Earth-Orbit Flight Dynamics Section Manager

The Aerospace Corporation; El Segundo (CA); Hybrid; USD 148,000 - 221,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care

Holidays & vacation

401k matching

Relocation assistance

Education assistance

Telework options

Job summary

The Aerospace Corporation is seeking a Section Manager for the Earth-Orbit Flight Dynamics Department to lead a diverse team of analysts across mission areas.

This role requires strong leadership, strategic thinking, and collaboration with national and government customers to advance spaceflight capabilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in STEM fields required.
• 8+ years of applicable professional or educational experience.
• Demonstrated ability to initiate and lead team efforts and manage projects.
• Experience deploying Aerospace analytical frameworks to users.
• Willingness to travel domestically.
• Current TS/SCI Access.

Responsibilities

• Leadership & Team Management: lead geographically distributed analysts and direct reports.
• Customer Engagement & Business Development: build relationships with program offices and customers.
• Strategic Coordination & Execution: align across sections and manage cross-functional projects.
• Capability Development & Training: advance modeling and simulation capabilities.
• Organizational Enablement: support hiring, onboarding, and staff development.

Skills

Leadership

Team management

Customer engagement

Strategic coordination

Capability development

TS/SCI clearance

Education

B.S. in STEM

Job description

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.

The Enterprise Effects Division (EED) drives integration of Aerospace’s strategic capabilities across the national space enterprise. The divisionleveragesa broad array of engineering disciplines against a dynamic portfolio of programs, customers, and national challenges. EED spans the capability lifecycle from concept and architecture design to performance assessment to application of space and space-enabled capabilities.

As a corecomponentof EED, the Earth-Orbit Flight Dynamics Department provides flight mechanicsexpertisefor launch and space vehicles. This includesexpertisein orbital mechanics, astrodynamics, trajectory design and optimization, and atmospheric flight modeling and simulation. The department is a critical integration partner for a wide range of engineering disciplines tofacilitatethe company’s mission ofprovidingmulti-disciplinary insights. We are looking for a Section Manager to help lead theContested Operations Section.

As aSection Manager, the selected candidate willlead a group of analysts across a variety of mission areas.Core focus areas include contestedmissions/resiliency tactics development andassessment, Rendezvousand Proximity Operations (RPO) maneuver analysis,andDynamic Space Operations (DSO). Furthermore, opportunities exist to partner on efforts with technically adjacent departments to strengthenthe entire organization.

The selected candidate will help lead department efforts in these areas, providing critical customer interfaces tothe operational community,includingUSSF/SpOC, STARCOM, OTTI, SPACECOMand NROcomponents. TheSection Managerwill be expected towork with EOFFD leadership tofuse these customer needs with important equities across the corporate customer landscape, notably SSC,SpRCO, AFRL, NASA, FAA, and NOAA.

Work Model

This position will be a hybrid work model based in Colorado Springs, CO, Chantilly, VAor El Segundo, CA, with the expectation that the selected candidate works at least 4 days per week onsite, as the business needs allow.

WhatYou’llBe Doing

• Leadership & Team Management Lead geographically distributed teams of analysts and direct reports in developing analysis capabilities, supporting operational communities, and implementing resiliency tactics, techniques, and procedures through workload management, performance assessment, mentoring, and staff development

• Customer Engagement & Business Development Develop relationships with Aerospace Program Offices and US Government customers toidentifyopportunities, deliver tactical solutions to operational challenges, and prioritize business development, capability awareness, and long-term customer engagement

• Strategic Coordination & Execution Partner with department management to synthesize and execute organizational strategic vision across multiple sections, coordinating cross-functional teams and subdivision partnerships to ensure bench depth and career growth opportunities

• Capability Development & Training Enhance warfighter training across the space enterprise and cultivatestate-of-the-artmodeling and simulation capabilities through strategic roadmapping and resource integration

• Organizational Enablement Drive staff retention, recruiting, hiring, and onboarding while pursuing organizational enablers including classified IT resources and clearance portfolios to ensure long-term organizational health

What You Need to be Successful

• Bachelor’s degree in applicable STEM areas

• 8years of applicable professional or educational experience isrequired

• Demonstrated ability toinitiateand lead team efforts, manage projects, and develop staff for new collaborations with internal and external organizations

• Experience with taking Aerospace analytical frameworks and deploying operational prototypes to the user community

• Willingness to travel domestically as necessary

• Current TS/SCIAccess

How You Can Stand Out

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

• Advanced degree in an applicable field

• Previousmanagement experience including staff recruitment and development, performance management, conflict resolution, organizational planning, and resource management

• Operations-focused experience, e.g., maneuver planning for real-world missions

• Experience supporting military exercises and wargaming events

• Leveraging or building analysis software to combine numerical methods, flight mechanics, and optimization for launch vehicles, missiles, interceptors, spacecraft, or reentry vehicles

• Experience applying optimization techniques such as nonlinear programming, indirect/direct methods, genetic algorithms, as well as others

• Current TS/SCI and TS/SAP Access

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)

$147,600.00 - $221,400.00

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 We Reward Our Employees

During your interview process, our team will provide details of our industry-leading benefits.

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

• An inclusive work environment built on teamwork, flexibility, and respect

We are all unique, from various backgrounds and all walks of life, yet one thing bonds all of us to each other—the belief that we can make a difference. This core belief empowers us to do our best work at The Aerospace Corporation.

Equal Opportunity Commitment

The Aerospace Corporation is an equalopportunity 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,geneticinformation, 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 emailat [e-mail] .You can also review Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal.