Senior Space Systems Engineer — ESR & Extended Mission Lead

SAIC; Chantilly (VA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

SAIC is seeking a Principal Systems Engineer to support ESR execution, extended mission activities, and activation opportunities. You will bridge mission science objectives with engineering solutions and help plan, integrate, and execute milestones throughout the mission lifecycle.

The role involves working with the Mission Science Team to ensure objectives are met, translating science requirements into technical plans, and coordinating across engineering and science stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with significant experience, or advanced degrees with years of experience in systems engineering or related fields.
• Experience in ESR processes, extended missions, and lifecycle planning.
• Strong planning, scheduling, and cross-functional coordination abilities.
• Security clearance required: TS/SCI with polygraph.

Responsibilities

• Lead ESR execution activities, milestone reviews, readiness and risk management.
• Develop transition plans from primary to extended missions.
• Identify activation opportunities to extend mission objectives.
• Support anomaly resolution during extended mission phases.
• Collaborate with Mission Science Team on data collection and analysis needs.
• Translate science requirements into technical plans with traceability.
• Integrate data collection and processing into operational plans.
• Create integrated schedules and manage interfaces across teams.
• Coordinate stakeholders and report progress to leadership.
• Assess mission risks and track performance for continuous improvement.
• Document activities and produce detailed reports.

Skills

TS/SCI with Polygraph

Cross-functional teamwork

Analytical/problem solving

Schedule planning

Education

Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering / related field

Master's degree +7 years experience

PhD +4 years experience

Tools

MS Project

Primavera

Job description

SAIC is seeking a Principal Systems Engineer to support ESR execution, extended mission activities, and activation opportunities. You will bridge mission science objectives with engineering solutions and help plan, integrate, and execute milestones throughout the mission lifecycle.

The role involves working with the Mission Science Team to ensure objectives are met, translating science requirements into technical plans, and coordinating across engineering and science stakeholders.