Senior Space Systems Engineer — High-Impact Payloads

General Atomics; Herndon (VA); On-site; USD 116,000 - 209,000; Full time

Job summary

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) in Herndon, VA, seeks a Senior Systems Engineer to lead multi‑discipline engineering efforts for space, defense, and national security programs. The role emphasizes system architecture, requirements tracking, and cross‑functional collaboration with DoD and IC customers.

Candidates should have advanced engineering education and a track record of leading complex programs, with the ability to work with tight timelines and security requirements.

Qualifications

• Requires bachelor's, master's, or PhD in engineering with progressive experience
• Strong technical fundamentals in engineering principles, theory, and practice
• Ability to plan, schedule, and coordinate workloads to meet milestones and lead teams
• Experience with system architecture, requirements tracking, and budgets for engineering systems
• Experience with spacecraft design, build, test, and operation; CONOPS design and mission modeling

Responsibilities

• Formulates long‑term plans for solution development, documentation, and deployment
• Evaluates integration within the engineering environment and ensures testing and maintenance
• Communicates with stakeholders throughout the development cycle as a technical contact
• Determines technical objectives for advanced engineering problems
• Leads or advises project teams and directs less experienced staff
• Plans for future applications based on new engineering developments
• Maintains confidentiality of sensitive information
• Observes all laws, regulations, and safety practices

Skills

Systems engineering

Leadership

Communication

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Master's degree in engineering

PhD in engineering

Tools

Spacecraft modelling tools

Orbital dynamics tools

Job description

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) in Herndon, VA, seeks a Senior Systems Engineer to lead multi‑discipline engineering efforts for space, defense, and national security programs. The role emphasizes system architecture, requirements tracking, and cross‑functional collaboration with DoD and IC customers.

Candidates should have advanced engineering education and a track record of leading complex programs, with the ability to work with tight timelines and security requirements.