General Manager - Communications and Navigation Capabilities Division

aero; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 248,000 - 372,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care and wellness plans

Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation

401(k) plan with company match

Relocation assistance

Education assistance programs

Inclusive work environment

Job summary

The Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, CA, is seeking a General Manager to lead CNCD within the Defense Systems Group, directing acquisition leadership for MILSATCOM and PNT programs and reporting to the VP, DSA.

The role requires guiding a geographically diverse team located at LA AFB and other bases, delivering technical expertise across space, ground, and user segments while partnering with SSC, SpOC, and DoD stakeholders. On-site at Los Angeles Air Force Base.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM or related discipline.
• 14+ years of progressively demonstrated management and technical experience in space systems acquisition and program management.
• Active Top‑Secret Security Clearance with SCI Access. US Citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Provide strong leadership for division, developing and implementing division vision, strategy and objectives. Also includes setting expectations and direction, mentoring, providing feedback, succession planning, and coaching aimed at developing an agile and effective management team and technical staff.
• Role model Aerospace core values and leadership competency attributes with our workforce, customers, and mission partners.
• Establish trusted relationships with key senior leaders in within the immediate customer organization as well as across SSC, SpOC, and other relevant DoD stakeholder organizations.
• Lead from the front to influence customers and stakeholders to drive toward resilient integrated architectures that leverage commercial capabilities, international partnerships, and strategies for rapid fielding of capability.
• Position Aerospace to provide the highest value products to help our customers solve their most difficult problems.
• Work effectively with other FFRDCs and UARCs in support of our customers meeting mission objectives.
• Work across the general manager cadre to build and maintain strong collaborative, mission‑driven relationships between the engineering and technology groups and the corporate program offices.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in STEM 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.

The Defense Systems Group (DSG) provides analysis‑based decision support to senior leaders on space architectures, policy and strategy, technology development, warfighter capability enablers, systems integration, defense industrial base, and threat reduction to help shape existing and future space missions across the national security space (NSS) enterprise. DSG is unique at Aerospace as it not only directly supports major customers, including the U.S. Space Force, U.S. Space Command, Air Force Material Command, and senior leadership at the Pentagon, but also provides a broad range of technical support across the national space enterprise, maintaining vertical responsibilities with customers’ portfolios as well as horizontal, matrixed responsibilities across the corporation. Additionally, DSG provides deep technical expertise to the Space Force Space Systems Command (SSC) in the conception, design, acquisition, launch and operations of satellite, launch vehicle, ground control, and range systems.

DSG is seeking a General Manager to lead, integrate, and deliver Aerospace technical expertise to the Space Systems Command (SSC) Program Executive Officer (PEO) for the MILSATCOM and PNT mission areas. The General Manager will lead the Communications and Navigation Capabilities Division (CNCD) and will report to the Vice President, Defense Space Acquisition (VP, DSA).

The CNCD General Manager will lead a major customer‑facing organization, providing acquisition leadership across a broad MILSATCOM and PNT portfolio of programs, delivering technical expertise and enterprise engineering and integration efforts across multiple space, ground, and user segments, as well as networks required to enable these critical national capabilities for our warfighters. This organization supports all aspects of the acquisition life cycle to include operations and product sustainment and has direct collaborative engagements with a broad industry and DoD stakeholder community for threat assessments and mitigation, architecture planning, research and technology investments, international partnerships, and incorporation of commercial capabilities into the hybrid warfighter architecture. This geographically diverse team is primarily located at Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, CA but has personnel located at Peterson Space Force Base, Schriever Space Force Base, and contractor facilities.

The selected candidate will be required to work full‑time, on‑site at our facility at Los Angeles Air Force Base.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Provide strong leadership for division, developing and implementing division vision, strategy and objectives. Also includes setting expectations and direction, mentoring, providing feedback, succession planning, and coaching aimed at developing an agile and effective management team and technical staff.
• Role model Aerospace core values and leadership competency attributes with our workforce, customers, and mission partners.
• Establish trusted relationships with key senior leaders in within the immediate customer organization as well as across SSC, SpOC, and other relevant DoD stakeholder organizations.
• Lead from the front to influence customers and stakeholders to drive toward resilient integrated architectures that leverage commercial capabilities, international partnerships, and strategies for rapid fielding of capability. This role will require the leader to drive change to the status quo and question past ways of doing things.
• Position Aerospace to provide the highest value products to help our customers solve their most difficult problems.
• Work effectively with other FFRDCs and UARCs in support of our customers meeting mission objectives.
• Work across the general manager cadre to build and maintain strong collaborative, mission‑driven relationships between the engineering and technology groups and the corporate program offices.

What You Need to Be Successful

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM or related discipline.
• 14 or more years of progressively demonstrated management and technical experience in space systems acquisition and program management.
• Demonstrated ability to build high performance multi‑disciplinary teams with a solution‑oriented and enterprise mindset that considers strategic, operational, cultural, and financial factors.
• Proven ability to develop/maintain trusted partnerships and rapport with senior government officials and corporate executives from diverse organizations, including contractors.
• Strong business and financial acumen with constructive and proactive methods for problem solving. Ability to make time‑critical mission success decisions with incomplete or ambiguous data.
• Demonstrated success as a relationship builder and collaborator across multiple organizations, complex problem solver, deep critical thinker, and mentor.
• Strong executive presence with effective communication skills with diverse audiences.
• Occasional travel is required.
• Position requires an Active Top‑Secret Security Clearance with SCI Access. US Citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.

How You Can Stand Out

• Advanced graduate technical and/or business degree.
• Demonstrates enterprise‑level perspective with prior Program Office(s) and ETG experience.
• Experience in MILSATCOM and PNT mission areas.
• Experience in space operations.
• Experience with integration of commercial capabilities for military use.
• Demonstrated ability to manage large portfolio across multiple mission domains.
• Significant role influencing senior leadership.

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 $248,000.00 - $372,000.00 Pay Basis: Annual.

Leadership Competencies

• Operate Strategically
• Lead Change
• Engage with Impact
• Foster Innovation
• Deliver Results

Ways We Reward Our Employees

• 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 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.