SCaN Systems Engineer — Space Communications & Navigation

The Aerospace Corporation; United States; On-site; USD 117,000 - 176,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care and wellness plans

Holidays, sick time and vacation

Telework options

401(k) plan with company match

Job summary

The Aerospace Corporation is seeking a Systems Engineer (Project Engineer – Systems Engineering) to support NASA’s SCaN program from NASA HQ. You will perform independent systems engineering, architecture analysis, and acquisition support across campaigns, studies, and stakeholder integration.

You will collaborate with NASA civil servants, industry partners, and international teams to inform lunar, cislunar, and deep-space architectures.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant technical discipline.
• 6+ years of professional experience in systems engineering or related fields.
• Experience with space communications and/or navigation systems.
• Experience supporting NASA, DoD, or comparable government space programs.
• Demonstrated application of systems engineering processes across the lifecycle.
• Involvement in NASA, government, or FFRDC-supported programs.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to senior leadership.
• Willingness to travel approximately 10–20%.
• U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Provide systems engineering and technical integration support for SCaN commercialization and innovation initiatives.
• Support formulation and execution of research and acquisition campaigns.
• Conduct architecture assessments, trade studies, and technical evaluations for space systems.
• Evaluate candidate network architectures and system-of-systems concepts.
• Prepare technical briefings and campaign summaries for leadership.
• Support stakeholder engagement activities and interagency coordination.
• Deliver independent, risk-informed technical advice to NASA leadership.

Skills

Systems engineering

Space communications

Leadership

Communication

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, or related technical discipline

Master’s or Ph.D. in a relevant technical discipline

Job description

The Aerospace Corporation is seeking a Systems Engineer (Project Engineer – Systems Engineering) to support NASA’s SCaN program from NASA HQ. You will perform independent systems engineering, architecture analysis, and acquisition support across campaigns, studies, and stakeholder integration.

You will collaborate with NASA civil servants, industry partners, and international teams to inform lunar, cislunar, and deep-space architectures.