Staff Systems Engineer

(Cleared) Staff Systems Engineer

About Us:

BlackSky is a real-time intelligence company. We own and operate the world's most advanced space-based intelligence platform and provide customers satellite imagery, automated analytics and high-frequency monitoring of strategic locations, economic assets and events from around the globe. BlackSky is trusted by the most demanding allied military and intelligence organizations and commercial companies to deliver foresight into critical matters that affect national security and the economy. BlackSky's data enables governments and businesses to see, understand and anticipate change as it happens, giving them the ultimate strategic advantage so they can act quickly. Our global team works with cutting-edge technology to make a difference around the world and prides itself on being people-first, customer-focused and fun.

We are seeking an experienced, cleared Staff Systems Engineer to provide systems engineering support for BlackSky's government programs and commercial products. You will work with a team providing a comprehensive range of system engineering activities supporting the dynamic needs of the various programs and projects in support of our customer’s mission This position reports within the office of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and reports to the Senior Director of System Solutions. The candidate must be a proven self-starter, highly organized, and have an ability to balance competing priorities in resource constrained environments. As this is a classified role and program, it has in-person/in-SCIF requirements and thus needs to be located at our Herndon office.

Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, maintain, and support technical infrastructure that includes network, hardware, database, and/or system software components.
• Act as liaison between technical and non-technical departments, facilitating cross-team collaboration and understanding.
• Conduct system analysis and performance tuning to ensure optimal performance and reliability.
• Develop and implement system security measures to protect sensitive information.
• Proactively address gaps with existing support processes, documentation, etc., and prioritize accordingly.
• Collaborate with business managers and technical groups to address important customer issues and find innovative solutions to difficult problems.
• Enable mission-driven solutions using an agile implementation approach to integrate Multi-INT platform services and capabilities.
• Advise program leaders and managers regarding potential technology insertion to improve performance, effectiveness, and efficiency of program and identify potential long-term issues.
• Evaluate recommendations relating to architectural direction.
• Capture users’ needs by performing requirements elicitation directly with stakeholders, drafting CONOPS and documenting requirements.
• Participate in major program milestones and use expertise to identify issues and ensure sufficient requirements understanding and programmatic considerations are included.
• Participate in and facilitate large group TEMs with disparate members to reach requirement consensus to capture strategic capabilities for customers, both internal and external.
• Knowledge of NGA/NRO systems and workflows.
• As a classified role, this position will have in-person/SCIF requirements on a regular basis.
• Other job-related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Systems Engineering, or related field.
• A minimum of eight years of relevant experience with three years of experience in the remote sensing industry.
• Strong knowledge of space system architectures and design of satellite and ground systems.
• Demonstrated experience fielding and supporting Geospatial systems across the system lifecycle.
• Demonstrated understanding of interfaces, system specifications and capability requirements.
• Previous experience with DOD or IC customers and processes.
• Previous systems engineering experience defining and documenting system Concepts of Operations, functional requirements, and performance requirements.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively in cross-functional teams.
• Must have an active TS/SCI clearance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in computer science, Systems Engineering, or related field.
• Experience with geographic information systems (GIS) applications to create, edit, and analyze geospatial data.
• Familiarity with Cloud-based computing architectures and file-based data formats/standards.
• Familiarity with Space Architect