Chief Engineer Proliferated Systems

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 National Systems Group serves as the technical advisor to the Intelligence Community and its mission partners involved in the collection and distribution of national and tactical intelligence, including electronics programs, advanced technologies, ground and communications, imagery programs, and systems engineering and launch.

Imagery Programs Division’s (IPD) Proliferated Systems (PS) provides technical leadership and guidance on multiple proliferated constellation major system acquisition. We need an experienced engineer or scientist to provide technical leadership on multiple major proliferated systems acquisitions for a national space system customer. As the Proliferated Systems Chief Engineer (Principal Engineer/Scientist - Engineering Program Management and Systems Engineering) , this role will shape demonstration systems execution, guide new acquisition requirements definition and selection, inform existing acquisitions sell-off, lead teams to address and resolve risks and issues across all effort, coordinate activities across internal and external interfaces, and help evolve, enable, and sustain the customer enterprise.

As a Principal Engineer, you’ll serve an equally critical role as a corporate steward helping to shape the technical leadership of the corporation, as well as mentoring the next generation of engineers.

This position requires 100% on-site work in Chantilly, VAWhat You’ll Be Doing Providing technical authority and leadership for multi-phenomenology proliferated acquisitions

Serving as technical lead across organizational boundaries

Identifying and directing potential innovations and risk reduction activities (such as independent analyses and laboratory testing capabilities) within the program office and in support of corporate strategic projects and initiatives

Defining and coordinating teams to address difficult technical issues internal to the program and across program lines, and communicating recommendations to Aerospace and customer management

Mentoring personnel in the program office and Engineering and Technology Group (ETG)
Collaborating with SETA, government customer counterparts, and Aerospace enterprise to meet mission needs

Serving on corporate technical committees to lead Aerospace initiatives

What You Need to be Successful

Minimum Requirements for Principal Engineer/Scientist - Engineering Program Management and Systems Engineering:

Bachelor's OR Advanced degree in technical engineering or science discipline

Fifteen or more years of responsible professional engineering/scientific experience, including multi-disciplinary systems engineering and/or program management environments

Demonstrated experience with development and implementation of demonstration systems and transition to operational acquisitions

Experience with radar and electro-optical payloads

Experience with communication systems and networks

Experience with rapid proliferated acquisitions

Recognition as a technical leader

Prior engineering leadership or managerial experience

Willing to support frequent travel (typically 1-2 weeks per month)
This position requires a current and active TS/SSBI/SCI security clearance and polygraph, which is issued by the U.S. government. U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.

How You Can Stand Out It would be impressive if you have one or more of these:

Advanced degree in technical engineering or science discipline
15+ years’ experience working end-to-end acquisition (across Enterprise, space, ground, and user segments) for National Security Space customers

Experience balancing technical detail…