Space Systems Engineer

About the role

Help move a complex space capability from technical requirements into an integrated mission system. This senior engineering position supports government acquisition decisions across spacecraft, payloads, ground systems, and operations. The work calls for an engineer who can examine the details of a design while keeping the complete mission in view.

You will work with a government program manager and chief engineer, development contractors, and technical advisors. Your contribution is clear engineering judgment: understanding how a proposed change affects the rest of the system, identifying the evidence needed for a decision, and explaining the tradeoffs to the people accountable for delivery.

What you’ll do

• Review the complete system. Evaluate designs, engineering models, and integration and test plans with attention to how the space and ground segments work together.
• Manage requirements and interfaces. Support the technical baseline, payload interfaces, and verification work. Follow issues across organizational boundaries so that an interface has a clear owner and a path to resolution.
• Connect development to operations. Contribute to operational concepts and ground-system integration. Consider what the operator needs to use the delivered capability and how those needs affect engineering decisions.
• Make risks actionable. Translate technical uncertainty into recommendations for the chief engineer and program manager. Explain the issue, the alternatives, and the evidence behind your recommendation.
• Coordinate technical decisions. Work independently with government, contractor, and advisory teams. Bring the right disciplines into a discussion and help establish a shared understanding of the decision.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with at least 14 years of applicable experience, or a master’s degree with at least 12 years.
• Experience leading engineering teams responsible for the integration of complex space or ground systems.
• Experience with engineering and collaboration tools such as Cameo, JIRA, and Confluence.

The engineering judgment this work calls for

A strong discussion of your experience will connect the mission need to an engineering decision. Be ready to describe the technical baseline you worked against, the interfaces you owned, and how you determined that a requirement had been met.

Useful examples include a design review that changed a program decision, an interface problem resolved between teams, or a risk assessment that led to a different integration approach. Explain your own contribution, what information was available, and how the outcome was verified.

Clearance and work environment

This is a full-time, on-site position in El Segundo, California, with 25% travel listed. TS/SCI is required, including an in-scope T5 or SSBI investigation, SCI eligibility, and Continuous Evaluation enrollment where applicable. Candidates must be willing to pursue SCI and Special Access Program access and consent to a polygraph.

Compensation

The annual target salary range is $200,001–$240,000. Final compensation depends on qualifications and experience.