Space Vehicle & Payload Engineer for SDA Constellation

Saic; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

SAIC in El Segundo, CA seeks a Space Vehicle and Payload Engineer to provide critical technical expertise to Government mission managers. The role spans planning, development, and execution for national security satellite operations within the System Engineering and Integration Team.

You will bridge program planning and active mission execution while guiding autonomous operations and sustainment of space assets.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering with at least 10 years of applicable experience.
• Experience managing multi-satellite constellation operations, logistics, or deployment schedules.
• Direct technical experience with optical, RF, or radar payloads and link budgets.
• Experience with space vehicle and payload sustainment and mission integration.
• Security clearance, SCI eligibility, and polygraph prerequisites.

Responsibilities

• Provide payload and space vehicle engineering support across lifecycle phases.
• Develop program plans for constellation deployment and readiness.
• Define and verify mission requirements for spacecraft capability.
• Deliver mission integration services for vehicle and payload operations.
• Prepare assessments and presentations for leadership reviews.
• Generate mission status reports for program updates.
• Review technical documentation for sustainment contracts.
• Support future operations of SDA satellite constellation.
• Manage Engineering Change Proposal processes with evaluations and impacts.
• Collaborate with contractors and government stakeholders on design changes.
• Perform risk assessments on hardware and software changes.

Skills

Space systems engineering

Payload integration

Mission operations

RF payloads

Optical payloads

Link budgets

Education

Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering or related field

Job description

SAIC in El Segundo, CA seeks a Space Vehicle and Payload Engineer to provide critical technical expertise to Government mission managers. The role spans planning, development, and execution for national security satellite operations within the System Engineering and Integration Team.

You will bridge program planning and active mission execution while guiding autonomous operations and sustainment of space assets.