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.

Aerospace is the trusted technical and programmatic advisor to the Evolved Strategic SATCOM (ESS) Program Office, responsible for system development, integration, and transition to operations on an aggressive national timeline. ESS is the recapitalization of the strategic satellite communications architecture that underwrites nuclear command, control, and communications, the system that has to work on its worst day.

This is your opportunity to sit at the center of it. ESS is an enterprise of space, ground, crypto, and terminal segments built by different contractors on different schedules, and someone has to own the seams between them. We are seeking a Sr. Systems Engineer who sees the whole system when everyone else sees their piece of it and the person the government turns to for the straight technical answer.

The exposure is unusual for this career stage. You will work alongside Aerospace subject matter experts, government customers, SETA, and development contractors, and you will support engagements with SPACECOM, STARCOM, STRATCOM, and the NC3 community. Most engineers wait a decade to see a program from this altitude. Your expertise will matter here, your ideas will shape national security, and your impact will be visible in both the acquisition strategy and the operational reality.

The selected candidate will be required to work full-time, on-site at our facility at Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA.

What You'll Be Doing

• Supporting system engineering and integration of the ESS enterprise across space, ground, crypto, and terminals, helping ensure nothing falls between the cracks
• Tracking and maintaining the critical interfaces between ESS segments and with external systems, including interface documentation, open-item tracking, and coordination of resolution
• Performing and supporting cross-segment technical analysis that feeds system-level trades, and helping frame the studies that retire integration risks before they become issues
• Supporting requirements development, decomposition, traceability, and verification planning across the enterprise baseline
• Preparing technical products, assessments, analyses, briefings, and review material that the government customer rely on and act upon
• Supporting technical reviews and working groups (SRR, PDR, CDR, integration readiness reviews, and TIMs), including preparation, data collection, and action tracking to closure
• Translating technical findings into decisions, drafting and delivering clear, concise briefings for senior government and Aerospace leadership, documenting positions that withstand scrutiny, and coordinating across organizations that do not report to you to get the right technical answer adopted rather than merely documented
• Working with Aerospace subject matter experts, the government, SETA, and development contractors to build a clear, unvarnished picture of contractor performance, system issues, and technical risk
• Supporting engagement with the NC3 and operator communities, including MD8 planners, operators, and sustainers to build shared understanding of end-to-end mission capability

What You Need to be Successful
Minimum Requirements for Sr. Project Engineer - Systems Engineering - Acquisition and Systems Engineering:

• Bachelor's degree in an applicable STEM field or other relevant discipline
• 12 or more years of increasingly responsible engineering or technical experience
• Hands-on experience in systems engineering and system integration
• Demonstrated ability to lead multi-segment, distributed, multidisciplinary teams toward a common objective with influence rather than authority
• Experience leading analysis of system architectures
• Experience with SATCOM technologies and operations
• Strong written and verbal communication skills. You will brief senior government leadership and write assessments that get acted on
• Willingness to travel domestically approximately 10%
• This position requires an active Secret security clearance with eligibility to obtain a TS/SCI clearance 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:

• Proven expertise in MILSATCOM technologies, operations, and concepts of operations
• Familiarity with the NC3 mission area and its stakeholder community
• Experience integrating across contractor boundaries on a large, multi-segment space program — and the scars to show for it
• Experience with protected/anti-jam communications, crypto integration, or user terminal development
• Experience supporting the government as a system integrator, or working the government side of a major space acquisition
• Experience taking a space system from development into operations, including test, verification, and anomaly resolution
• Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering or Digital Engineering practices on a live program
• An existing TS/SCI clearance

We offer a competitive compensation package where you’ll be rewarded based on your performance and recognized for the value you bring to our business.  The grade-based pay range for this job is listed below.  Individual salaries within that range are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge and skills.

(Min - Max)

Leadership Competencies

Our leadership philosophy is simple: every employee, regardless of level and role, can demonstrate leadership. At Aerospace, our commitment is our people. To cultivate our talent and ensure that we have a strong pipeline of future leaders, we want individuals who:

• Operate Strategically
• Lead Change   
• Engage with Impact   
• Foster Innovation   
• Deliver Results  

Ways We Reward Our Employees

During your interview process, our team will provide details of our industry-leading benefits.

Benefits vary and are applicable based on Job Type.  A few highlights include:

• Comprehensive health care and wellness plans

• Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation

• Standard and alternate work schedules, including telework options

• 401(k) Plan — Employees receive a total company-paid benefit of 8%, 10%, or 12% of eligible compensation based on years of service and matching contributions; employees are immediately eligible and vested in the plan upon hire

• Flexible spending accounts

• Variable pay program for exceptional contributions

• Relocation assistance

• Professional growth and development programs to help advance your career

• Education assistance programs

• An inclusive work environment built on teamwork, flexibility, and respect

We are all unique, from various backgrounds and all walks of life, yet one thing bonds all of us to each other—the belief that we can make a difference. This core belief empowers us to do our best work at The Aerospace Corporation.

Equal Opportunity Commitment

The Aerospace Corporation is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, color, religion, genetic information, marital status, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, physical disability, medical condition, mental disability, or disability status and any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. If you’re an individual with a disability or a disabled veteran who needs assistance using our online job search and application tools or need reasonable accommodation to complete the job application process, please contact us by phone at 310.336.5432 or by email at [email protected] . You can also review Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal.