Deputy Lead Engineer - Satellite Ground 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 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.

The Deputy Lead Engineer - Satellite Ground Systems in the Spectrum Systems Directorate, Special Programs Division, will support the development and integration of a critical enterprise spacecraft command and control (C2) ground system for the Space Combat Power Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE). You will serve on a program team of approximately 50 government, FFRDC, SETA, and contractor personnel. Space Combat Power is rapidly developing and fielding critical space capabilities for the national security space enterprise.

In this role, you will actively participate in all phases of ground system development to ensure operationally dominant space capabilities are delivered at the speed of warfighting relevance. You will assist the Lead Engineer across architecture development (commercial cloud, CI/CD pipeline, ground C2, antenna networks, and cyber), requirements management, schedule, test, risk management, program baseline, and engineering review boards. The program follows an Agile software development methodology, so you will work within a fast-paced, iterative delivery environment alongside government, FFRDC, and contractor partners.

The selected candidate will be required to work full-time, on-site at our facility in El Segundo, CA.

What You’ll Be Doing

- Coordinate with government, SETA, and contractor teams to field a critical ground system in a commercial cloud
- Support program reviews, design, development, test, and transition-to-operations efforts
- Interpret and ensure implementation of requirements spanning ground system design, mission concept of operations (CONOPS), prototyping and test, initial flight checkout, flight operations, and operational transition support
- Provide mission assurance and support ground architecture development and integration in a commercial cloud environment
- Participate in Agile development events, including sprint planning, backlog refinement, program increment planning, and demonstrations, to ensure technical baselines and requirements are correctly reflected in the development backlog
- Identify risk areas and recommend mitigation strategies to meet mission objectives
- Work closely with the Program Manager (O-5) and serve as the technical lead in the Lead Engineer's absence
- Engage and oversee members of the Aerospace Engineering Technology Group (ETG) to apply specialized expertise to problems beyond the local program office's capacity
- Present status updates routinely to Senior Materiel Leaders (O-6)
- Interface with multiple government agencies to deliver capability to the warfighter

What You Need to Be Successful

Minimum Requirements for Senior Project Engineer – Systems Engineering:

- Bachelor's degree in engineering, mathematics, physical sciences, or a related STEM field

- 12 or more years of progressively responsible experience in systems engineering or program management
- Space systems experience, specifically in satellite ground system development and operations
- Working knowledge of Agile software development practices and events
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively in team environments
- Demonstrated ability to work in a highly dynamic program office environment with a mix of government, FFRDC, and SETA personnel
- Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills, including experience presenting and writing technical information for senior audiences

- The ability to travel is required
- This position requires a current TS/SCI security clearance with SAP eligibility, 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 a technical discipline (engineering, science, or mathematics)
- Extensive satellite operations experience, including satellite ground system development and/or testing
- Systems engineering experience with rapid-acquisition or rapid-prototyping operational systems
- Experience as a chief engineer or deputy chief engineer of a space program
- Hands-on experience with commercial cloud platforms (AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud), including cloud architecture, containerization, infrastructure-as-code, and DevSecOps practices
- Experience supporting Agile software development programs (Scrum, SAFe, or similar), including familiarity with Agile metrics, tooling (e.g., Jira, Confluence, GitLab), and government oversight of Agile contracts
- Experience with cyber requirements, Authority to Operate (ATO) processes, and continuous ATO in cloud environments
- Proven experience working with vendors to deliver large-scale, multi-component systems
- A strong personal technical reputation and a record of technical achievement
- Program office and management experience
- Working knowledge of expertise across The Aerospace Corporation, especially subject matter experts and laboratory operations, with the ability to apply those resources to customer needs

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)
$160,300.00 - $240,500.00

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:

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Comprehensive health care and wellness plans

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Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation