Space R&D Systems Engineer

International Executive Service Corps

Chantilly, Northern (VA, KY)

Hybrid

USD 149,000 - 170,000

Full time

6 days ago

Be an early applicant

Get more replies from employers

Send a job-specific resume in minutes.

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Paid Time Off

Life Insurance

Short Term and Long-Term Disability

Retirement and Savings

Learning and Development opportunities

wellness programs

other optional benefit elections

Job summary

FTS International, LLC is seeking a Space R&D Systems Engineer in Chantilly, VA to support a Program Office leading R&D of transformational space systems, with emphasis on AI/ML capability development and transition to operations.

The Space R&D Systems Engineer will translate mission needs into technical requirements, coordinate Agile development, and foster external partnerships with universities and industry to advance AI/ML capabilities for operational spacecraft and ground systems.

Qualifications

TS/SCI with polygraph.
BS STEM in engineering discipline.
9+ years' relevant experience.
Demonstrated ability to translate between technical development teams and operational end-users.
Experience coordinating Agile software or AI/ML development teams (product owner, scrum, or equivalent).
Working knowledge of AI/ML concepts, including foundation models, agentic systems, and multi-modal approaches.
Stakeholder management and cross-organizational collaboration experience within the IC or DoD.
Experience supporting program or portfolio execution across acquisition vehicles, including acquisition strategy, funding, stakeholder alignment, and project approvals.
Strong written and oral communication for technical and senior-leadership audiences.
Critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills.

Responsibilities

Serve as the mission translator between AI/ML developers, systems engineers, and operational end-users, converting mission needs into technical requirements and technical capability into operational outcomes at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels
Serve as the primary translator between AI/ML development teams and operational mission stakeholders, orchestrates multi-team Agile development, cultivates external research partnerships, and helps the customer manage and execute the office's full program portfolio, driving progress across its acquisition vehicles from strategy through funding, stakeholder alignment, and approval
Help the customer manage and execute the program office's full portfolio of programs, driving progress across all acquisition vehicles: shaping acquisition strategy, identifying and securing funding, identifying and aligning stakeholders, and obtaining project approvals and authorizations
Orchestrate an AI/ML development team and its supporting contractor performers; coordinate development efforts, drive the Agile process, and serve as proxy product owner across ceremonies and PI planning
Lead applied research adapting cutting-edge AI/ML technologies, including agentic systems, multi-modal foundation models, and modern integration frameworks, to specific IC and DoD mission areas, and validate feasibility before transition to operations
Guide development and integration of AI/ML capabilities intended for operational spacecraft and mission-baseline ground systems, including cross-domain (low-to-high) transfer
Develop and manage external R&D partnerships with universities and industry; engage faculty, researchers, and vendors to identify and onboard work aligned to mission priorities
Support structuring and administration of rapid-cycle acquisition and partnership mechanisms, such as Partnership Intermediary Agreements (PIA), to bring external research onboard at mission speed
Drive cross-organizational collaboration and stakeholder alignment across program offices, the broader NRO enterprise, and the Intelligence Community to enable capability transition
Align R&D priorities to Directorate and Enterprise requirements; build the investment case, secure steering-committee buy-in, and grow program scope
Provide continuity and institutional knowledge through government and contractor transitions; onboard new performers and integrate diverse teams
Perform analyses of alternatives and deliver technical and programmatic briefings, assessments, and recommendations to customer staff, senior leadership, and industry partners

Skills

TS/SCI with polygraph

9+ years' experience

Translate between teams and end-users

Agile/AI‑ML coordination

AI/ML concepts knowledge

Stakeholder management

Program/portfolio execution

Strong communication

Critical thinking

Education

BS STEM in engineering

MS STEM in engineering

Job description

FTS International, LLC (FTS) is committed to providing the Federal Government with quality consultants and support.To ensure mission success we focus on putting our customers first while minimizing corporate bureaucracy onour staff.We provide Subject Matter Experts (SME) free of Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI)focused onindependent analysis and mission support services within the disciplines of Engineering, Counter Terrorism Operations, Management, Information Technology, Signals Analysis, Administration, Cyber Security and Linguistics.

FTS has an opportunity for a Space R&D Systems Engineer in Chantilly, VA.

The Space R&D Systems Engineer will support a Program Office leading research and development of transformational space systems, with emphasis on AI/ML capability development and transition to operations.

Responsibilities

Serve as the mission translator between AI/ML developers, systems engineers, and operational end-users, converting mission needs into technical requirements and technical capability into operational outcomes at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels
Serve as the primary translator between AI/ML development teams and operational mission stakeholders, orchestrates multi-team Agile development, cultivates external research partnerships, and helps the customer manage and execute the office's full program portfolio, driving progress across its acquisition vehicles from strategy through funding, stakeholder alignment, and approval
Help the customer manage and execute the program office's full portfolio of programs, driving progress across all acquisition vehicles: shaping acquisition strategy, identifying and securing funding, identifying and aligning stakeholders, and obtaining project approvals and authorizations
Orchestrate an AI/ML development team and its supporting contractor performers; coordinate development efforts, drive the Agile process, and serve as proxy product owner across ceremonies and PI planning
Lead applied research adapting cutting-edge AI/ML technologies, including agentic systems, multi-modal foundation models, and modern integration frameworks, to specific IC and DoD mission areas, and validate feasibility before transition to operations
Guide development and integration of AI/ML capabilities intended for operational spacecraft and mission-baseline ground systems, including cross-domain (low-to-high) transfer
Develop and manage external R&D partnerships with universities and industry; engage faculty, researchers, and vendors to identify and onboard work aligned to mission priorities
Support structuring and administration of rapid-cycle acquisition and partnership mechanisms, such as Partnership Intermediary Agreements (PIA), to bring external research onboard at mission speed
Drive cross-organizational collaboration and stakeholder alignment across program offices, the broader NRO enterprise, and the Intelligence Community to enable capability transition
Align R&D priorities to Directorate and Enterprise requirements; build the investment case, secure steering-committee buy-in, and grow program scope
Provide continuity and institutional knowledge through government and contractor transitions; onboard new performers and integrate diverse teams
Perform analyses of alternatives and deliver technical and programmatic briefings, assessments, and recommendations to customer staff, senior leadership, and industry partners

Required Skills/Qualifications

TS/SCI with polygraph
BS STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math) in engineering discipline
9+ years' relevant experience
Demonstrated ability to translate between technical development teams and operational end-users
Experience coordinating Agile software or AI/ML development teams (product owner, scrum, or equivalent)
Working knowledge of AI/ML concepts, including foundation models, agentic systems, and multi-modal approaches
Stakeholder management and cross-organizational collaboration experience within the IC or DoD
Experience supporting program or portfolio execution across acquisition vehicles, including acquisition strategy, funding, stakeholder alignment, and project approvals
Strong written and oral communication for technical and senior-leadership audiences
Critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills

Desired Skills/Qualifications

MS STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math) in engineering discipline
Operational mission background (space operations, ISR, maritime, or comparable) supporting domain SME credibility
Experience with novel acquisition and partnership vehicles (PIA, OTA, CRADA, or similar)
Experience developing university and industry R&D partnerships
Familiarity with agentic and model-integration frameworks (for example MCP or Google ADK) and multi-modal model development
Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, EKS) and cross-domain solutions
Systems engineering and integration across spacecraft, ground, and launch systems
Digital Engineering / MBSE, modeling and simulation, or performance analysis
Program growth, capture, or business development exposure
Knowledge of IC missions, organizations, and processes

Expected Salary Range:

$149,000 - $170,000 per year. Placement within the range is determined by qualifications, job-related criteria, experience, internal equity and market considerations.