ESS Space Systems Payload Project Leader

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.

The Defense Systems Group (DSG) provides analysis-based decision support to senior leaders on space architectures, policy and strategy, technology development, warfighter capability enablers, systems integration, defense industrial base, and threat reduction to help shape existing and future space missions across the national security space (NSS) enterprise. DSG is unique at Aerospace as it not only directly supports major customers, including the U.S. Space Force, U.S. Space Command, Air Force Material Command, and senior leadership at the Pentagon, but also provides a broad range of technical support across the national space enterprise, maintaining vertical responsibilities with customers’ portfolios as well as horizontal, matrixed responsibilities across the corporation.

Additionally, DSG provides deep technical expertise to the Space Force Space Systems Command (SSC) in the conception, design, acquisition, launch and operations of satellite, launch vehicle, ground control, and range systems.

The ESS Program seeks a Space Systems Payload Project Leader to serve as a technical advisor for payload engineering within an integrated program office supporting the U.S. Space Force. This position requires a RF communications engineering expert who will focus on the satellite RF payload subsystems, provide technical advisory services to government customers, and ensure alignment between acquisition strategies and mission capability requirements.

Last year, the ESS program awarded the Space Development and Production contract; in the coming year, the space segment advances towards a 2027 CDR. ESS is a communications satellite program for resilient, reliable, and secure communications for NC3 users worldwide; within this program, the Payload Project Leader role encompasses responsibility for technical advisement for the RF payload portfolio including phased array antenna and XDR modem subsystems.

This role will work with a highly experienced payload engineering team, interface regularly with Space Force leadership, Aerospace Corporation management and personnel, SETA contractors, and prime contractors to ensure successful execution of this critical national security space program.

The selected candidate will be required to work full-time, on‑site at our facility in El Segundo, CA.

• Provide insight to Aerospace leadership and the customer on prime contractor execution status, risks, issues, and opportunities for the RF payload.
• Maintain effective working relationships with customer leadership, contractors, ETG and other supporting contractors.
• Manage allocated resources to prioritize tasking for ETG subject matter experts.
• Deliver, in collaboration with ETG, technical position papers, design assessments, and briefings on technical, cost, and schedule risk to the program relating to communication payload design and implementation.
• Act as a technical advisor to the Space Force customer on the RF payload architecture and performance.
• Serve as integration leader and/or coordinator of technical teams and act as spokesperson for working groups to management and customers.
• Monitor and assess contractor performance and delivery of the products and/or services under space, ground, and crypto contracts that relate to the ESS payload design and implementation.
• Apply systems engineering principles in support of the execution phase of the program.

Minimum Requirements for Project Leader – Communications Systems and Payload Systems Engineering – RF:

• Bachelor of Science degree in engineering or science from a…