Vehicle and Ground Concepts Department – Associate Director

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.

At Aerospace, we are committed to providing an inclusive and diverse workplace for all employees to share in our common passion and aspiration – to carry out a mission much bigger than ourselves.

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 a diverse and 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-enabled mission effects.

Vehicle and Ground Concepts Department Description

The Vehicle and Ground Concepts Department (VGCD) in EED provides space vehicle and ground system preliminary/conceptual design; trade and architecture analysis, modeling, process development and leadership expertise; and tool development in support of conceptual design activities across the space enterprise. As a member of VGCD, you will be designing innovative ground segment solutions to meet the most pressing mission needs of our US Space Force, Intelligence Community, NASA, NOAA, and commercial/international customers. The Associate Director will work with the Director (El Segundo) to develop customer relationships; develop, grow, manage, and perform work; and hire and mentor staff in all locations to support VGCD and Enterprise Design Subdivision (EDS) activities.

Work Model

This position will follow an in-person work model with a minimum of 4 days per week of onsite work required at one of Aerospace’s campuses in Chantilly, VA or Colorado Springs, CO.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Assist the Director in managing the Vehicle and Ground Concepts Department staff located in Chantilly, VA; Albuquerque, NM; Colorado Springs, CO; and El Segundo, CA working diverse and disparate problems
• Be the department’s focal point for program office inquiries for current and future tasking involving ground system concept design
• Realize opportunities for additional, expanded, and new tasking for staff involving ground system concept design
• Conduct staff performance reviews and other personnel management functions such as managing team resources and needs, providing career development and mentoring, and recommending personnel staffing requests
• Mentor staff both in technical and career growth
• Evaluate ground system concept designs and participate in design reviews
• Hire and develop staff to build/expand ground systems capabilities
• Engage with government and program office personnel and technical experts across Aerospace
• Provide ground systems engineering support expertise to Aerospace program offices as a technical subject matter expert and project leader

What You Need To Be Successful

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant engineering discipline, science, or a related field
• Minimum 10 years relevant experience including experience related to ground system concepts design with a strong knowledge of ground systems and systems engineering principles
• Demonstrated experience working and interacting with program offices
• Experience in developing talent and mentoring
• Experience leading or managing a geographically distributed team, including remote employees
• Proven ability to work in a fast-paced environment, adapt quickly to change, manage multiple concurrent projects, lead multi-disciplinary teams, and demonstrate initiative under pressure
• Ability to develop project plans, manage delivery commitments, and generate and present deliverables to Aerospace management and program offices and customers
• Strong people management, interpersonal, and communications skills and ability to work effectively with customers, Aerospace program offices, and contractors
• Available to travel domestically
• A current and active TS/SCI security clearance, which is issued by the US government. U.S citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.

How You Can Stand Out

• Advanced degree (Master's or Ph.D.) from an accredited program in a relevant engineering discipline
• Prior supervisory leadership experience
• Prior experience with related Aerospace concept design capabilities such as the CDC
• Demonstrated experience with dedicated on-premises compute hardware
• Demonstrated experience with Amazon, Microsoft, or Oracle cloud offerings
• Demonstrated experience with antenna, hardware etc. related to ground entry points
• Demonstrated experience with communications and networking
• Demonstrated experience with software, software process approaches (e.g., waterfall, agile) Services, microservices, Database technologies and Distributed processing frameworks.
• Demonstrated experience with data center design and operations Demonstrated experience with network maintenance, load balancing, data coordination
• Strong, demonstrated personal initiative
• Significant experience with Intelligence Community systems engineering and programmatic processes, methods, tools, and personnel
• Experience working with Aerospace organizations outside of the Engineering and Technology Group (ETG) such as the National Systems Group (NSG), Defense Systems Group (DSG), and Civil Systems Group (CSG)

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)

$168,200 - $252,400

Pay Basis: Annual

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 diverse 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/Affirmative Action employer. We believe that a diverse workforce creates an environment in which unique ideas are developed and differing perspectives are valued, producing superior customer solutions. 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 ieo.mailbox@aero.org. You can also review Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal, as well as the Pay Transparency Policy Statement.