Guidance, Navigation and Control Systems Casual Project Manager

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.

Building on The Aerospace Corporation's reputation as a trusted, impartial advisor with integrity and dedication to mission success, the Civil Systems Group (CSG) combines deep technical expertise with market-leading innovation to help our customers solve complex systems engineering and integration challenges. CSG is organized by core customer-facing lines of business to manage and grow programs within NASA, NOAA, and the NNSA, while extending our capabilities to other civilian federal government agencies fully integrated within Aerospace rules, regulations, processes, values and behaviors. 

Our team provides expert technical assistance for architecture design, spacecraft design, ground operations, mission integration, and advanced development and field testing.  You will collaborate with our NASA customer and industry contractors and vendors to ensure the success of high-priority space missions with challenging spacecraft design requirements.  Your work will potentially involve system development, manufacture, testing, and operations for multiple programs.  You must be willing to learn a broad range of new technologies and systems, and confidently advise customers in making critical decisions.   

This position is a casual position and will be located at Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. This position is hybrid requiring roughly 2 days onsite.  This position may require 2 – 4 trips per year.  

THIS IS A PART TIME/ CASUAL POSITION 

What You’ll Be Doing  

Supporting the development of advanced spacecraft systems for national space missions, using new technologies to allow more responsive operations. 

• Resolve unique or novel problems, conditions, and issues. 

• Develop program requirements, risks, and hazards and evaluate inspection, analysis, and test products to support verification or risk/hazard reduction. 

• Review contractor products and NASA defined requirements to verify requirement compliance and general system efficiency and effectivity. 

• Maintain awareness of NASA activities by being an active participant in technical, safety, and integration working groups and meetings. 

• Plan, coordinate, manage, evaluate, and report upon analyses, studies, and tests of components and systems. 

• Develop technical and progress reports covering assigned tasks which are made available to other technical groups and agencies. 

• Participate in support and lead roles in technical interchange meetings, hardware reviews, flight data reviews, Preliminary Design Reviews (PDRs), Critical Design Reviews (CDRs), and other similar activities to assess flight readiness of   systems. 

• Provide real-time support during test, launch, and operations of spacecraft systems.  

• Function as liaison for flight Anomaly Resolution review and In-Flight Investigation review, capable of solving questions with low levels of information. 

• Perform technical evaluation of systems used for spacecraft programs 

• Prepare reports and presentations to communicate results and recommendations to Aerospace program offices and NASA. 

What You Need to be Successful  

Minimum Requirements: 

• Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited program in technical discipline. 

• 12 or more years of professional engineering/scientific experience, including experience in a systems engineering, systems management, and project management. 

• Experience with NASA mission architecture design as well as spacecraft development lifecycle to include requirements, design, development, qualification, acceptance, and operational use of spacecraft systems.  

• Experience in design and development of human exploration lunar and interplanetary surface systems to include landers and habitats.  

• Experience in entry, descent, and landing to include R&D, DDT&E, and operations. 

• Knowledge and understanding of NASA and/or DOD program life cycle.