand Out

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

• Experience developing software intensive systems and software architecture reasoning on programs where DevSecOps has been adopted
• Firsthand experience with implementing process improvement change, including the migration from waterfall approaches to DevSecOps 
• Software Architecture expertise, with an emphasis on architecture reasoning in the use of open source, cloud native applications and services, embedded flight systems, and the migration of legacy systems and emerging technologies and software engineering practice
• Experience and expertise managing geographically dispersed workforce

We offer a competitive compensation package where you’ll be rewarded based on your performance and recognized for the value you bring to our business.  The grade-based pay range for this job is listed below.  Individual salaries within that range are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge and skills. 

(Min - Mid - Max)

$123,000 - $174,000 - $225,000

Pay Basis: Annual

Leadership Compete