Senior Space Systems Architect – On-Orbit AI/ML

Mercury Systems; Andover (MA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Mercury Systems is seeking an Expert Systems/Solution Architect Engineer to design scalable, open architectures for spaceborne EO/IR and RF sensing systems. You will define data paths, processing, and storage, guiding cross-functional teams and acting as the principal technical liaison with customers.

You will lead the Advanced Concepts Group Space Strategic Initiative, drive market evaluations, and standardize offerings across units.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• At least 12 years of systems engineering or architecture experience in spaceborne, radiation-hardened, RF sensing, payload-processing, data-recording, or embedded computing systems.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and directing complex programs.
• Strong customer-facing, investigative, problem-solving, communication, and technical-writing skills.
• Experience preparing technical publications, white papers, bids, and proposals.
• Ability to align EO/IR and RF edge processing solutions with customer and mission requirements.
• Active U.S. Top Secret clearance; TS/SCI eligibility preferred.

Responsibilities

• Architect and evaluate open-standards-based EO/IR and RF payload-processing modules and subsystems.
• Define end-to-end data-path architectures, interfaces, requirements, and performance targets.
• Lead customer engagements and translate mission needs into hardware and software requirements.
• Design AI/ML-enabled on-orbit processing for target identification, data prioritization, feature extraction, sensor fusion, and data reduction.
• Address system-level constraints including data rates, latency, storage, power, and thermal performance.
• Assess technical risks, costs, schedules, and long-term supportability.
• Mitigate Single Event Effects through component selection and fault-tolerant architectures.
• Lead trade studies involving heterogeneous processing and chip-scale packaging.
• Monitor advances in radiation-hardened sensors and AI/ML data-reduction tech.
• Advance EO/IR, RF, ADC, and DAC architectures across GEOINT, SIGINT, COMINT, ELINT, and EW bands.
• Support white papers, proposals, RFIs, RFPs, RFQs, and customer presentations.
• Provide technical support for space, naval, munitions, intelligence, and defense programs.
• Support space-related M&A by evaluating technical and strategic risks.
• Establish partnerships with semiconductor manufacturers and research institutions.

Skills

Systems engineering

Architecture leadership

Customer engagement

Technical writing

Proposal writing

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/EE/CE

Job description

Mercury Systems is seeking an Expert Systems/Solution Architect Engineer to design scalable, open architectures for spaceborne EO/IR and RF sensing systems. You will define data paths, processing, and storage, guiding cross-functional teams and acting as the principal technical liaison with customers.

You will lead the Advanced Concepts Group Space Strategic Initiative, drive market evaluations, and standardize offerings across units.