Principal Investigator​/Director of Research – Space Systems

Deimos-One is an agile small business researching and developing long-duration stratospheric vehicle products for government and commercial customers.

We are seeking a Systems Engineering Center (SEC) Principal Investigator within the Near Space Systems (NSS) Mission Area of the Deimos-One Space Intelligence business. The Principal Investigator will take a lead role in driving HALE/UAS craft and payload design. This includes the selection of optics, electronics, structures and mechanisms, thermal control architecture, and concept of operations (CONOPS) for stratospheric near-space based HALE/UAS craft and payloads.

The Principal Investigator will also lead responses to requests for proposals from civil agencies. This entails knowing the government customers' systems engineering processes, and being able to drive key system trades in support of customer requirements.

This position is CONTINGENT upon funding, an open position, customer approval, completion of a favorable background investigation, and the ability to obtain and maintain required clearance.

United States (remote)

$160,000 – $175,000

Full-time

Monday - Friday

• Technical lead on an upcoming National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) SBIR grant on the topic of High-Altitude, Long-Endurance (HALE) lighter-than-air and heavier-than-air hybrid vehicles
• Responsible for research, design, and development of NASA platform-compatible software modules for energy management, telemetry, SATCOM, and propulsion in near-space vehicles
• Work with key stakeholders and lead project team members through development, testing, and delivery of products and services
• Interface with key stakeholders, including attending both remote and in-person meetings, to deliver milestones and services as required by the contract
• Direct and lead a multi-person team and build cross-functional synergies leading to product enhancements driven by key research initiatives
• Responsible for Bids and Proposals Preparation for NASA agencies under SBIR programs

• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge research, prototype, development and transition
• Autonomy to pursue a research vision of your choosing, with support and resources to help fulfill that vision
• Support from a world class team that embraces innovation and challenges the status quo
• Establishment and/or growth of a reputation as a leader in your field
• Potential for position to transition into Chief Technology Officer pending availability of funds and needs

• Demonstrated ability to create novel contributions to the state of the art (e.g., patents/papers/publications/working prototypes)
• Experience working on projects of various sizes, individually and as part of a team
• Experience working on government grants and/or contracts
• Understanding of NASA projects and mission objectives
• Understanding of lighter-than-air vehicle systems including hybrid and electric propulsion and energy management systems

• 12+ years prior relevant experience, with 8+ years working on lighter-than-air systems (i.e., lifting gasses)
• Experience designing stratospheric craft and payloads, including experience with hyperspectral, multispectral, and panchromatic sensing and/or in-flight maneuverability
• Experience in control engineering: filtering techniques, Kalman filtering, simultaneous localization and mapping, non-linear control, and any other technique(s) relative to the state of the art
• Working knowledge of vehicles including powertrain systems, internal combustion engines, battery power, and electric propulsion systems
• Experience working with civil space agencies such as NASA and NOAA
• Experience with Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)
• Experience with earned value management
• Experience working at the prime mission level (encompassing engineering efforts for ground, space, and launch vehicle)
• Experience with SEIT tools such as STK, MATLAB, C++, and Python
• Experience with Requirement Management tools such as IBM Rational DOORs
• Superior creative and innovative problem-solving skills
• Proven experience leading multi-disciplined teams
• Experience leading responses to customer proposals
• Ability to train junior engineers in all aspects of civil space business pursuit and program execution, including payload sensor performance, systems engineering processes, and proposal responses
• Strong communication, time management, and interpersonal skills
• Self-motivated and capable of…