Principal Space Engineer, Strategic Initiatives

SES Space & DEFENSE; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Benefits package

401(k) retirement plan

Paid vacation

Job summary

SES Space & Defense is seeking a Principal Space Systems Engineer to lead architecture, integration, and delivery of spacecraft and hosted payloads. You will coordinate across a matrixed team spanning spacecraft, payloads, systems engineering, mission assurance, and external partners to ensure objectives are met while balancing performance, cost, and schedule.

You will work with customers, suppliers, and government stakeholders to evolve capabilities for national security missions, including

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical/Systems/Computer/Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related field.
• Foundational understanding of systems engineering: requirements, architecture, interfaces, verification and validation, and risk management.
• Ability to work across multidisciplinary teams spanning spacecraft, payload, systems engineering, mission assurance, ground, and operations.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills linking requirements, interfaces, architecture, integration and verification.
• Ability to communicate effectively with engineering teams, program leadership, suppliers, partners, and customers.

Responsibilities

• Support the Chief Engineer in technical development, integration, and delivery of spacecraft and hosted payloads.
• Track technical activities, dependencies, and progress against program objectives.
• Coordinate across a matrixed engineering organization spanning systems, spacecraft, payload, and mission assurance.
• Document and track architectures, interfaces, integration strategies, and baselines.
• Develop and maintain requirements, CONOPS, ICDs, trade studies, verification plans, and baselines.
• Support integration across spacecraft buses, payloads, processing, avionics, propulsion, thermal, power, and attitude control.
• Drive technical planning through program milestones (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, launch readiness, on‑orbit).
• Identify, assess, and mitigate technical, schedule, and mission risks.
• Engage with government customers, mission partners, and suppliers to align requirements.
• Support engineering reviews, meetings, reporting, and documentation of decisions.
• Collaborate with ground engineering and mission operations for spacecraft–infrastructure integration.
• Support strategic growth studies for hosted payload, sensing, and future space architectures.

Skills

Systems engineering

Spacecraft architecture

Requirements development

Interface management

Verification and validation

Technical risk management

Cross-functional leadership

Technical documentation

Stakeholder communication

Security clearance (US)

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering

Bachelor's degree in related technical discipline

Job description

Who We Are

At SES Space & Defense, we deliver secure, resilient connectivity and integrated space solutions for customers operating in the world’s most demanding environments. As part of SES S.A., a global leader in satellite-enabled communications, we combine capabilities across all orbits with extensive global ground infrastructure, managed networks, hosted payload solutions, and mission integration services to support communications, sensing, data transport, and operational resilience worldwide.

Our vertically integrated space and ground capabilities bring together satellite capacity, terrestrial infrastructure, advanced network technologies, and deployed user terminals to support mission-critical government operations around the world. We are a trusted partner to the U.S. Federal Government and national security community, allied governments, NATO, NASA, and other civilian agencies, delivering reliable, high-performance solutions when mission success is critical.

At SES Space & Defense, our people are our competitive advantage. You'll work alongside a mission-driven team committed to integrity, innovation, accountability, and delivering real-world impact for customers whose missions matter most.

What You’ll Do

As a Principal Space Systems Engineer, you will work under the Chief Engineer to support the architecture, integration, and successful delivery of spacecraft and hosted payload solutions across SES Space & Defense programs. You will support the technical execution of complex, mission-critical space systems by coordinating across a matrixed engineering organization spanning spacecraft, payloads, systems engineering, mission assurance, and external partners. Working closely with the Chief Engineer, Program Management, customers, suppliers, and government stakeholders, you will help ensure technical solutions meet mission objectives while balancing performance, cost, schedule, and risk. This role provides broad exposure to spacecraft and payload development and plays an important part in expanding SES Space & Defense's space capabilities, including next-generation hosted payload, sensing, communications, and mission-enabled space architectures supporting national security customers.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the Chief Engineer in the technical development, integration, and delivery of spacecraft and hosted payload solutions throughout the program lifecycle.
• Support the technical execution of space system programs, tracking technical activities, actions, dependencies, and progress against program objectives.
• Assist the Chief Engineer in coordinating across a matrixed engineering organization spanning systems engineering, spacecraft engineering, payload engineering, mission assurance, specialty engineering, suppliers, and external mission partners.
• Document and track spacecraft and payload architectures, system interfaces, integration strategies, and technical baselines.
• Coordinate development and maintenance of systems engineering artifacts including requirements, CONOPS, Interface Control Documents (ICDs), trade studies, verification plans, and technical baselines.
• Support integration activities across spacecraft buses, communications payloads, onboard processing, avionics, propulsion, thermal, power, attitude determination and control, and other spacecraft subsystems.
• Drive the technical planning and execution through major program milestones including SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, launch readiness, and early on-orbit operations.
• Support the identification, assessment, tracking, and mitigation of technical, integration, schedule, and mission risks throughout the program lifecycle.
• Support engagement with government customers, mission partners, and suppliers to understand mission requirements and coordinate technical activities.
• Support engineering operating rhythms, design reviews, technical meetings, reporting, action tracking, and documentation of engineering decisions across integrated engineering teams.
• Collaborate with ground engineering and mission operations organizations to support successful integration between spacecraft and supporting operational infrastructure.
• Support strategic growth initiatives and technical studies associated with future hosted payload, communications, sensing, and emerging space mission opportunities.

Who You Are

You are a systems-level engineering leader with a demonstrated ability to architect, integrate, and deliver complex spacecraft and hosted payload solutions throughout the complete mission lifecycle. You understand how multidisciplinary engineering teams come together to transform mission requirements into operational space capabilities and are comfortable leading highly technical organizations through ambiguity and complexity. You naturally build credibility with customers, engineering teams, executive leadership, and industry partners by combining deep technical expertise with strong program execution and sound engineering judgment. Whether maturing spacecraft and payload architectures, leading technical trade studies, or guiding engineering organizations through critical design reviews and launch preparation, you remain focused on delivering reliable, mission-ready space systems that enable customer success.

Key Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline.
• Strong interest and/or academic, internship, co-op, research, or professional experience related to spacecraft architecture, payload systems, hosted payloads, satellite subsystems, or mission systems engineering.
• Foundational understanding of systems engineering processes including requirements development, architecture definition, interface management, verification and validation, and technical risk management.
• Ability and willingness to work across a multidisciplinary engineering organization involving spacecraft, payload, systems, mission assurance, ground, and mission operations disciplines.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to understand relationships between system requirements, interfaces, architecture, integration, and verification.
• Ability to develop and maintain clear technical documentation and effectively track engineering activities and actions.
• Ability to communicate effectively with engineering teams, program leadership, suppliers, mission partners, and customers.
• Experience through internships, co-ops, academic projects, research, or professional work supporting aerospace, spacecraft, satellite, defense, or other complex engineering systems preferred.
• Demonstrated interest in developing technical breadth across the complete space system lifecycle, from design and development through integration, test, launch, and on-orbit operations.
• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Ability to obtain and maintain security clearance up to TS/SCI desired.

SES Space & Defense is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

The final base salary offered will be determined based on factors such as the position's location, the candidate's relevant skills, experience, and qualifications.

Where applicable, this position may also be eligible for an annual bonus. Employees are eligible to participate in SES Space & Defense's benefits programs, which include paid vacation, sick and personal leave; medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance; a 401(k)-retirement plan; and others.