Space Segment Lead (Clearance Required)

Sierra Space; Centennial (CO); On-site; USD 174,000 - 239,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) with 150% match

3 weeks PTO

Life insurance

Job summary

Sierra Space seeks a Space Segment Lead to oversee end-to-end spacecraft delivery, from kickoff to handover, ensuring conformance to mission specs, baselines, and budgets.

You will drive space segment requirements, manage interfaces between bus and payload, and lead risk-enabled engineering across multiple life cycles, including V&V activities, with an active Secret clearance requirement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
• 15+ years of related experience (or Master’s degree + 13 years).
• Ability to drive multidisciplinary system development initiatives.
• Advanced expertise in Systems Engineering principles.
• Experience across multiple system development life cycles, including requirements management, functional requirements parsing, derivation, and allocation.
• Expertise in developing systems architecture and performing V&V activities.
• Ability to contribute to corporate Systems Engineering policy and process definition.
• Demonstrated ability to work with technical engineers to drive SE products.
• Active Secret U.S. Security Clearance.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end delivery of the spacecraft from kick-off to final handover.
• Define, flow down, and trace space segment requirements with Systems engineering support.
• Manage interfaces between satellite bus and payload, resolving conflicts across teams.
• Guide AI&T flows and environmental ground testing and launch preparations.
• Direct acquisition and management of major bus contractors, payload providers, and subsystems suppliers.
• Track technical performance metrics and define risk mitigation strategies.
• Serve as primary technical point of contact for stakeholders.

Skills

Technical leadership

Project management

Communication

Problem solving

Budget management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Job description

Space Segment Lead

As a Space Segment Lead, your key tasks in this role will be:

• Program Execution: Own the end‑to‑end delivery of the spacecraft from kick‑off to final handover, ensuring compliance with mission specifications, technical baselines, and cost constraints. Develop and maintain space segment schedule, budget, and resource plans.
• Space Segment Requirements/Verifications: Define, flow down, and trace the space segment technical requirements from mission‑level objectives with support of Systems engineering. Author the comprehensive Verification and Validation (V&V) matrix to systematically prove spacecraft compliance through analysis, inspection, demonstration, and environmental qualification testing.
• Subsystem and Payload Integration: Manage critical interfaces between the satellite bus and the payload, driving resolution of technical conflicts across hardware and software teams.
• AI&T Oversight: Support Assembly, Integration, and Testing (AI&T) flows, guide environmental ground testing (vibration, thermal vacuum) and launch campaign preparations.
• Supplier Management: Direct the acquisition and management of major bus contractors, payload providers, and subsystem suppliers, including statements of work (SOWs) and acceptance reviews.
• Risk Management: Track technical performance metrics, define risk mitigation strategies, and manage the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) to prevent schedule slips.
• Customer Interface: Serve as the primary technical point of contact for stakeholders, communicating design status and handling programmatic deliverables.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field (or equivalent work experience in lieu of a degree).
• 15+ years of related experience (or Master’s degree + 13 years of experience).
• Ability to drive multidisciplinary system development initiatives, architect comprehensive systems integrating multiple sub‑systems.
• Advanced expertise in Systems Engineering principles and practices.
• Robust experience across multiple system development life cycles, including requirements management, functional requirements parsing, derivation, and allocation.
• Expertise in developing systems architecture and performing systems integration, verification, and validation (V&V) activities.
• Ability to contribute to corporate Systems Engineering policy and process definition and implementation.
• Demonstrated ability to work and communicate with technical and specialty subject matter expert engineers to drive systems engineering products.
• Active Secret U.S. Security Clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Solid understanding of spacecraft subsystems (CDH, Comm, EPS, GNC, Prop, SMS, TCS).
• Experience establishing and managing Space Segment TPMs, aggressively tracking subsystem margins, and implementing corrective action plans when technical budgets approach critical thresholds.
• Knowledge of orbital mechanics, space environment, and mission design.
• Familiarity with space industry standards and regulatory requirements.
• Understanding of systems engineering processes and lifecycle management.
• Experience with spacecraft test and integration processes.

Skills

• Strong technical leadership and decision‑making abilities.
• Excellent project management and organizational skills.
• Effective communication with technical teams, customers, and executives.
• Problem‑solving and critical‑thinking in complex system environments.
• Budget management and resource allocation expertise.

Compensation

Pay Range: $173,748.00 – $238,903.50. Base compensation will be determined on a case‑by‑case basis and may vary based on job‑related knowledge and skills, education, experience, internal equity and market competitiveness.

Security Clearance

Position requires a current/active Secret U.S. Security Clearance. U.S. citizenship is required as the position needs an active U.S. Security Clearance for employment. Non‑U.S. Citizens may not be eligible to obtain a security clearance.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision plans; 401(k) with 150% match up to 6%; life insurance; 3 weeks paid time off; and additional benefits as provided by the company.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Sierra Space Corporation is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need special assistance or a reasonable accommodation related to applying for employment with Sierra Space or at any stage of the recruitment process, please contact us.

Application Deadline

This role will remain posted until a qualified pool of candidates is identified.