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Senior Project System Engineer
National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)United Statesfull_timeVerifiedPosted 30 Apr 2026
💰 $197,200/yr($148,275/yr – $197,200/yr)
About the role
WE ARE THE NRO
For sixty years, the NRO has developed, acquired, launched and operated the satellites that are the foundation for America’s advantage and strength in space. Using a diversified architecture of spacecraft, NRO collects and delivers the best space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance content on the planet.
Learn more at NRO.gov.
Basic Eligibility For A Position With The NRO
Where You Will Work
This is a senior project systems engineering leadership position in the Signals Intelligence Systems Acquisition Directorate (SIGINT) Space Systems Program Office (SSPO) Systems Engineering and Integration (SE&I) Division. This position leads and manages the work of a large government and contractor team conducting space systems engineering and integration activities to include, but not limited to, major design reviews, requirement management and verification, risk identification and mitigation, technical analysis supporting design trades, segment-level Concept of Operations development, advanced studies, pre-acquisition and acquisition activities, system activation and calibration, ground segment integration and interface management with external segments. Guides technical aspects of contract actions, proposal evaluation, specification changes, technical tradeoffs, corrective actions, workarounds, and the evaluation of contractors' performance. Collaborates with industry and external government team members to resolve space segment system engineering issues.
The NRO Cadre is collecting resumes for consideration against current and future opportunities for senior level (GGS-14), non-supervisory Technical, occupational series 0801. For more information on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) occupational series, click here.
Your resume may be considered for other positions which your skills and experience may be a good match.
This is a full-time position that is open from May 1, 2026 to May 31, 2026. Resumes must be submitted by 11:59 PM EST on May 31, 2026.
Who May Apply
What You Will Be Doing
What You Need
For sixty years, the NRO has developed, acquired, launched and operated the satellites that are the foundation for America’s advantage and strength in space. Using a diversified architecture of spacecraft, NRO collects and delivers the best space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance content on the planet.
Learn more at NRO.gov.
Basic Eligibility For A Position With The NRO
- You must be a U.S. Citizen
- You must be able to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI security clearance
- You will be subject to pre-employment and periodic drug testing
- You will be subject to pre-employment and periodic polygraph examinations
Where You Will Work
This is a senior project systems engineering leadership position in the Signals Intelligence Systems Acquisition Directorate (SIGINT) Space Systems Program Office (SSPO) Systems Engineering and Integration (SE&I) Division. This position leads and manages the work of a large government and contractor team conducting space systems engineering and integration activities to include, but not limited to, major design reviews, requirement management and verification, risk identification and mitigation, technical analysis supporting design trades, segment-level Concept of Operations development, advanced studies, pre-acquisition and acquisition activities, system activation and calibration, ground segment integration and interface management with external segments. Guides technical aspects of contract actions, proposal evaluation, specification changes, technical tradeoffs, corrective actions, workarounds, and the evaluation of contractors' performance. Collaborates with industry and external government team members to resolve space segment system engineering issues.
The NRO Cadre is collecting resumes for consideration against current and future opportunities for senior level (GGS-14), non-supervisory Technical, occupational series 0801. For more information on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) occupational series, click here.
Your resume may be considered for other positions which your skills and experience may be a good match.
This is a full-time position that is open from May 1, 2026 to May 31, 2026. Resumes must be submitted by 11:59 PM EST on May 31, 2026.
Who May Apply
- This position is open to the public.
- Federal government employees MUST currently be at the grade level or higher as indicated in this announcement. This is NOT a promotion opportunity for current Federal government employees. If selected for the position, Federal government employees will transition laterally at their current grade level and step.
- Federal applicants who exceed the advertised grade may voluntarily request acceptance at the lower grade per IAW DoWI 1400.25 Volume 2006.
- The NRO is only accepting external applicants for this job announcement. Current NRO Cadre employees should apply internally.
- This position may not qualify for the appointment of a reemployed federal annuitant IAW DoWI 1400.25 Volume 300.
What You Will Be Doing
- Participate in and/or leads a variety of technical work groups.
- Responsible to brief senior staff on a regular basis on program achievements and issue resolution.
- Supports lifecycle readiness, risk management, and configuration management processes for all SPO programs. Assesses program readiness ahead of milestone events and recommends approval/disapproval to decision authorities.
- Coordinates test planning/support for segment and Enterprise-level tests. Oversees segment-level test execution and verification process.
- Lead evaluation of change requests and waivers from the prime development contractor.
- Manages requirements and verification baselines.
- Lead evaluation of configuration items, requirements, databases, interfaces, verification methodology, and verification of specification and associated interface requirements.
- Advise on issues and risks to balance lifecycle cost, schedule, and technical performance.
What You Need
- Bachelor of Science technical degree (engineering, mathematics,
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