Senior Satellite & Ground Systems Engineer

MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES, INC.; Westminster (CO); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Vantor, headquartered in Westminster, Colorado, seeks a Senior Satellite & Ground Systems Engineer to lead and sustain systems engineering across multiple complex space and ground programs. You will define mission concepts, develop ConOps, capture stakeholder needs, and manage system requirements from concept through verification and deployment.

Experts in MBSE (SysML) and architecture will guide cross-disciplinary teams in a fast-paced environment, ensuring rigorous traceability and end-to-end

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical discipline with strong systems engineering background.
• 6+ years in aerospace, defense, robotics, or multidisciplinary programs.
• Experience developing architecture and ConOps from needs to verification.

Responsibilities

• Lead and sustain systems engineering activities across multiple space and ground programs.
• Establish and maintain the technical foundation by defining mission concepts and ConOps.
• Capture stakeholder needs, manage requirements, and ensure traceability across lifecycle.
• Develop high-level systems architecture and ensure technical consistency from concept to deployment.
• Work across the V-model to verify integration, test, and operations.
• Collaborate across engineering disciplines and communicate complex concepts clearly.

Skills

MBSE

SysML

ConOps

System architecture

Requirements traceability

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Communication

Lifecycle engineering

Education

Systems Engineering

Aerospace/Mechanical/Electrical/Computer Eng

Physics

Tools

Cameo Systems Modeler

Enterprise Architect

MagicDraw

STK

IBM DOORS Next

Jama Connect

Polarion

Job description

Vantor is unleashing a more autonomous, interoperable world. Forging the new frontier of spatial intelligence, we empower decision makers and operators with the clarity they need to navigate what’s happening now and shape what’s coming next. Our AI-powered spatial intelligence platform fuses data from the world’s highest-resolution satellites with real-time sensor feeds from space, air, and ground to create the most accurate living digital replica of Earth. Vantor is headquartered in Westminster, Colorado.The SpaceWrx division of Vantor is developing the next generation of satellite systems, ground infrastructure, and mission operations capabilities that enable responsive, high-performance commercial and national security space missions. The Mission Architecture & Systems Engineering (MASE) team provides technical leadership that transforms mission objectives into integrated, executable system designs spanning spacecraft, payloads, ground systems, software, communications, and operations.We are seeking an experienced Senior Satellite & Ground Systems Engineer to lead and sustain systems engineering activities across multiple complex space and ground development programs and sustained operational capabilities. This role is responsible for establishing and maintaining the technical foundation of our systems by defining mission concepts, developing Concepts of Operations (ConOps), capturing stakeholder needs, managing system requirements, developing high-level system architecture, and ensuring technical consistency from concept through verification and operational deployment.Systems engineering at SpaceWrx is fundamentally a technical discipline—not a documentation exercise. Successful engineers actively engage across the entire system lifecycle, collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams, and drive architecture, integration, analysis, and technical decision-making. You will work across every phase of the systems engineering “V-model” to ensure mission objectives are translated into implementable designs and ultimately verified through successful system integration, test, and operations.This role requires a systems thinker who enjoys solving complex multidisciplinary problems, building consensus across engineering organizations, and enabling development teams to execute with clarity, speed, and technical rigor.Minimum QualificationsMust be a U.S. CitizenBachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline.Minimum of 6 years of professional systems engineering experience supporting complex aerospace, defense, robotics, autonomous systems, or other multidisciplinary engineering programs.Demonstrated experience developing system architecture from stakeholder needs through implementation and verification.Experience developing Concepts of Operations (ConOps), operational scenarios, mission threads, and use cases.Experience eliciting, decomposing, allocating, and managing system requirements throughout the development lifecycle.Experience developing and maintaining requirements traceability between stakeholder needs, use cases, system requirements, architecture, design artifacts, verification plans, and test results.Working knowledge of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) methodologies and SysML.Experience participating in architecture development and high-level system design across hardware, software, and operational domains.Strong understanding of the complete systems engineering lifecycle, including concept development, architecture, design, implementation, integration, verification, validation, deployment, and sustainment.Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively across multiple engineering disciplines and with technical subject matter experts.Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex technical concepts to diverse engineering audiences.Ability to work in a fast-paced, highly collaborative engineering environment while balancing multiple concurrent programs.Preferred Qualifications10 or more years of professional systems engineering experience supporting spacecraft, satellite constellations, remote sensing systems, ground systems, or mission operations.Experience leading systems engineering activities on end-to-end space systems including spacecraft, payloads, communications, ground infrastructure, and mission operations.Familiarity with inter-satellite communications including optical crosslink and R/F.Experience with MBSE tools such as Cameo Systems Modeler, Enterprise Architect, MagicDraw, or equivalent SysML environments.Familiarity and exposure to the Ansys engineering tool suite, including STK.Experience with requirements management tools such as IBM DOORS Next, Jama Connect, Polarion, or similar platforms.Experience performing functional analysis, interface definition, and system decomposition.Experience developing system interface definitions and Interface Control Documents (ICDs).Familiarity with digital engineering practices and model-centric development environments and their use across the development lifecycleExperience supporting formal systems engineering reviews including SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, and SVR.Experience planning or supporting system verification and validation activities, including development of verification methods, test plans, and verification matrices.Working knowledge of systems engineering standards such as ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288, the INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook, or the NASA Systems Engineering HandbookExperience supporting agile or iterative development environments while maintaining disciplined systems engineering practices.Familiarity with configuration management and engineering change processes.Experience with Git, Jira, Confluence, or similar engineering collaboration and development tools.Successful candidates are technically credible systems engineers who balance architectural thinking with practical execution. They take ownership of complex technical problems, communicate clearly across organizational boundaries, and help engineering teams move quickly without sacrificing rigor. They are comfortable operating across the full systems engineering lifecycle, engaging with stakeholders, defining mission architecture, collaborating with implementation teams, and ensuring that every level of the system remains connected through disciplined traceability.Within SpaceWrx, systems engineers are expected to lead through technical expertise, initiative, and collaboration. They build bridges between disciplines, make data-driven decisions, continuously improve engineering practices, and help deliver resilient space systems that perform in demanding operational environments.#LI-MG1