Ground Engineering Lead

Defense Systems Group (DSG) provides analysis-based decision support to senior leaders on space architectures, policy and strategy, development planning, system of systems engineering, and threat reduction to help shape the future space missions across the national security space (NSS) enterprise. DSG is unique at Aerospace as it not only directly supports major customers, including US Space Force, U.S Space Command, Air Force Materiel Command, and senior leadership at the Pentagon, but also provides a broad range of services and support across the national space enterprise, maintaining vertical responsibilities with customers but also horizontal, matrixed responsibilities across the corporation. DSG also assists 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 support for the SDA resides within the Agile Acquisition Division of the Defense Architectures and Integration office of the Defense Systems Group. We are looking for a Ground Engineering Lead (Senior Project Leader - Systems Engineering - Acquisition and Systems Engineering) to support SDA’s ground team at its Operations Center-South (OC-South) facility at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL. The selected candidate will provide expertise in ground systems development, space-to-ground and ground-to-space networks, systems engineering, performance evaluation, acquisition oversight, and ground operations planning across the SDA constellations and spacecraft vendors to ensure successful operations of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).

Work Model:

This position will be a hybrid work model with 3-4 days onsite at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead Aerospace support to the SDA Tranche-1 (T1) Ground Operations and Integration (O&I) Program Manager (PM) and OC-South Chief to bring the T1 and beyond satellite network into operation

• Manage the acquisition of the overall ground system to support the T1 operations network and directing the efforts of the primary ground contractor

• Lead Aerospace efforts to ensure successful development of the T1 Ground system and future upgrades and their introduction into operations by assisting the SDA Ground PM and the OC-South Chief with overall acquisition of the OC-South system and management of the primary contractor, including participation in subsystem and end-to-end systems testing

• Provide ground systems engineering expertise to guide contract execution and performance assessments, to include participation in design reviews, technical baseline management, operations planning, and follow-on ground systems requirements definition

• Employ strategic planning principles across the T1 and beyond ground functions to enable the results of ground segment development activities to support the planned launch dates and completion of satellite early on-orbit checkouts, leading to full mission operations of the T1 constellation and beyond.

• Act as a senior technical mentor to team members

What You Need to be Successful

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s of Science degree in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics field

• 12 or more years of increasingly responsible and related engineering/scientific experience with satellite ground systems, to include acquisition and development, ground systems engineering, space-to-ground connectivity, a general understanding of RF antennas, ground operations, mission planning operations, systems architecture design, and performance and risk assessment

• Knowledge of acquisition processes and a willingness to adjust them to best support SDA’s 2-year cycle acquisition efforts

• Experience in systems engineering, risk assessment, and trade space exploration studies

• Experience directly interfacing with customers and delivering comprehensive assessment products

• Willingness to travel up to 10% as well as quarterly travel to DC area

• This position requires a TS/SCI security clearance, which is issued by the US government. US citizenship is required.

How You Can Stand Out

It would be impressive if you have one or more of these:

• Masters or PhD in a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics field

• 15 or more years of experience in ground systems acquisition, development, operations, and risk assessment

• Knowledge of DoD, IC, Civil, and Commercial missions and technologies with multidisciplinary experience, including spacecraft and ground concept design and operation

• Direct experience working with SDA and a working knowledge of the SDA architecture, functional Cells, and leadership interactions

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.