ECLSS Hardware Development Engineer

Leidos; United States; Hybrid; USD 87,000 - 157,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos seeks an experienced Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) Hardware Development Engineer to advance life support technologies for NASA and commercial human spaceflight missions.

You will help design, develop, test, verify, and certify ECLSS hardware, collaborating with NASA experts and partners to solve complex challenges, conduct risk assessments, and deliver reliable life support systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline with 8+ years of relevant experience, or a Master's degree with 6+ years of relevant experience.
• Experience with spacecraft Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS), including hardware development, integration, testing, operations, or troubleshooting.
• Experience evaluating engineering requirements, system performance, and operational constraints to develop technical solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex engineering challenges and collaborate across multidisciplinary technical teams.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, technical documentation, and communication skills.
• Ability to obtain and maintain the required Public Trust designation.
• Ability to work onsite in Webster, TX, following any approved temporary remote-work transition, and travel as required.

Responsibilities

• Support the design, development, integration, testing, verification, and certification of ECLSS hardware for NASA and commercial human spaceflight programs.
• Evaluate technical requirements, operational needs, system interfaces, and performance constraints to develop practical engineering solutions.
• Apply spacecraft ECLSS expertise to hardware design decisions, engineering trade studies, technical risk assessments, and system performance evaluations.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams, NASA technical experts, and commercial partners to resolve engineering challenges and support successful project execution.
• Support hardware testing, troubleshooting, anomaly investigations, and verification and validation activities.
• Develop and review engineering documentation, including technical requirements, specifications, test procedures, and verification products.
• Participate in technical and design reviews, identifying opportunities to improve system performance, mitigate risks, and leverage common technologies across projects.
• Provide technical expertise for emerging ECLSS opportunities, including customer requirements assessments, RFIs, RFPs, cost estimates, and proposal development.

Skills

Analytical skills

Problem-solving

Technical communication

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering or Mechanical Engineering

Master's degree in a related engineering discipline

Job description

Description

Help Develop the Next Generation of Human Spaceflight Life Support Systems

Leidos is seeking an experienced Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) Hardware Development Engineer to help advance critical life support technologies for NASA and commercial human spaceflight missions.

As NASA and commercial partners expand human operations beyond Earth, reliable, innovative life support systems are essential. Our team is developing a next-generation spacecraft waste management system for NASA while pursuing emerging opportunities to deliver ECLSS technologies and hardware for commercial space stations.

In this role, you will apply your spacecraft systems expertise to solve complex engineering challenges and support the design, development, integration, testing, and certification of human spaceflight hardware. You will collaborate with NASA technical experts, commercial spaceflight partners, and multidisciplinary engineering teams to develop solutions that support current missions and shape the future of human spaceflight.

Location

Webster, TX, near NASA Johnson Space Center. A temporary remote-work arrangement may be considered to support relocation, with periodic travel to Webster as needed. The selected candidate must transition to an onsite work arrangement within six months of hire.

Primary Responsibilities

• Support the design, development, integration, testing, verification, and certification of ECLSS hardware for NASA and commercial human spaceflight programs.
• Evaluate technical requirements, operational needs, system interfaces, and performance constraints to develop practical engineering solutions.
• Apply spacecraft ECLSS expertise to hardware design decisions, engineering trade studies, technical risk assessments, and system performance evaluations.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams, NASA technical experts, and commercial partners to resolve engineering challenges and support successful project execution.
• Support hardware testing, troubleshooting, anomaly investigations, and verification and validation activities.
• Develop and review engineering documentation, including technical requirements, specifications, test procedures, and verification products.
• Participate in technical and design reviews, identifying opportunities to improve system performance, mitigate risks, and leverage common technologies across projects.
• Provide technical expertise for emerging ECLSS opportunities, including customer requirements assessments, requests for information (RFIs), requests for proposals (RFPs), cost estimates, and proposal development.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline with 8+ years of relevant experience, or a Master's degree with 6+ years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated experience with spacecraft Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS), including hardware development, integration, testing, operations, or troubleshooting.
• Experience evaluating engineering requirements, system performance, and operational constraints to develop technical solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex engineering challenges and collaborate across multidisciplinary technical teams.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, technical documentation, and communication skills.
• Ability to obtain and maintain the required Public Trust designation.
• Ability to work onsite in Webster, TX, following any approved temporary remote-work transition, and travel as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience with International Space Station (ISS) ECLSS or other NASA human spaceflight programs.
• Technical expertise in spacecraft waste management, water recovery, regenerative life support, atmospheric revitalization, or related ECLSS technologies.
• Experience developing, testing, verifying, or certifying human-rated spaceflight hardware.
• Knowledge of NASA engineering standards, safety requirements, and hardware certification processes.
• Experience with spacecraft anomaly resolution, failure investigations, or operational risk mitigation.
• Experience developing engineering requirements, operational concepts, trade studies, or test procedures.
• Experience supporting technical proposals, customer requirements assessments, or new business development.
• Master's degree in a relevant engineering discipline.

Security Clearance

Must be able to obtain a Public Trust Clearance; due to contract requirements, U.S. Citizenship or U.S. Permanent residency is required.

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo - because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 - and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Original Posting

November 2, 2026

Pay Range

Pay Range $87,100.00 - $157,450.00

Pay and benefits are general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

About Leidos

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com .

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits .

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.