Expert Solution Architect Engineer (Space Programs)

Mercury Systems • Andover, MA

2d

About The Position

As an Expert Systems/Solution Architect Engineer at Mercury, you will design scalable, open architectures for spaceborne and strategic radiation-hardened EO/IR and RF sensing systems. You will define how payload data is acquired, conditioned, digitized, processed, fused, stored, recorded, and transmitted in constrained mission environments. The role leads cross-functional teams, serves as the primary technical liaison with customers, and architects next-generation sensing solutions that inform Mercury’s product strategy. It calls for an investigative mindset, a customer-first approach, adaptable presentation skills, technical leadership, strategic pursuit management, and contributions to white papers, proposals, and formal customer requests.

In addition to core architectural responsibilities, the position leads the Advanced Concepts Group Space Strategic Initiative. This includes evaluating markets and aligning activity with Mercury’s strategic operating plans; assessing operational footprints; breaking down organizational silos; developing partnerships; and standardizing offerings across business units. The initiative emphasizes scalability, open standards, broader stakeholder engagement, and direct end-customer interaction to support innovation and long-term growth.

An active Top Secret clearance is required. The role requires approximately 25% travel to customer and Mercury sites. Reasonable accommodations may be provided for individuals with disabilities.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• At least 12 years of systems engineering or architecture experience in spaceborne, radiation-hardened, RF, sensing, payload-processing, data-recording, or embedded-computing systems.
• Expertise in requirements development, systems engineering, verification, validation, qualification, and deployment.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and technically directing complex programs.
• Strong customer-facing, investigative, problem-solving, communication, presentation, and technical-writing skills.
• Experience preparing technical publications, white papers, bids, and proposals.
• Ability to align differentiated EO/IR and RF edge-processing solutions with customer and mission requirements.
• Active U.S. Top Secret clearance. Clearances may be granted only to U.S. citizens.
• Ability to travel roughly 25% to customer and Mercury sites.

Nice To Haves

• TS/SCI eligibility.

Responsibilities

• Architect and evaluate open-standards-based EO/IR and RF payload-processing modules and subsystems.
• Define end-to-end data-path architectures, interfaces, requirements, and performance targets.
• Lead customer engagements and translate mission needs into hardware and software requirements.
• Design AI/ML-enabled on-orbit processing for target identification, data prioritization, feature extraction, sensor fusion, and selective data reduction.
• Address system-level constraints involving data rates, gain, noise, latency, throughput, synchronization, storage, power, thermal performance, radiation, and communications bandwidth.
• Assess technical risks, qualification requirements, costs, schedules, and long-term supportability.
• Mitigate Single Event Effects through component selection, circuit design, fault-tolerant architectures, and software controls.
• Lead trade studies involving heterogeneous processing, mixed-signal integration, and chip-scale packaging.
• Monitor advances in radiation-hardened sensors, RF components, converters, processors, SSDRs, AI/ML, and data-reduction technologies.
• Advance EO/IR, RF, ADC, and DAC architectures for GEOINT, SIGINT, COMINT, ELINT, and electronic warfare systems across L, S, C, X, Ku, Ka, and W bands.
• Support white papers, proposals, RFIs, RFPs, RFQs, customer responses, and technical presentations.
• Provide technical support for space, naval, munitions, intelligence, and defense programs.
• Support space-related mergers and acquisitions by evaluating technical and strategic risks and opportunities.
• Establish partnerships with semiconductor manufacturers, research institutions, government agencies, universities, laboratories, and defense contractors.
• Lead the Advanced Concepts Group Space Strategic Initiative, including market evaluation and alignment with Mercury’s strategic operating plans.

Benefits

• Comprehensive skills training.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Casual and enjoyable work atmosphere.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior