Deputy Lead Engineer - Satellite Ground Systems

The Aerospace Corporation; El Segundo (CA); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 241,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care

Telework options

401(k) plan

Relocation assistance

Education assistance

Flexible spending accounts

Variable pay program

Paid holidays

Job summary

The Aerospace Corporation is seeking a Senior Project Engineer – Systems Engineering to lead ground system development for satellite programs within a commercial cloud environment. You will coordinate with government, SETA, and contractor teams to drive design reviews, testing, and a smooth transition-to-operations, ensuring requirements across CONOPS and flight operations are met.

Ideal candidates bring 12+ years in systems engineering or program management, space systems experience, and strong

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, mathematics, physical sciences, or related STEM field.
• 12+ years of progressively responsible experience in systems engineering or program management.
• Space systems experience, specifically satellite ground system development and operations.
• Working knowledge of Agile software development practices and events.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in team environments.
• Able to work in a dynamic program office with government, FFRDC, and SETA personnel.
• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills; ability to present to senior audiences.
• Ability to travel.
• Requires TS/SCI with SAP eligibility and U.S. citizenship for clearance.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate with government, SETA, and contractor teams to field a ground system in a commercial cloud.
• Support program reviews, design, development, test, and transition-to-operations efforts.
• Interpret and ensure implementation of requirements spanning ground system design, CONOPS, prototyping and test, initial flight checkout, and operations.
• Provide mission assurance and support ground architecture development and integration in a cloud environment.
• Participate in Agile events to ensure baselines and requirements are reflected in the backlog.
• Identify risk areas and recommend mitigation strategies to meet mission objectives.
• Act as technical lead in the Lead Engineer’s absence and engage ETG for specialized input.
• Present status updates to Senior Materiel Leaders and interface with government agencies to deliver capability to warfighter.

Skills

12+ years experience

Space systems experience

Agile software practices

Teamwork & comms

Travel ability

TS/SCI clearance w/ SAP

U.S. citizenship

Senior audiences presentations

Gov/FFRDC/SETA environment

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering/related STEM

Job description

What You’ll Be Doing

• Coordinate with government, SETA, and contractor teams to field a critical ground system in a commercial cloud
• Support program reviews, design, development, test, and transition-to-operations efforts
• Interpret and ensure implementation of requirements spanning ground system design, mission concept of operations (CONOPS), prototyping and test, initial flight checkout, flight operations, and operational transition support
• Provide mission assurance and support ground architecture development and integration in a commercial cloud environment
• Participate in Agile development events, including sprint planning, backlog refinement, program increment planning, and demonstrations, to ensure technical baselines and requirements are correctly reflected in the development backlog
• Identify risk areas and recommend mitigation strategies to meet mission objectives
• Work closely with the Program Manager (O-5) and serve as the technical lead in the Lead Engineer's absence
• Engage and oversee members of the Aerospace Engineering Technology Group (ETG) to apply specialized expertise to problems beyond the local program office's capacity
• Present status updates routinely to Senior Materiel Leaders (O-6)
• Interface with multiple government agencies to deliver capability to the warfighter

What You Need to Be Successful

Minimum Requirements for Senior Project Engineer – Systems Engineering:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, mathematics, physical sciences, or a related STEM field
• 12 or more years of progressively responsible experience in systems engineering or program management
• Space systems experience, specifically in satellite ground system development and operations
• Working knowledge of Agile software development practices and events
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in team environments
• Demonstrated ability to work in a highly dynamic program office environment with a mix of government, FFRDC, and SETA personnel
• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills, including experience presenting and writing technical information for senior audiences
• The ability to travel is required
• This position requires a current TS/SCI security clearance with SAP eligibility, 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 a technical discipline (engineering, science, or mathematics)
• Extensive satellite operations experience, including satellite ground system development and/or testing
• Systems engineering experience with rapid-acquisition or rapid-prototyping operational systems
• Experience as a chief engineer or deputy chief engineer of a space program
• Hands-on experience with commercial cloud platforms (AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud), including cloud architecture, containerization, infrastructure-as-code, and DevSecOps practices
• Experience supporting Agile software development programs (Scrum, SAFe, or similar), including familiarity with Agile metrics, tooling (e.g., Jira, Confluence, GitLab), and government oversight of Agile contracts
• Experience with cyber requirements, Authority to Operate (ATO) processes, and continuous ATO in cloud environments
• Proven experience working with vendors to deliver large-scale, multi-component systems
• A strong personal technical reputation and a record of technical achievement
• Program office and management experience
• Working knowledge of expertise across The Aerospace Corporation, especially subject matter experts and laboratory operations, with the ability to apply those resources to customer needs

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 - Max) $160,300.00 - $240,500.00 Pay Basis: Annual

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

Benefits vary and are applicable based on Job Type. A few highlights include:

• Comprehensive health care and wellness plans
• Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation
• Standard and alternate work schedules, including telework options
• 401(k) Plan — Employees receive a total company-paid benefit of 8%, 10%, or 12% of eligible compensation based on years of service and matching contributions; employees are immediately eligible and vested in the plan upon hire
• Flexible spending accounts
• Variable pay program for exceptional contributions
• Relocation assistance
• Professional growth and development programs to help advance your career
• Education assistance programs

Equal Opportunity Commitment

The Aerospace Corporation is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, color, religion, genetic information, marital status, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, physical disability, medical condition, mental disability, or disability status and any other characteristic protected by state or federal law.

If you’re an individual with a disability or a disabled veteran who needs assistance using our online job search and application tools or need reasonable accommodation to complete the job application process, please contact us by phone at 310.336.5432 or by email at [e-mail] . You can also review Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal.

Right Place

The Aerospace Corporation has over 26 locations nationwide, which allows us to build a workforce that will nurture the best ideas, and generate the most novel innovations and solutions to our nation’s toughest space enterprise challenges.

Right Path

Aerospace covers all stages of the space lifecycle, from concept to operations. We believe our people are our most valuable resource and that’s why we propel our employees forward in their careers through ongoing education, training, and professional development.

Right Purpose

We can all serve a mission much greater than ourselves, and at Aerospace that is exactly what we do. By hiring the industry’s most preeminent scientists and engineers, Aerospace advances emerging technologies that protect some of the most critical missions on Earth and above it.

Return to the Aerospace Careers site.

Aerospace employees working in organizations with technical responsibilities are required to obtain a Security Clearance. U.S. citizenship is required for those positions.