Space Systems Architect – On-Orbit AI & Open-Standards

Mercury Systems; Hudson (NH); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Mercury Systems seeks an Expert Systems/Solution Architect Engineer to design scalable, open architectures for spaceborne radiation-hardened EO/IR and RF sensing systems. You will define data pathways, lead customer engagements, and architect AI-enabled on-orbit processing while addressing stringent mission constraints.

You will drive Advanced Concepts Group Space initiatives, interact with end customers, and contribute to white papers, proposals, and technical presentations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• 12+ years of systems engineering or architecture experience in spaceborne, radiation-hardened, RF, sensing, payload-processing, data-recording, or embedded-computing systems.
• Active U.S. Top Secret clearance; TS/SCI eligibility preferred. Clearances may be granted only to U.S. citizens.

Responsibilities

• Architect and evaluate open-standards-based EO/IR and RF payload-processing modules and subsystems.
• Define end-to-end data-path architectures, interfaces, requirements, and performance targets.
• Lead customer engagements and translate mission needs into hardware and software requirements.
• Design AI/ML-enabled on-orbit processing for target identification, data prioritization, feature extraction, sensor fusion, and selective data reduction.
• Address system-level constraints involving data rates, gain, noise, latency, throughput, synchronization, storage, power, thermal performance, radiation, and communications bandwidth.
• Assess technical risks, qualification requirements, costs, schedules, and long-term supportability.
• Mitigate Single Event Effects through component selection, circuit design, fault-tolerant architectures, and software controls.
• Lead trade studies involving heterogeneous processing, mixed-signal integration, and chip-scale packaging
• Monitor advances in radiation-hardened sensors, RF components, converters, processors, SSDRs, AI/ML, and data-reduction technologies.
• Advance EO/IR, RF, ADC, and DAC architectures for GEOINT, SIGINT, COMINT, ELINT, and electronic warfare systems across L, S, C, X, Ku, Ka, and W bands.
• Support white papers, proposals, RFIs, RFPs, RFQs, customer responses, and technical presentations.
• Provide technical support for space, naval, munitions, intelligence, and defense programs.
• Support space-related mergers and acquisitions by evaluating technical and strategic risks and opportunities.
• Establish partnerships with semiconductor manufacturers, research institutions, government agencies, universities, laboratories, and defense contractors.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Customer-facing

Technical leadership

Presentation

Technical writing

Proposal writing

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science / Electrical Engineering / Computer Engineering

Job description

Mercury Systems seeks an Expert Systems/Solution Architect Engineer to design scalable, open architectures for spaceborne radiation-hardened EO/IR and RF sensing systems. You will define data pathways, lead customer engagements, and architect AI-enabled on-orbit processing while addressing stringent mission constraints.

You will drive Advanced Concepts Group Space initiatives, interact with end customers, and contribute to white papers, proposals, and technical presentations.