Senior Space Systems Chief Engineer

Trident; Fairfax (VA); On-site; USD 129,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) with company match

Tuition reimbursement

Paid time off

Holidays

Annual discretionary bonus

Job summary

Trident Systems, based in Fairfax, VA, is seeking a Program Chief Engineer to lead the program’s technical direction and delivery of space-based hardware systems. The role requires driving requirements, design verification, and cross-team alignment to meet cost, schedule, and performance objectives.

The candidate will oversee engineering reviews, manage risks, and communicate status to leadership while supporting travel as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 12+ years engineering experience with demonstrated technical leadership.
• Experience delivering aerospace, defense, communications, or other mission critical hardware systems.
• Background in project engineering, systems engineering, integration, and verification.
• Experience supporting or leading complex development programs.
• Strong communication, planning, and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead all technical aspects of the program and serve as the primary technical point of contact.
• Drive requirements development, system integration, and verification activities.
• Manage technical risks and issues with timely, actionable mitigation plans.
• Prepare and conduct engineering reviews and support customer technical discussions.
• Lead customer-facing Program Reviews including SRR, PDR, and CDR.
• Ensure engineering execution supports program cost, schedule, and performance goals.
• Coordinate with engineering teams on staffing, standards, and processes.
• Provide clear communication of technical status to leadership.
• Ability to support travel or off-site work as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Systems engineering

Project engineering

Verification

Communication

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

FPGA architectures

SDR architectures

Cybersecurity concepts

Job description

Trident Systems, based in Fairfax, VA, is seeking a Program Chief Engineer to lead the program’s technical direction and delivery of space-based hardware systems. The role requires driving requirements, design verification, and cross-team alignment to meet cost, schedule, and performance objectives.

The candidate will oversee engineering reviews, manage risks, and communicate status to leadership while supporting travel as needed.