NASA Artemis Next Generation Space Suit Software Project Lead

CACI International Inc; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 90,300 - 189,600; Full time

Job summary

A leading aerospace company seeks a Software Project Lead for the Artemis Next Generation Space Suit at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. This full-time role blends technical expertise with leadership, overseeing development for safety-critical software and managing a multidisciplinary team. Candidates must have strong C programming skills, experience in embedded software development, and a commitment to servant leadership. The position offers a salary range from $90,300 to $189,600, reflecting the project's critical nature and the responsibilities involved.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years in technical leadership or people management for software development teams.
• 5+ years experience in software development for safety-critical software.
• Experience with recruiting and mentoring team members.

Responsibilities

• Lead a multidisciplinary software team for the Artemis Next Generation Space Suit.
• Oversee development of safety-critical embedded flight software.
• Interface with NASA and engineering teams.

Skills

C programming skills

Linux-based development

Automated software testing

Team-oriented

Strong communication skills

Education

B.S. in Computer Science

M.S. in Computer Science

Tools

GitLab

CI/CD automation pipelines

Docker

Job description

Job Title: NASA Artemis Next Generation Space Suit Software Project Lead
Job Category: Engineering
Time Type: Full time
Minimum Clearance Required to Start: None
Employee Type: Regular
Percentage of Travel Required: Up to 10%
Type of Travel: Continental US

The Opportunity

CACI is seeking an experienced Software Technical Project Lead to manage the Artemis Next Generation Space Suit software team at NASA Johnson Space Center. This blended senior software engineer and leadership role provides project leadership, people management, and technical expertise across the integrated software effort. This effort supports the embedded space suit control and caution and warning system, embedded microcontroller software, test and verification activities, and software systems engineering. The Next Generation Space Suit will be worn by astronauts to explore the lunar surface. The project lead will help rapidly stand up and lead the team in planning, development, integration, verification, certification, and customer coordination for safety‑critical, human‑rated flight software. This position requires a self‑motivated leader with strong communication skills, technical judgment, customer relationship skills, and a servant‑leadership mindset. The strongest candidates will be flexible, team‑oriented, and able to communicate complex technical ideas clearly and convincingly while sharing our passion for the nation's space program and the development of the next generation of human‑rated space vehicles. This work is performed onsite at NASA/JSC in Houston, Texas, in a highly dynamic environment that is central to human spaceflight and space exploration.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow a multidisciplinary software team spanning embedded flight software, embedded controller firmware, software test and verification, and software systems engineering for the Artemis Next Generation Space Suit.
• Oversee development of safety-critical embedded flight software for the space suit’s control, and caution and warning system.
• Oversee development of embedded firmware for bare-metal controllers that interface with and support Artemis Next Generation Space Suit software.
• Oversee software test, verification, and integration activities, including development of automated unit, integration, and verification tests.
• Oversee software systems engineering activities including requirements analysis, interface definition, traceability, and verification procedure development.
• Guide software planning, architecture, design reviews, integration, verification, validation, and flight‑certification support activities.
• Interface with NASA and space suit designer engineering teams and represent software status, risks, priorities, and trade studies to project leadership and customers.
• Collaborate with engineering teams and contractors across multiple NASA programs and projects.
• Support milestone reviews, technical demonstrations, and customer status reporting.
• Ensure adherence to JSC standard software process practices and sound engineering discipline.
• Drive continuous improvement in tooling, development practices, and team execution.
• Develop staffing plans, assign work, balance priorities, and adjust team focus quickly to meet customer needs, schedule constraints, and changing mission direction.
• Provide day-to-day technical leadership, mentoring, and career development for team members while maintaining a servant‑leadership approach.
• Be responsible for team administrative duties including assignments, timecard approval, performance feedback, recruiting support, interviewing, onboarding, and training.

Qualifications

Required:

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident for access to USG facilities.
• B.S. in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical or Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related discipline.
• A minimum of 3 years of technical leadership or people‑management experience for software development teams; greater experience is highly valued.
• At least 5 years of experience in software development for safety‑critical software; experience in aerospace or other mission‑critical industries is highly valued.
• Strong C programming skills and experience with Linux‑based development environments.
• Experience with automated software testing such as unit, integration, and verification tests.
• Experience managing software projects across the full software development life cycle phases, including planning, requirements, design, implementation, integration, verification, and release readiness.
• Must embrace a servant leadership model in leading the project and serving the customer and team members.
• Experience with recruiting, personnel assignments, team member development, mentoring, and performance feedback.
• Must be flexible, open to new challenges in a dynamic environment, and possess strong technical expertise combined with strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Requires the ability to manage multiple priorities with limited supervision.
• Must be a highly responsible, team‑oriented individual with strong work ethic.
• Must have highly developed coordination and organization skills.

Desired:

• M.S. in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical or Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related discipline.
• Prior experience leading multidisciplinary software teams that include embedded software, firmware, verification, and systems engineering contributors.
• Experience in human‑rated space vehicle flight software for Space Shuttle, International Space Station, Orion, Commercial Crew, Gateway, or other aerospace vehicles.
• Experience with NASA Core Flight Software (cFS), embedded Real‑time Operating Systems, or bare-metal controller firmware development.
• Experience evaluating software requirements, verification strategy, and test readiness from both technical and programmatic perspectives.
• Experience developing and maintaining software documentation including software requirements specifications, interface control documents, traceability, products, user guides, and test procedures and plans.
• Experience with GitLab, CI/CD automation pipelines, Docker, Makefiles, CMake, Jira, and related software development tooling.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or comparable program leadership experience.
• Familiarity with CMMI Level 3 (or above) process areas.

Pay Range

$90,300 - $189,600 USD

CACI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected characteristic.