Senior Staff Engineer

Socket.dev; Colorado Springs (CO); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

ENSCO Inc. is seeking a Senior Staff Engineer to work with Government leaders on a critical Satellite Control (TT&C) capability.

The role focuses on turning urgent mission needs into an executable acquisition path, balancing trade-offs and ensuring rapid, secure fielding of capabilities. You will lead cross-functional teams, develop decision packages, and drive the strategy across portfolio options, funding points, and transition to production in a fast-paced, on-site environment with a U.S.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, software engineering, computer science, physics, mathematics, engineering management, or a closely related technical discipline, plus a minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience.
• Experience influencing high-consequence mission and acquisition decisions.
• Proven ability to convert mission outcomes into executable acquisition pathways.

Responsibilities

• Convert mission urgency into acquisition action with clear outcomes and time-to-field targets.
• Set acquisition strategy across portfolio position, pathway, contracting options, and fielding increments.
• Drive portfolio trade-space decisions across mission effect, performance, cost, schedule, and interoperability.
• Design rapid learning campaigns with focused experiments and exit criteria to retire risk.
• Build modular open architectures and open interfaces to preserve options and reduce vendor lock-in.
• Advance commercial-first options and explore OTAs, COTS, and non-traditional suppliers.
• Connect mission architecture to fielding, including cybersecurity and sustainment.
• Create decision packages and scorecards to guide government decision makers.
• Lead a high-tempo cross-functional team across multiple domains including contracting, finance, and operations.

Skills

Acquisition strategy

Portfolio trade-offs

Mission architecture

Cybersecurity

Executive communication

Cross-functional leadership

Rapid experimentation

Decision packages

Education

Bachelor's or higher in engineering or related field

Job description

For more than 50 years, ENSCO has been providing leading-edge engineering, science and advanced technology solutions to governments and private industries worldwide.

ENSCO prides itself in creating and applying advanced technologies for mission success. We provide systems engineering, integration, and advanced technology services to transform the future safety, security, and resiliency of critical missions on the ground, in the air, in space, and in the information systems that connect these domains.

Learn more about ENSCO.

Position Description

ENSCO Inc. is a diverse engineering and technology company that provides engineering, science, and advanced technology solutions supporting mission success, safety, and security for government and commercial customers worldwide.

We are seeking a Senior Staff Engineer to work directly with Government acquisition and mission leaders responsible for a critical Satellite Control (Telemetry, Tracking, and Command - TT&C) capability. This role operates before prototype commitment and turns operational urgency into a clear path to buy, prove, integrate, and field capability.

This leader will connect mission outcomes, portfolio trade space, commercial and industrial options, mission architecture, cybersecurity, transition, and production scalability. The focus is decision velocity: define the smallest body of evidence needed for each decision, expose risk early, keep multiple options viable, and move the Government from concept to executable acquisition action. Government decision owners retain all formal authority.

Primary Responsibilities

• Convert mission urgency into acquisition action. Define the operational outcomes, time-to-field targets, production scale targets, critical constraints, and decision evidence needed before the Government commits resources to a prototype.
• Set the acquisition strategy. Lead development of the Government-owned strategy across portfolio position, acquisition pathway, competitive structure, contracting options, prototype sequencing, funding decision points, fielding increments, and transition.
• Drive portfolio trade-space decisions. Frame clear choices across mission effect, performance, cost, schedule, integration complexity, cybersecurity, interoperability, time-to-field, and production scalability so leaders can act quickly.
• Design rapid learning campaigns. Define focused experiments, demonstrations, digital evidence, knowledge points, exit criteria, and off-ramps that expose weak assumptions early and prevent premature commitment.
• Build for modularity and competition. Establish modular open architecture principles, open interfaces, data-rights objectives, integration seams, and replaceable capability increments that preserve options and reduce vendor lock-in.
• Advance commercial-first options. Evaluate commercial products, Commercial Solutions Openings, Other Transaction pathways, non-traditional suppliers, direct-to-supplier opportunities, dual-use solutions, and co-investment models when they accelerate mission outcomes.
• Connect mission architecture to fielding. Align mission threads, operator workflows, interfaces, data flows, external dependencies, infrastructure, cybersecurity, sustainment, training, and operational handoff from the start.
• Create decision packages and scorecards. Deliver concise option papers, capability roadmaps, industrial assessments, decision schedules, risk and opportunity views, and portfolio measures centered on time-to-field, production scalability, and mission outcomes.
• Synchronize empowered stakeholders. Drive a high-tempo decision cadence across acquisition, contracting, finance, operations, intelligence, communications, engineering, test, cybersecurity, logistics, and industry participants.
• Lead through execution. Surface blockers early, assign evidence and action owners, challenge unsupported assumptions, mentor technical contributors, and maintain accountability through the next Government decision and transition milestone.

Qualifications Required

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, software engineering, computer science, physics, mathematics, engineering management, or a closely related technical discipline, plus a minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience.
• Recognized as a top contributor within the technical community, with a well-established technical reputation and a record of influencing high-consequence mission and acquisition decisions.
• Demonstrated experience leading the creation or execution of an acquisition strategy during concept maturation, pre-prototype planning, rapid prototyping, or another early phase for a complex defense, intelligence, space, or mission capability.
• Proven ability to convert urgent mission outcomes into an executable acquisition pathway, competitive approach, prototype decision plan, measurable knowledge points, and fielding strategy.
• Ability to drive portfolio trade-offs among mission effect, performance, cost, schedule, integration complexity, cybersecurity, interoperability, time-to-field, and production scalability.
• Technical depth in mission architectures, operational threads, interfaces, data flows, external dependencies, modularity, interoperability, transition constraints, and integration risk.
• Experience designing rapid experiments or demonstrations and using evidence, exit criteria, and off-ramps to retire risk and accelerate commitment decisions.
• Experience producing executive decision packages, capability roadmaps, commercial and industrial assessments, portfolio scorecards, decision schedules, risk and opportunity views, and acquisition products that move leaders to action.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a high-tempo cross-functional team spanning acquisition, contracting, finance, operations, intelligence, communications, engineering, test, cybersecurity, logistics, and industry.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present clear options, consequences, and recommendations to senior leaders and document a defensible decision record.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, mission-driven on-site environment with periodic coordination or travel to vendor or mission sites as required.
• AN ACTIVE DOD SECURITY CLEARANCE IS REQUIRED FOR THIS POSITION FOR WHICH, YOU MUST BE A U.S. CITIZEN

Qualifications Desired

• Master's degree in electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, software engineering, engineering management, acquisition management, data analytics, or a related discipline.
• Experience with Satellite Control, TT&C, space-ground integration, command and control, mission management, or other space mission systems.
• Experience working directly with U.S. Space Force, Space Systems Command, Space Operations Command, or another DoD acquisition organization to accelerate a critical mission capability.
• Experience with capability portfolio management, empowered portfolio decision structures, or portfolio-level trade-space analysis across cost, performance, schedule, production, and mission outcomes.
• Hands-on experience with commercial-first sourcing, COTS evaluation, Commercial Solutions Openings, Other Transaction pathways, competitive prototyping, non-traditional suppliers, or direct-to-supplier strategies.
• Experience applying modular open architecture principles, open interfaces, intellectual property and data- rights strategies, cybersecurity integration, and replaceable capability increments.
• Experience using digital threads, digital twins, AI-enabled analytics, or portfolio scorecards to measure time-to-field, production scalability, and mission outcomes.
• Experience planning transition to operations and production, including sustainment, surge capacity, dual-use potential, exportability, or allied integration considerations.
• DAU acquisition credentials or comparable credentials in acquisition, contracting, portfolio leadership, product delivery, or mission analytics.
• Current Top Secret or TS/SCI eligibility.

Work Location

Work Location Type: Hybrid

Required Certifications: None

U.S. Citizenship Required: Yes

Security Clearance Required: Secret

Employment Type: Regular Full-time

Background Check Type: 7 Year Pre-Employment

Drug Screen Required: None

Position Contingent Upon Contract Award: Yes

Salary Range: $140,000 — $210,000 USD

REAL ID Requirement

This position may require the ability to access to U.S. federal facilities. In accordance with the Department of Homeland Security’s enforcement of the REAL ID Act, as of May 7, 2025, individuals must present a REAL ID-compliant form of identification or an acceptable alternative to gain entry. For a list of acceptable forms of identification, please click here.

Benefits

At ENSCO, a positive working environment and a competitive salary are only part of the reason for choosing a career here. We offer a comprehensive benefits package that creates a stimulating and supportive environment where you can thrive - visit ensco.com/careers/benefits to learn more.

Export Control and Licensing

This position may involve access to technology or technical data that is controlled under U.S. export control laws and regulations and the release of which to a non US person may require an export license from the U.S. Government.

Privacy

Your data privacy is important to ENSCO. Please click here to view our privacy policy. California residents can click here to view your California privacy rights.

EEO Statement

ENSCO, Inc. and its wholly owned U.S. subsidiaries are Equal Opportunity Employers– veterans, disability