Sr. Principal Mission Architect

Redwire; Littleton (CO); On-site; USD 171,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Redwire is seeking a Senior Principal Mission Architect in Littleton, CO to lead mission architecture development and support business capture teams. You will translate customer objectives into end-to-end architectures and drive growth with senior technical leadership across propulsion, GNC/ADCS, power, thermal, avionics, payloads, and ground segments.

You will mentor engineers, develop MBSE artifacts, define requirements baselines, and guide trade studies and discriminator mapping for proposals

Qualifications

• B.S. in aerospace or systems engineering or related space discipline.
• 16+ years in space industry designing, developing, integrating, testing, and operating space hardware.
• Deep mission and space vehicle architecture expertise across orbital regimes.
• Hands-on RPO architecture and mission design experience.
• Proficiency with mission modeling tools (STK, MATLAB).
• Advanced MBSE experience (SysML/Cameo, DOORS/Jama).
• Proven capture/proposal experience including technical volumes and BOEs.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture development for new pursuits: CONOPS, functional flows, mission threads, and design strategy.
• Decompose objectives into mission and system requirements and allocations.
• Document architecture trades including design, orbit, propulsion, and comms.
• Develop capture artifacts: solution strategy, technical volumes, BOEs, and WBS inputs.
• Coordinate with multi-disciplinary teams across propulsion, GNC/ADCS, power, thermal, avionics, payloads, and ground segment.
• Mentor staff and maintain engineering excellence and configuration control.
• Engage with customers to refine objectives and support proposals and RFIs/RFPs.

Skills

Space architecture

MBSE experience

Requirements engineering

Mission modeling tools

Capture experience

Leadership

Communication skills

Travel readiness

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor's degree in aerospace or systems engineering

Advanced degree (MS/PhD)

Tools

STK

MATLAB

SysML/Cameo

DOORS/Jama

Job description

Redwire is accelerating humanity’s expansion into space by delivering reliable, economical and sustainable infrastructure for future generations.

Join our team of innovators and get a chance to work alongside a team of talented, curious people that are passionate about designing and deploying solutions that are accelerating humanity’s expansion into space.

We’re seeking a highly experienced Senior Principal Mission Architect to join our team in Littleton, CO. You will lead mission architecture development and support Business Development and Capture teams. You’ll serve as a senior technical leader for new mission and systems concepts, translating high‑level customer objectives into actionable mission concepts, system requirements, and end‑to‑end architectures, ultimately driving growth and guiding technology advancements to attract and win major new business

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture development for new pursuits: CONOPS, functional flows, mission threads, subsystem allocations, and integrated design strategy.
• Decompose customer objectives into mission-level and system-level requirements, performance budgets, and ICDs.
• Conduct and document architecture trades (mission design, orbit selection, payload accommodation, propulsion sizing, comms links, etc.).
• Develop capture artifacts: solution strategy, technical volumes, BOEs, WBS inputs, risk registers, discriminator mapping, and oral presentations.
• Collaborate with and coordinate multi-disciplinary engineering teams across propulsion, GNC/ADCS, power, thermal, avionics, payloads, ground segment, autonomy, and FSW.
• Architect RPO-capable missions including sensing, approach profiles, autonomous operations envelopes, and relative navigation strategy.
• Egage directly with customers to refine objectives, shape solutions, and support proposals, white papers, RFIs/RFPs, and color team reviews.
• Develop MBSE artifacts, requirements baselines, and traceability structures to drive disciplined systems engineering.
• Mentor engineering staff and maintain engineering excellence, configuration control, and transparent decision-making.
• Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work with a diverse community of engineers and leaders to achieve technical and business objectives.

Ideal Experience

• B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or other space-related discipline
• 16+ years of experience in the space industry contributing toward the design, development, integration, test, and operations of space flight hardware.
• Deep mission and space vehicle architecture expertise across multiple orbital regimes.
• Significant hands‑on RPO architecture and mission design expertise.
• Proficient with mission modeling tools (e.g., STK, MATLAB, etc.)
• Advanced requirements engineering and MBSE experience (SysML/Cameo, DOORS/Jama).
• Proven capture/proposal experience including technical volumes, BOEs, and oral presentations.
• Ability to travel - an average of 20% travel may be required. Most travel is domestic, but some international travel may be required.
• Must have US Citizenship - Minimum of Secret Clearance Required (active TS/SCI strongly preferred).

Desired Skills

• Advanced degree (M.S., PhD) in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or other space-related discipline.
• Direct experience supporting USSF missions and national security space programs.
• Deep mission and system architecture expertise in VLEO and GEO.
• Advanced knowledge of propulsion systems, C&DH, EPS, FSW, ADCS, TCS, RF and optical communications.
• Expertise in relative navigation, jitter control, optical sensors, autonomy envelopes, and safety profiles.
• Experience supporting mission operations and on-orbit CONOPS refinement.
• Publications or conference participation demonstrating thought leadership.
• Recognized industry subject matter expert (SME) with a proven record of innovation and impact.
• TS/SCI clearance.

Grow with us as we innovate the next generation capabilities for a new era of space exploration! We offer a highly competitive benefits package along with a commitment to our core values of Integrity, Innovation, Impact, Inclusion, and Excellence.

Salary Range $170,690-$250,000 per year

How We Determine What We Pay (compensation Philosophy)

Redwire determines pay for positions using local, national, and industry-specific survey data, for our locations throughout the US. We will evaluate external equity and the cost of labor/prevailing wage index, in the relative marketplace for jobs directly comparable to jobs within our company.

For new hires, we strive to make competitive offers allowing the new employee room for future growth. Salaries will be based on the applicant’s level of experience, education, and specialized knowledge and skills. Additionally, we consider the external market rate, the amount we have budgeted internally, and internal equity within the company for the same position. An employee/candidate with a stronger skill set will be considered for higher pay.

Redwire is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Redwire is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

All offers of employment at Redwire are contingent upon clear results of a thorough background check and your ability to provide proof of eligibility to work in the US. Note that some positions will also require US citizenship or ability to obtain a security clearance due to requirements of a classified program.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR Click Here

This position may require access to information, materials, or technology subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations ("ITAR") and/or the Export Administration Regulations ("EAR"). To comply with these regulations, applicants may be asked to provide documentation to verify their status as a "U.S. person" as defined under the ITAR and EAR, or their eligibility to obtain any required U.S. Government export authorization. Redwire complies with all applicable anti-discrimination laws, including the Immigration and Nationality Act, and does not discriminate on the basis of citizenship status or national origin except as required by law.