Exploration Mission Planning Office – Communication and Position, Navigation, and Timing Engineer

The Aerospace Corporation; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player in the aerospace sector seeks a skilled EMPO C&PNT Engineer to lead the design and development of lunar communication and navigation systems. This full-time role in Houston offers a hybrid work model, allowing you to balance onsite collaboration with remote flexibility. As part of a dynamic team, you'll engage with NASA and industry experts to tackle complex challenges in human spaceflight. With a commitment to innovation and excellence, this position provides an opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking projects that shape the future of space exploration.

Benefits

Comprehensive health care and wellness plans

Paid holidays and vacation

401(k) Plan with company contributions

Flexible spending accounts

Relocation assistance

Professional growth and development programs

Education assistance programs

Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional engineering experience in systems engineering.
• Experience in CPNT and GNSS systems.

Responsibilities

• Architect lunar C&PNT systems for surface and orbital operations.
• Conduct trade studies on communications constellations.

Skills

Systems Engineering

Guidance, Navigation, and Control Engineering

Communications Systems

Technical Writing

Team Collaboration

Education

Bachelor of Science in Engineering

Advanced Degree in Science or Related Discipline

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.

Job Summary

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.

This position will support the Exploration Mission Planning Office (EMPO) with Communications, Position, Navigation, and Timing (C&PNT) engineering expertise. EMPO provides agency leadership for the development, analysis, integration, and implementation of human spaceflight architectures, mission plans, and spacecraft/surface system definitions. As the EMPO C&PNT Engineer (Senior Member of Technical Staff/ Project Engineer - Guidance, Navigation, and Control Engineering), you will coordinate and collaborate with the Artemis lunar architecture team to address CPNT matters for surface operations and to enable future lunar PNT architecture and infrastructure engineering capabilities for NASA.

Work Model

This is a full-time position based in Houston, TX at Johnson Space Center, offering a hybrid work model that combines 3-4 regular onsite workdays and remote flexibility as business needs allow.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Architect and develop lunar C&PNT systems for surface and orbital operations
• Define technical requirements and interfaces for lunar PNT infrastructure, including GNSS alternatives and surface relays
• Conduct trade studies on communications constellations, timing synchronization, and cross-domain interoperability
• Perform technology assessments, readiness evaluations, and industry/international reviews
• Collaborate with NASA mission designers, robotics teams, and communications experts across government and industry
• Review contractor deliverables and NASA requirements to ensure compliance and system effectiveness
• Contribute to lunar PNT standards development and documentation
• Participate in technical, safety, and integration working groups
• Plan, manage, and report on analyses, studies, and tests of components and systems
• Develop technical and progress reports to support internal teams and external partners
• Lead and support technical interchange meetings, hardware reviews, and key design milestones
• Prepare clear, actionable reports and presentations for program offices and NASA leadership
• Act as a representative in technical reviews, conferences, and workshops with NASA and international stakeholders

What You Need to be Successful

Minimum Requirements for Senior Member of Technical Staff - Guidance, Navigation, and Control Engineering:

• Bachelor of Science degree or advanced degree in engineering, science, or related discipline
• 3 or more years of increasingly responsible professional engineering/scientific experience, including experience in a systems engineering and program lifecycle environment
• Experience in CPNT, GNSS systems, or space-based communications
• Familiarity with navigation in GPS-denied environments, deep space communications protocol, and timing systems
• Knowledge and understanding of the NASA program life cycle and associated milestone reviews
• Ability to effectively utilize oral and written communication to express technical concepts and recommendations to personnel at all technical and managerial levels
• Demonstrated initiative and ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Excellent teaming and leadership skills with an ability to multi-task across various issues/disciplines simultaneously
• Excellent presentation and communications skills, including development of and briefing of decision packages and complex information in a succinct and polished manner
• Experience working across diverse teams and multiple engineering disciplines
• This position may require the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance, which is issued by the U.S. government. U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance

In addition to the above, the minimum requirements for the Project Engineer - Guidance, Navigation, and Control Engineering include:

• 6 or more years of increasingly responsible professional engineering/scientific experience, including experience in a systems engineering, program lifecycle, and program management environment
• Demonstrated success leading or executing technical and programmatic tasks for NASA missions

How You Can Stand Out

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

• Experience with lunar mission design, cislunar space operations, or deep space networks (DSN)
• Background in designing and developing human exploration systems, including lunar landers and habitats
• Familiarity with NASA standards and interplanetary communications architecture, such as SCaN
• Expertise in RF design, network synchronization, and resilient time transfer technologies
• Experience in mission formulation, planning, and element concept design
• Experience coordinating with international partners and commercial vendors
• Strong understanding of NASA’s program lifecycle and human spaceflight systems engineering

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
• A 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 [e-mail] .You can also reviewKnow Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal.