Lead Systems Engineer

Astrion; Albuquerque, Northern (NM, KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Astrion is seeking a Lead Systems Engineer to join the AFRL RAPID laboratory at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, NM. The role focuses on architecture design, requirements development, and risk management for advanced, space-based systems.

You will lead technical discussions, collaborate with government stakeholders, and mentor junior engineers while ensuring traceability across subsystems and successful integration of complex architectures.

Qualifications

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• DoD Secret clearance required.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, or related technical field.
• Minimum 3+ years of relevant technical engineering experience.
• Experience with space systems, satellite communications, or secure ground systems.
• Ability to lead technical discussions and communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to manage complex systems and technical requirements.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills.
• Self-motivated and capable of independent problem solving.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical lead reporting to the RAPID Program Manager and Technical Director.
• Lead and participate in technical interchange meetings, design reviews, and stakeholder briefings.
• Collaborate with government stakeholders and other program offices to align objectives.
• Guide and mentor junior engineers and subcontractors.
• Develop and manage system-of-systems-level requirements, ensuring traceability across subsystems.
• Oversee interface definitions, validation, and verification activities.
• Lead identification and mitigation of technical risks in software, hardware, and network domains.
• Develop and review operational concepts (CONOPS) and mission-level use cases.
• Support the development of preliminary and detailed system architectures.
• Conduct system-level trade studies and support algorithm and modeling efforts.
• Assist in the development of test plans and review of test results.
• Participate in integration and system-level validation activities.
• Apply best practices in systems engineering using tools and frameworks to drive resultsCommunicate risk posture and technical status to program and customer leadership

Skills

U.S. Citizenship

DoD Secret clearance

Leadership

Systems engineering

Requirements development

Risk management

Communication with stakeholders

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field

Tools

DOORS

Jama

Jira

Confluence

MBSE tools (Cameo/MagicDraw/EA)

Job description

Overview

Lead Systems Engineer

LOCATION: On Site - Kirtland AFB, NM

JOB STATUS: Full-time

CLEARANCE: Secret Clearance

CERTIFICATION: N/A

TRAVEL: <10%

Astrion is seeking a Systems Engineer to join the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Space Vehicles Directorate, in support of the Rapid Architecture Prototyping and Integration Development (RAPID) laboratory at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, NM. This is a lead technical role driving architecture design, requirements development, and risk management for advanced, system-of-systems space architectures. The RAPID Lab plays a critical role in shaping the future of resilient space systems for the U.S. Space Force.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS / SKILLS

• U.S. Citizenship required
• DoD Secret clearance
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, or related technical field
• Minimum 3+ years of relevant technical engineering experience
• Experience with space systems, satellite communications, or secure ground systems
• Ability to lead technical discussions and communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to manage complex systems and technical requirements
• Excellent time management and organizational skills
• Self-motivated and capable of independent problem solving

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS / SKILLS

• DoD TS/SCI clearance
• Background in IT infrastructure and networked systems
• Familiarity with defense acquisition processes or similar government frameworks
• Experience conducting trade studies, algorithm development, or system-level modeling
• 2+ years of systems engineering experience on large-scale ($100M+) government programs
• Proficient in systems engineering tools such as DOORS, Jama, Jira, Confluence
• Familiarity with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) tools such as Cameo, MagicDraw, or Enterprise Architect
• Prior experience working with senior government or military leadership

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as the technical lead reporting to the RAPID Program Manager and Technical Director
• Lead and participate in technical interchange meetings, design reviews, and stakeholder briefings
• Collaborate with government stakeholders and other program offices to align objectives
• Guide and mentor junior engineers and subcontractors
• Develop and manage system-of-systems-level requirements, ensuring traceability across subsystems
• Oversee interface definitions, validation, and verification activities
• Lead identification and mitigation of technical risks in software, hardware, and network domains
• Develop and review operational concepts (CONOPS) and mission-level use cases
• Support the development of preliminary and detailed system architectures
• Conduct system-level trade studies and support algorithm and modeling efforts
• Assist in the development of test plans and review of test results
• Participate in integration and system-level validation activities
• Apply best practices in systems engineering using tools and frameworks to drive resultsCommunicate risk posture and technical status to program and customer leadership

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