Space Protection Operations Engineer

SAIC; Chantilly (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

SAIC is seeking a Space Protection Operations Engineer to join the Air Force, Space, and Intelligence Business Group. The role involves coordinating with end users, developers, and stakeholders for deploying protection capabilities into space operations, serving as the SPO on-site agent for user engagement, training, and O&M planning. Weekly travel may be required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 5+ years of experience; master’s with 3+ years; PhD with 0+ years; extensive experience may substitute for degree.
• Active Top Secret/SCI clearance with Poly.
• Experience in Intel Community or DoD space acquisitions or mission operations.
• Experience deploying and sustaining software in a 24/7 operations center or similar.
• Knowledge of agile software development principles.

Responsibilities

• Provides space protection operations mission expertise to acquisition managers and software engineers for tools enabling Indications and Warnings against space threats.
• Elicits system capability needs and UI/UX preferences from operational users.
• Collaborates with software developers to guide mission application enhancements.
• Manages the transition of new capabilities and software deliveries to operations.
• Leads the review and coordination of system documentation and training materials.
• Evaluates developer solutions, guides deployment activities, and assesses patches.

Skills

Agile software development principles

System engineering

Operational liaison

Education

Bachelor’s degree required

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

CI/CD

Space systems software

Job description

Job ID 2615993

Location Chantilly, VA, US

Date Posted 2026-08-21

Category Engineering and Sciences

Subcategory Systems Engineer

Schedule Full-Time

Shift Day Job

Travel Yes - 25% of the time

Minimum Clearance Required TS.SCI_wPoly

Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain None

Potential for Remote Work ORA_ON_SITE

Description

SAIC is seeking a Space Protection Operations Engineer to join the Air Force, Space, and Intelligence Business Group providing systems engineering and technical advisory services to a rapidly expanding Government Intelligence Community (IC) customer. The customer is developing the next generation of space and ground systems, architectures, and hardware and software solutions. This position may require weekly travel to other locations in the Washington, DC metro area.

The Space Protection Operations Engineer will serve as the subject matter expert (SME) and System Program Office (SPO) representative coordinating with end user operators, the developer, and other stakeholders for the deployment of new protection capabilities into space operations. The Space Protection Operations Engineer is the SPO's on-site agent for user-engagement with operators of a space protection system and will collaborate with site users and SMEs within the SPO home office to support system testing, transition to operations planning, user/operator training, Operations and Maintenance (O&M) planning and Deficiency Report (DR) management, and be the focal point for representing SPO equities to the site's Operations stakeholders.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to

• Provides space protection operations mission expertise to acquisition managers and software engineers in the development of tools that provide operators Indications and Warning against Space threats.
• Elicits system capability needs and user interface/experience (UI/UX) preferences from operational users.
• Collaborates with software developers to inform/guide mission application enhancements.
• Manages the transition of new capabilities and software deliveries to operations.
• Leads the review and coordination of system documentation and training materials.
• Evaluates developer solutions, guides software deployment activities, and assesses software patches/fixes.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s and 5 or more years of experience; master’s and 3 or more years of experience; PhD and 0 or more years of experience. Extensive experience may be considered in lieu of degree.
• Active Top Secret/SCI clearance with Poly.
• Experience in Intel Community or Department of War space acquisitions or mission operations.
• Experience deploying and sustaining software within a 24/7 operations center or similar environment.
• Knowledge of agile software development principles.

Desired

• Experience with DevOps, including continuous integration and continuous delivery/deployment (CI/CD).
• Experience in Space Protection operations and familiarity with protection technologies.
• Experience authoring operator-related or software deployment documentation.
• Experience in Space system testing, simulation, and modeling environments.
• Knowledge of the fundamentals of orbital mechanics and orbit determination.

Target salary range $120,001 - $160,000. The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors.