Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Capabilities and Engineering

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.

Aerospace is seeking a strategic, innovative, and driven leader to head the Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Capabilities and Engineering subdivision within the Communications and Navigation Capabilities Division. The Principal Director (PD) will provide technical leadership and handling Aerospace efforts in the PNT mission area, including collaboration across organizational boundaries to tackle our customer’s hardest problems. The responsibilities of this position include spanning across PNT futures and acquisition, as well as integrating across the Systems Delta, Mission Delta, and PEO and with other space enterprise capabilities.

The PD will be collaborating across SSC and mission partner organizations to ensure successful integration of the current PNT programs of record and delivery of PNT capabilities. This position will also be delivering technical guidance and expertise to identify and drive resiliency initiatives and future investments across the PNT portfolio to address emerging threats. Additionally, the PD will proactively engage with external organizations, including the Space Systems Integration Office and the Space Analysis Warfare Center, to provide resources and technical expertise in furtherance of Force Designs, architecture analyses, and innovative PNT concepts.

The PD will guide the Aerospace team in providing proactive support to the customer and cultivate productive working relationships in a fast-paced multi-organizational and multi-contractor environment.

Work Model

This position is 100% onsite at the Los Angeles AFB.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Delivering technical direction to outstanding technical staff; leading, handling, and affecting change across a wide array of staff, customers, and partner organizations; and integrating disparate efforts to achieve PNT mission success.
• Guiding and executing Aerospace’s organizational support to SSC/CGE (Engineering and Integration), Mission Delta 31 and PNT System Delta, including setting goals and direction for both the organization and individuals.
• Collaborating closely with customers to identify high value work for the portfolio, translating customer requests into technical priorities, and aligning team resources accordingly.
• Partnering with SSC organizations and our Aerospace backplane to align and guide Aerospace resources on future architectural concepts, technology development, innovation, and acquisition/resource planning for the development and product support of PNT capabilities.
• Building, leading and fostering a diverse and highly capable organization by setting strategy and goals for subdivision, driving recruitment of key talent and cross-organizational collaboration, and through talent development strategies including leadership and professional development, coaching and mentoring.
• Providing technical leadership within teams of Government, Aerospace, support contractors, and other FFRDC personnel to monitor mission area efforts, as well as identify and resolve technical and performance integration risks.
• Engaging with industry to increase knowledge and understanding of relevant commercial opportunities with applicability to the PNT portfolio.
• Recommending budgets, allocating resources, establishing priorities, and ensuring execution
• Reporting on the organization’s activities, progress, and achievements through written and oral reports.

What You Need to be Successful

Minimum Requirements:

• Minimum 12 years of progressively demonstrated management and technical experience, including multi-disciplinary systems engineering and acquisition.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, science, mathematics or equivalent technical area.
• Previous people management experience and the ability to perform resource planning, staffing, coaching and mentoring, and performance and development of a team.
• Demonstrated experience with building, leading, and maintaining integrated multidisciplinary mixed government, SE&I, SETA and FFRDC teams.
• Demonstrated ability to make time-critical mission success decisions with ambiguous or incomplete data.
• Demonstrated experience working across organizations and leading teams of technical experts and support staff; success as a relationship builder, complex problem solver, deep critical thinker, mentor, and coach.
• Exceptional leadership in dynamic environments, strategic perspective, initiative, innovative spirit, team-building, and the ability to foster effective relationships with government customers and their contractors across the enterprise.
• Demonstrated ability to organize, prioritize, and delegate tasks across multiple peer organizations, meeting deadlines and delivering outstanding products.
• Ability to travel as required (approximately 15%).
• Active Top Secret / SCI clearance with ability to obtain Special Access Program (SAP) and maintain clearance, issued by the US 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:

• 15 or more years of progressively responsible professional engineering/scientific experience
• Advanced technical degree in engineering, science or math
• Deep knowledge and leadership experience in the PNT mission area
• A strategic vision for how you would leverage the organization to address near-term integration challenges
• Experience leading a technical organization
• Experience engaging and coordinating with mission partners beyond SSC, particularly with international or commercial
• Prior management role in direct support of a government customer in program office
• Proven ability to work in fast-paced environment with changing priorities
• Experience operating in a multiple level security environment

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)

$240,000 - $280,000

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.