Payload Engineer

International Executive Service Corps; Chantilly (VA); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Paid Time Off

Life Insurance

Short-Term Disability

Long-Term Disability

Retirement and Savings

Learning and Development

Wellness Programs

Optional Benefit Elections

Job summary

FTS International, LLC seeks a Payload Engineer in Chantilly, VA to provide SME advice, technical evaluations, and alternative approaches to a government customer on SIGINT payload design and integration.

Required: TS/SCI with polygraph, a BS in Electrical or Communications Engineering, and 14+ years in RF payload or space systems development with 10+ years in payload systems engineering, plus strong communication with senior leaders.

Qualifications

• Security clearance requirement: TS/SCI with polygraph.
• Advanced knowledge in RF payload architectures and signal processing.
• Experience with space systems development lifecycles.

Responsibilities

• Provide SME advice on SIGINT payload design, integration, and performance.
• Evaluate contractor designs, test plans, and performance data against mission requirements.
• Provide independent assessments of technical issues and cost/schedule implications.
• Lead or participate in design reviews and risk assessments.
• Support end-to-end system engineering activities and stakeholder engagement.
• Collaborate with RF engineers, systems architects, and mission analysts.
• Conduct analysis of alternatives for payload solutions; assess feasibility and cost-effectiveness.
• Maintain interface control documents (ICDs).
• Create and deliver technical presentations to program office leadership.

Skills

TS/SCI with polygraph

RF payload development

SIGINT systems engineering

Antenna design

RF propagation (space)

Link budgets

MBSE familiarity

System design analysis

DS processing basics

Education

BS in Electrical Engineering or Communications Engineering

Job description

FTS International, LLC (FTS) is committed to providing the Federal Government with quality consultants and support.To ensure mission success we focus on putting our customers first while minimizing corporate bureaucracy onour staff.We provide Subject Matter Experts (SME) free of Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI)focused onindependent analysis and mission support services within the disciplines of Engineering, Counter Terrorism Operations, Management, Information Technology, Signals Analysis, Administration, Cyber Security and Linguistics.

FTS has an opportunity for an Payload Engineerin Chantilly, VA.

The Payload Engineer will provide subject matter expert (SME) advice, technical evaluations, technical assessments and alternative approaches to the customer.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert advice, technical evaluations and alternative approaches as subject matter expert and technical advisor to a government customer on SIGINT payload design, integration, and performance

• Evaluate contractor designs, test plans, and performance data against mission requirements and provide independent recommendations

• Provide independent assessments of technical issues and assess schedule and cost implications

• Lead and/or participate in design reviews, technical interchange meetings, and risk assessments

• Support end-to-end system engineering activities, including requirements definition, verification, and validation and stakeholder engagement

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including RF engineers, systems architects, and mission analysts

• Conduct rigorous analysis of alternatives for payload solutions, evaluating technical feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and performance analysis in alignment with strategic objectives

• Assess, create, and maintain comprehensive interface control documents (ICDs)

• Create and deliver technical presentations to program office leadership and stakeholders.

• Identify system risks and opportunities, and advise on mitigation strategies

Required Skills/Qualifications

• TS/SCI with polygraph

• BS degree in Electrical Engineering, Communications Engineering or a related field

• 14+ years of relevant RF payload or space systems development experience

• 10+ years specifically in RF payload development or payload systems engineering with a focus on RF, digital signal processing, or SIGINT systems

• SIGINT payload development or systems engineering experience

• Knowledge of link budgets, antenna design, and RF propagation in space environments

• Deep understanding of RF systems, digital signal processing, and payload architectures

• Experience with space system development lifecycles, from concept through on-orbit operations

• Proven ability to evaluate contractor deliverables and provide actionable technical recommendations

• Strong communication skills for interfacing with senior government leaders

Desired Skills/Qualifications

• MS degree in Electrical Engineering, Communications Engineering or a related field 5+ years’ experience working on SIGINT systems

• 5+ years’ experience as a SETA

• Hands-on experience with payload integration and test (I&T)

• Experience with model-based systems engineering (MBSE) tools

• Payload performance modeling, link budget analysis, and end-to-end system simulation experience

Expected Salary Range: $160,000 - $185,000 per year. Placement within the range is determined by qualifications, job-related criteria, experience, internal equity and market considerations. In addition, FTS International, LLC has benefits offerings in addition to salary to include Health Insurance, Paid Time Off, Life Insurance, Short Term and Long-Term Disability, Retirement and Savings, Learning and Development opportunities, wellness programs as well as other optional benefit elections.

FTS International, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer - vets/disabled.