Senior OsUAS Technical Advisor - Defense Acquisition Leader

The Aerospace Corporation; The Prairies at Wright Field (OH); On-site; USD 151,000 - 227,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health care and wellness

Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation

401(k) plan with company contributions

Relocation assistance

Professional growth and development

Education assistance

Telework options

Job summary

The Aerospace Corporation seeks a Senior Technical Advisor to support the USAF OsUAS program office. You will guide development, testing, and procurement of Group 1-3 small UAS capabilities, ensuring technical rigor across portfolios.

Role requires deep experience in defense acquisition, strong communication, and the ability to collaborate with government, contractors, and internal teams. Dayton, OH on-site position with up to 25% travel; Top Secret/SCI clearance is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM discipline or closely related technical field.
• 12+ years of progressive technical and leadership experience in defense acquisition or program oversight.
• Experience conducting technical analyses and engineering trades related to UAS system capabilities.
• Proven success working with government program offices, senior leaders, and cross‑functional technical teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Active Top Secret/SCI security clearance; U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a clearance.
• Current SAP/SAR program access or ability to obtain.
• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time or as needed to meet mission needs.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a Senior Technical Advisor to the OsUAS portfolio, providing independent assessment and guidance across development, testing, and procurement of UAS.
• Provide expert technical judgment to inform system design trades and acquisition strategy considerations.
• Foster collaborative relationships across government, SETA, contractors, and FFRDC partners to deliver high‑quality assessments and decision supports.
• Engage Aerospace experts in autonomy, orchestration, EO/IR sensors, EW, PNT, mesh networking, LIDAR, and related areas to address challenges in multi‑use UAS platforms.
• Contribute technically in mission areas related to small UAS operations, including payload integration, autonomy, sensing, navigation, and survivability.
• Identify technical risks and opportunities and advise leadership on mitigation approaches and lessons learned.

Skills

Top Secret/SCI clearance

Excellent communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in STEM

Advanced technical degree

Job description

The Aerospace Corporation seeks a Senior Technical Advisor to support the USAF OsUAS program office. You will guide development, testing, and procurement of Group 1-3 small UAS capabilities, ensuring technical rigor across portfolios.

Role requires deep experience in defense acquisition, strong communication, and the ability to collaborate with government, contractors, and internal teams. Dayton, OH on-site position with up to 25% travel; Top Secret/SCI clearance is required.