Director, Cyberspace & Mission Technology Department

The Aerospace Corporation is the trusted partner to the nation’s space programs, solving the hardest problems and providing unmatched technical expertise. As the operator of a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), we are broadly engaged across all aspects of space— delivering innovative solutions that span satellite, launch, ground, and cyber systems for defense, civil and commercial customers. When you join our team, you’ll be part of a special collection of problem solvers, thought leaders, and innovators.

Join us and take your place in space.

An exciting and strategic leadership opportunity awaits a visionary Director for the Cyberspace and Mission Technology Department
. This role is critical in delivering knowledge and experience in the secure technology, design, and implementation of enterprise IT and space / platform IT systems, addressing the unique security challenges of - space-cyber terrain. As the department’s lead, you will drive initiatives in secure system design , ensure hardware integrity, and oversee mission-critical security applications across On‑Orbit Systems Security, Crypto and COMSEC, and Hardware Security groups.

This position will be fulltime and 100% onsite in El Segundo CA, Chantilly VA, Colorado Springs CO

• Leadership & Team Development: Develop, mentor, and lead a diverse team of cybersecurity, enterprise IT and mission hardware security experts. Facilitate a collaborative and inclusive environment that attracts top technical talent.

• Strategic Vision & Execution: Define and drive the strategic vision for secure hardware and mission technology initiatives, ensuring alignment with broader organizational and national security objectives. Oversee and continuously evolve security strategies that safeguard ground and space systems using both innovative and proven methods.

• Technical Oversight & Innovation: Provide expert oversight to groups focused on Enterprise IT design and implementation, On‑Orbit Systems security, Crypto and COMSEC, and Hardware Security. Guide the design and implementation of secure technology on space and platform systems, adapting to evolving threats in the space domain. Integrate advanced threat intelligence, secure design principles, and innovative testing methodologies to mitigate risks and defend against cyber and physical hardware attacks.

• Cross‑Agency & Stakeholder
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Collaborate with interagency partners, industry leaders, and government stakeholders (e.g., DoD, Intelligence Community, NASA) to shape and execute security strategies for space systems. Oversee teams proposing security implementations through Analysis of Alternatives and Proof‑of‑Concept prototyping to validate emerging techniques and inform strategic decision making.

• Operational Excellence: Ensure robust operational readiness and continuous improvement of secure hardware and IT systems through rigorous assessments, comprehensive testing, and timely updates to processes and procedures. Provide technical thought leadership and strategic guidance in hardware security practices and mission technology integration.

• Lab Management: Provides primary leadership for the management of cyberspace labs for the sub‑division. Responsible for consolidating and unifying plans across the departments for the build‑out and scheduling of lab resources against customer projects and internal research needs. Develops project needs and investment priorities for enterprise IT security, space hardware security and embedded applications for the lab environments.

Minimum Requirements for the Director, Secure Hardware & Mission Technology Department

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Cybersecurity, Computer Science, or a related technical field.

• 10 or more years’ of relevant experience in a position related to cybersecurity, systems engineering, software development, embedded systems, or similar fields.

• Proven experience leading highly specialized teams in secure technology, hardware security, or mission‑critical IT systems.

• Proven lab and infrastructure management including purchasing, budgets, etc.

• In‑depth…