Senior Ground Systems Engineer

The Aerospace Corporation

Chantilly (VA)

On-site

USD 151,000 - 227,000

Full time

5 days ago
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Benefits offered by this job

Health care
Paid holidays, sick time, vacation
Telework options
401(k) plan
Relocation assistance
Education assistance
Professional growth
Inclusive work environment

Job summary

The Aerospace Corporation in Chantilly, VA seeks a Senior Ground Systems Engineer to join our Ground Systems Engineering Department. You will lead engineering teams, define complex system tasks, and drive space-ground integrations to support national space programs.

Minimum 12 years in space ground systems with leadership and IV&V experience, plus a TS/SCI clearance. Competitive compensation with industry-leading benefits and relocation support.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science or mathematics required.
  • 12+ years’ experience with space ground systems integration and related areas.
  • Demonstrated technical leadership and interpersonal skills.
  • Experience with requirements development, traceability, and validation methodologies.
  • Experience with enterprise-level testing and integration of complex systems.
  • Experience with ground system operations, sustainment and integration.
  • Ability to clearly define technical tasks and lead teams.
  • Experience with government acquisition strategies and source selections.
  • Ability to work across mission and program boundaries.

Responsibilities

  • Analyze and evaluate innovative ground system requirements and design.
  • Establish Agile and DevSecOps methods for software modernization.
  • Define integration plans for space-ground and ground-ground interfaces.
  • Design and develop interfaces for space ground control systems.
  • Lead engineering teams, monitor deliverables and ensure quality.
  • Develop models, simulations, test beds and end-to-end integration tests.
  • Provide expert technical guidance to government customers.
  • Influence future ground system architectures and capabilities.

Skills

Bachelor's degree
12 years experience
Technical leadership
Requirements development
IV&V
Ground systems operations
Team leadership
Acquisition strategies
Cross-domain collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science or mathematics
Advanced degree in engineering, science or mathematics

Job description

The Systems Engineering Division (SED)

offers unparalleled expertise in systems engineering to the U.S. government and various public and private agencies, universities, nonprofit organizations, consortia, and commercial companies involved in the advanced development and application of space systems. From systems CONOPs and architecture development to system design and analysis, mission assurance, cost and schedule assessment, and economic market analysis, SED leverages a vast array of engineering and business disciplines across a diverse and dynamic portfolio of space programs and national challenges spanning the total space system lifecycle.

The Ground Systems Engineering Department (GSED)

transforms innovative ground system concepts into operational realities. As trusted leaders in ground systems engineering, we deliver operationally focused solutions for space enterprise C3 systems, mission management, PNT, SATCOM, launch operations, and SIGINT missions supporting Space Systems Command, the National Reconnaissance Office, and the Intelligence Community. GSED leads ground systems and modernization efforts while leveraging deep technical experience and operational expertise to enable mission success across the space enterprise. We are seeking a Senior Ground Systems Engineer to join our team and contribute to the advancement of critical space ground infrastructure and help shape the future of space enterprise ground systems.

The selected candidate will be required to work full-time, on-site at our facility in Chantilly, VA.

What You’ll Be Doing
  • Analyze and recommend innovative solutions for ground system requirements, software design, acquisition strategies, operations, and sustainment
  • Establish and implement Agile and DevSecOps development methods and metrics for ground system software modernization
  • Define comprehensive space-to-ground and ground-to-ground integration plans, including requirements verification and cross-disciplinary coordination with spacecraft systems and flight software teams
  • Design and develop mission-critical interfaces (organizational, physical, functional, hardware/software, operational) for space ground control systems
  • Lead and manage engineering teams by defining technical tasking, monitoring deliverables, and ensuring quality of engineering studies, recommendations, and analyses
  • Develop and analyze system requirements for engineering models, simulations, test beds, special test equipment, and end-to-end integration testing
  • Provide expert technical guidance to government customers on complex ground system engineering challenges
  • Apply operational experience and technical expertise to influence future ground system architectures and capabilities
What You Need To Be Successful

Minimum Requirements for the Senior Ground Systems Engineer:

  • Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science or mathematics
  • Minimum 12 years’ experience with multiple aspects of space ground systems experience such as enterprise integration, space vehicle to ground integration, ground systems development, and new technology insertion into existing systems
  • Demonstrated technical leadership and strong interpersonal skills required for interacting with peers, internal and external customers, and contractor representatives
  • Experience with requirements development, traceability, and validation methodologies
  • Experience with enterprise-level testing and integration of complex systems, including test planning and execution campaigns, test artifact review, and Independent Verification & Verification (IV&V) processes
  • Experience with ground system operations, sustainment, and integration of mission applications with processing platforms and network infrastructures
  • Must have demonstrated the ability to clearly define technical tasks, form and lead technical teams
  • Experience supporting government acquisition strategies, pre-solicitation efforts, and source selections
  • Ability to work across mission and program boundaries to identify common challenges and formulate recommendations
  • Experience with mission processing systems, constellation tasking and optimization, or space data transport (SDT)
  • Knowledge of modern satellite constellation architectures and distributed space systems
  • An active Top Secret/SCI clearance
How You Can Stand Out
  • Advanced degree in engineering, science or mathematics
  • Experience with SIGINT and GEOINT mission systems and processing from multiple aspects of space systems integration, such as space-ground-user integration, payloads to spacecraft bus, spacecraft bus integration, ground software to hardware development and new technology insertion into existing space applications (e.g., system requirements, system integration and testing, spacecraft subsystems, manufacturing, test, and/or spacecraft operations
  • Demonstrated experience of Agile and DevSecOps programs
  • Experience with Ground as a Service (GaaS) models, cloud-native ground architectures, or commercial ground service implementations

We offer a competitive compensation package where you’ll be rewarded based on your performance and recognized for the value you bring to our business. The grade-based pay range for this job is listed below. Individual salaries within that range are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge and skills.

(Min - Max)

$151,300.00 - $226,900.00

Pay Basis: Annual

Leadership Competencies

Our leadership philosophy is simple: every employee, regardless of level and role, can demonstrate leadership. At Aerospace, our commitment is our people. To cultivate our talent and ensure that we have a strong pipeline of future leaders, we want individuals who:

  • Operate Strategically
  • Lead Change
  • Engage with Impact
  • Foster Innovation
  • Deliver Results
Ways We Reward Our Employees

During your interview process, our team will provide details of our industry-leading benefits.

Benefits vary and are applicable based on Job Type.

A few highlights include:

  • Comprehensive health care and wellness plans
  • Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation
  • Standard and alternate work schedules, including telework options
  • 401(k) Plan — Employees receive a total company-paid benefit of 8%, 10%, or 12% of eligible compensation based on years of service and matching contributions; employees are immediately eligible and vested in the plan upon hire
  • Flexible spending accounts
  • Variable pay program for exceptional contributions
  • Relocation assistance
  • Professional growth and development programs to help advance your career
  • Education assistance programs
  • An inclusive work environment built on teamwork, flexibility, and respect

We are all unique, from various backgrounds and all walks of life, yet one thing bonds all of us to each other—the belief that we can make a difference. This core belief empowers us to do our best work at The Aerospace Corporation.

Equal Opportunity Commitment

The Aerospace Corporation is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, color, religion, genetic information, marital status, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, physical disability, medical condition, mental disability, or disability status and any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. If you’re an individual with a disability or a disabled veteran who needs assistance using our online job search and application tools or need reasonable accommodation to complete the job application process, please contact us by phone at 310.336.5432 or by email at peoplemangmnt.mailbox@aero.org . You can also review Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal.

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