Director, Mission Engineering Department

## Director, Mission Engineering Department Apply:
Colorado Springs, CO:
El Segundo, CA:
Chantilly, VA:
Full time:
Posted Today:
End Date:
December 4, 2026 (30+ days left to apply):
R016810

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 Enterprise Effects Division (EED) drives integration of Aerospace’s strategic capabilities across the national space enterprise. The division leverages a broad array of engineering disciplines against dynamic portfolio of programs, customers, and national challenges. EED spans the capability lifecycle from concept and architecture design to performance assessment to application of space and space-enabled capabilities.
As part of the Enterprise Design Subdivision (EDS), the Mission Engineering Department provides technical expertise and leadership in mission engineering methods, processes, and tools to a wide range of customers, including National Security Space (NSS), defense programs, NASA, NOAA, NNSA, and others. The department evaluates customer mission-integration needs, develops end-to-end mission threads, and offers recommendations to enterprise leaders on risks, issues, and gaps, ultimately developing solutions to achieve desired mission outcomes.

The Director of the Mission Engineering Department will lead these efforts, build partnerships with customers, and ensure the team is staffed with top talent to solve complex challenges.  
** Work Model:
** This full-time position requires 100% onsite work in El Segundo CA, Chantilly, VA, or Colorado Springs, CO.  
** What You’ll Be Doing:*
* * Develop and execute the vision for the department, enhancing corporate capabilities to support customer architecture, systems-of-systems, and enterprise decisions.
* Scale the department’s capabilities through recruiting, onboarding, and developing staff via performance management, mentoring, and coaching.
* Ensure the Mission Engineering Department and related corporate activities fully leverage expertise from across Aerospace, incorporating best practices in enterprise systems engineering.
* Manage the department, including staff performance reviews, resource allocation, and personnel management, and recommend performance improvements, career development, personnel actions, and awards.
* Serve as the primary contact for program office inquiries, using mission engineering principles to define problem spaces, develop implementation plans, and identify appropriate personnel based on expertise.
* Foster a culture of innovation and collaboration, maintain robust relationships with peer organizations, and lead multi-discipline analyst teams.
* Identify new partnerships for future mission engineering growth in customer impact.
* Coordinate and manage complex technical tasks among customers, ensuring quality and accuracy of work products.
* Collaborate with subdivision leadership to cultivate an effective national organization.
* Lead technical activities, organize project teams, and execute a variety of architecture conceptualization, assessment, analysis, and mission engineering activities.
** What You Need to be a Successful Director, Mission Engineering Department*
* * Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science, physics, operations research, mathematics, or…