Principal Systems Engineer

University of Colorado Boulder; Boulder (CO); On-site; USD 145,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tuition assistance

Transit pass (ECO)

Medical/dental/retirement benefits

Job summary

University of Colorado Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) seeks a Principal System Engineer to provide technical leadership for spaceflight instrument development across Earth, planetary, heliophysics, and astrophysics missions.

You will act as technical integrator from formulation to operations, mentor engineers, define instrument architecture, lead reviews, and balance science objectives with cost and risk to deliver high-impact science.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of aerospace systems engineering experience.
• BS or higher in engineering, physics, mathematics, or related technical field.
• Experience leading development of flight instruments.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Experience with requirements development, interface control, and verification.
• Experience through environmental testing and delivery.

Responsibilities

• Be the technical conscience of an instrument across formulation, development, and operations.
• Mentor junior systems engineers and shape SE practices.
• Lead instrument reviews and trade studies balancing science and cost.
• Represent instrument team in spacecraft interactions.
• Define instrument architecture and oversee verification planning.

Skills

Aerospace systems engineering

Technical leadership

Education

BS or higher in engineering/physics/math

Job description

Job Summary

The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) is seekingan accomplished Principal System Engineer to provide technicalleadership for the development of world-class scientificinstruments supporting a broad range of spaceflight missions. Theseinstruments span Earth science, planetary science, heliophysics,astrophysics, and emerging national and international spaceinitiatives.

As a Systems Engineer, you will serve as the technical integratorfor LASP instruments throughout formulation, development,integration, environmental testing, launch, and mission operations.Working closely with scientists, project managers, andmultidisciplinary engineering team, you will ensure that scientificobjectives remain aligned with engineering decisions throughout theinstrument lifecycle.

This is an opportunity to influence every aspect of flightinstruments while working alongside internationally recognizedscientists, engineers, and mission partners. Successful candidatesare team focused, thrive in technically ambiguous environments,make sound engineering decisions with incomplete information, andknow how to balance scientific performance, technical risk, cost,and schedule to deliver exceptional science.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with allapplicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds toapply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

LASP combines the agility of a university laboratory with thetechnical capability of a premier space mission organization.Engineers work directly alongside scientists, students, and missionoperators, allowing technical decisions to move quickly whilemaintaining scientific excellence.

As part of the University of Colorado Boulder (CU), LASP began in1948 and is a world-recognized space science research institutethat implements the full life cycle of science missions from thedefinition of the science questions through the development ofspace flight hardware and the subsequent mission operations. We arethe only research institute in the world to have sent scienceinstruments to all eight planets, Pluto, and beyond the solarsystem.

LASP combines all aspects of space exploration through ourexpertise in science, engineering, mission operations, andscientific data analysis. As part of CU, LASP also works to educateand train the next generation of space scientists, engineers andmission operators by integrating undergraduate and graduatestudents into working teams. Our students take their uniqueexperiences with them into government or industry or remain inacademia to continue the cycle of exploration.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

As a principal SE, you will become the technical conscience of aninstrument, ensuring that engineering decisions made acrossdisciplines remain aligned with the mission's scientificobjectives. You will serve as a technical leader within the SystemsEngineering organization by mentoring early-career engineers,shaping systems engineering practices for the instruments, andmaking instrument-level technical decisions related to thesuccessful verification and validation of the instrumentrequirements to meet science objectives.

Technical Leadership

• Serve as a technical authority for the flight instrumentthroughout formulation, development, integration, launch, andcommissioning.
• Lead multidisciplinary engineering teams spanning mechanical,electrical, optical, thermal, software, I&T, contaminationcontrol, reliability, and science.
• Foster a collaborative engineering culture emphasizingtechnical excellence and sound engineering judgment.
• Mentor junior systems engineers and contribute to the growth ofthe project's systems engineering organization.

Instrument Architecture

• Define and evolve the instrument technical architecture.
• Own instrument requirements, interfaces, verification planning,and technical baseline.
• Guide instrument-level trade studies balancing scienceperformance, technical risk, cost, and schedule.
• Participate in the development of the Systems EngineeringManagement Plan and Concept of Operations.
• Lead instrument technical reviews.

Integration to the Spacecraft

• Participate in the development of spacecraft-to-instrumentinterface definitions.
• Represent the instrument team in spacecraft technicalinteractions.
• Ensure successful accommodation of instrument resourcesincluding mass, power, thermal, pointing, data volume, EMC, andfault management.
• Guide instrument and spacecraft-interface verificationsthroughout integration and test.
• Other Duties Assigned.

Instrument Development

• Lead development of instrument assembly, integration,environmental testing, calibration, and characterization.
• Coordinate specialty engineering activities includingcontamination control, reliability, radiation, safety, and faultprotection.
• Manage instrument technical resources and performancemargins.
• Lead anomaly investigations throughout development andoperations.

What Success Looks Like

• Deliver a flight instrument that has verified and validatedinstrument requirements to meet science objectives while balancingtechnical performance, cost, schedule, and risk.
• Build a technically cohesive instrument team that collaborateseffectively across disciplines.
• Inspire confidence among scientists, engineers, projectmanagement, and mission partners.
• Enable groundbreaking science through robust engineeringdecisions.
• Establish an instrument architecture that successfully supportsmission operations throughout the life of the mission.

What You Should Know

• Due to ITAR requirements, only US citizens and permanentresidents may apply.
• International travel may be required.
• Relocation assistance may be available for this position.

What We Can Offer

Annual Salary $145,000 - $230,000.

Benefits

At the University of Colorado Boulder , we arecommitted to supporting the holistic health and well-being of ouremployees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical,dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuitionassistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for localtransit. As one of Boulder County’s largest employers, CU Boulderoffers an inspiring academic community and access to world-classoutdoor recreation. Explore additional perks and programs throughthe CU Advantage program.

Be Statements

Be ambitious. Be groundbreaking. Be Boulder.

What We Require

• At least 10 years of progressively responsible aerospacesystems engineering experience.
• BS or higher degree in engineering, physics, mathematics, or arelated technical field from an accredited institution.
• Strong technical background in another engineeringdiscipline.
• Experience leading development of a flight instrument.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Experience with requirements development, interface control,and verification.
• Experience through environmental testing and delivery.

What We Would Like You to Have

• Experience with NASA Class C/D missions.
• Experience developing remote sensing instruments.
• Knowledge of IBM Engineering Requirements Management DOORSNext.
• An understanding of the difference between academic andcommercial aerospace environments.
• An awareness of the methods of scientific data analysis.