Space Ground Integration Program Director

RKF Engineering Solutions, LLC (DBA Auria); Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous PTO and flexible time off

Flex Time where permitted

11 paid holidays + floating holidays

401(k) match up to 4%

Tuition and certifications support up"

Health insurance

Life insurance

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

Auria is seeking an experienced Program Director to lead a complex U.S. Space Force ground architecture framework and integration effort from Washington, DC area.

You'll shape the enterprise ground integration framework, coordinate with Government and industry partners, and ensure successful execution across scope, cost, and schedule. The role requires strong leadership, deep systems integration knowledge, and hands-on experience with cloud, APIs, and open architecture.

Qualifications

• Current U.S. Government Secret clearance and ability to obtain and maintain TS/SCI eligibility; U.S. Citizenship required.
• Minimum 7 years of progressively responsible program or technical leadership experience supporting complex software, information technology, space ground, C2, or system-of-systems integration programs.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex Government programs involving multiple technical organizations, vendors, subcontractors, or externally developed systems.
• Demonstrated experience managing scope, WBS, IMS, cost, schedule, staffing, risk, change, deliverables, and contractual performance.
• Working technical understanding of cloud-based software systems, including how applications are developed, integrated, deployed, secured, tested, accredited, operated, and sustained in Government environments.
• Understanding of systems integration and open architecture principles, including APIs/interfaces, data exchange, modularity, interoperability, integration testing, and management of dependencies among independently developed systems.
• Ability to understand complex technical issues and engage credibly with engineers, architects, operators, and Government technical leadership while translating those issues into programmatic implications and executive-level recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities, rapidly reprioritize resources, and maintain execution discipline in a dynamic mission environment.
• Strong customer engagement, written communication, briefing, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, including experience presenting complex issues and recommendations to senior Government and corporate leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to take ownership of ambiguous or evolving problems, establish structure and accountability, and drive issues through resolution

Responsibilities

• Establish trusted relationships with customer leadership, mission stakeholders, technical organizations, industry partners, and vendors.
• Lead end-to-end program execution, maintaining accountability for scope, technical performance, cost, schedule, staffing, quality, contractual commitments, and mission outcomes.
• Establish and maintain an integrated program baseline, including WBS, IMS, milestones, dependencies, deliverables, staffing/resource plans, and cost forecasts.
• Integrate program management and systems engineering activities so that requirements, architecture, technical dependencies, schedule, cost, risk, and verification activities remain synchronized.
• Lead execution of a complex system-of-systems integration environment involving Government and commercial satellite operations services, GEPs, space vehicle vendors, mission applications, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity capabilities, networks, and other third-party systems.
• Possess sufficient technical understanding of satellite ground systems and mission operations to evaluate how mission planning, scheduling, command and control, telemetry, communications, network services, ground infrastructure, and space vehicle interfaces collectively support end-to-end mission threads.
• Understand modern cloud-native architectures and deployment models, including cloud infrastructure, containerized applications and microservices, APIs, CI/CD and DevSecOps pipelines, data services, identity/access management, observability, resiliency, and deployment across multiple security environments.
• Work closely with the Chief Engineer, systems engineering, software, cloud/platform, cybersecurity, integration/test, and operations leads to ensure technical decisions are translated into executable plans, schedules, resource requirements, risks, and customer decisions.
• Drive an open, modular integration strategy based on MOSA principles, open standards, reusable interfaces, and API-driven integration to reduce vendor lock-in and enable rapid onboarding, replacement, and evolution of third-party capabilities.
• Establish disciplined processes for third-party integration and onboarding, including interface definition, dependency management, integration readiness, verification, configuration management, and identification of technical or contractual blockers.
• Lead risk and opportunity management, identifying technical, programmatic, contractual, staffing, integration, cybersecurity, and schedule risks early; establish mitigation plans and elevate issues requiring Government or corporate decisions before they impact mission delivery.
• Maintain strong cost and schedule discipline, using credible program data and leading indicators to identify trends, forecast outcomes, assess impacts of proposed changes, and provide management and the Government with actionable recommendations rather than status reporting alone.
• Manage contractual scope and change, ensuring new requirements, Government direction, technical changes, and evolving mission needs are evaluated for cost, schedule, staffing, technical, and contractual impacts before incorporation into the program baseline.
• Oversee subcontractor, vendor, and partner execution, ensuring externally provided products and services meet required technical, interface, schedule, cybersecurity, and performance commitments and integrate successfully into the broader enterprise.
• Partner with the Government to develop and maintain a technical and programmatic roadmap for future ground evolution, anticipating growth in spacecraft, vendors, users, mission services, infrastructure, operational tempo, and interoperability requirements.

Skills

Secret clearance

TS/SCI eligibility

US citizenship

Program leadership

Systems engineering

Cloud-based systems understanding

Vendor management

Risk management

Customer engagement

Interpersonal skills

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering, CS, or IS

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

MOSA principles

APIs/interfaces

CI/CD pipelines

DevSecOps

Job description

Auria is seeking an experienced Program Director to lead a complex U.S. Space Force ground architecture framework and integration effort from Washington, DC area.

You'll shape the enterprise ground integration framework, coordinate with Government and industry partners, and ensure successful execution across scope, cost, and schedule. The role requires strong leadership, deep systems integration knowledge, and hands-on experience with cloud, APIs, and open architecture.