Ground Systems Integration Engineer

SAIC•Chantilly, VA

About The Position

The Ground Systems Integration Engineer (GSIE) is an experienced systems engineer supporting a government program office responsible for ground-element command and control (C2) activities within a space program office. The ground segment includes C2 software, customized hardware, Automated Data Processing Equipment (ADPE), and network integration, with bare-metal and virtual environments. The engineer provides System Engineering, Integration & Test (SEIT) subject-matter expertise and acquisition support to help ensure sustainment activities remain on schedule and within cost. The role supports the full system life cycle, from procurement through Operations & Maintenance (O&M), encompassing requirements analysis and tracking, internal and external interfaces, system design and development, testing, delivery, installation, and sell-off. It includes acceptance-testing and integration oversight across geographically diverse sites, as well as coordination with contractors, program-office stakeholders, facilities teams, and other ground elements. Travel to developer and delivery sites, including overseas travel, is required.

Requirements

STEM bachelor's degree and at least nine years of experience, or master's degree and at least five years of experience.
Prior acquisition-activity experience related to requirements development and assessment, proposal technical evaluations, and ECP development.
Experience managing combined hardware and software integration activities.
Experience with systems integration from factory testing through site implementation.
Experience with space-ground systems architectures and life-cycle support.
Ability to organize meetings and coordinate projects, and experience writing and reviewing technical reports.
Strong organizational capabilities and excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
Ability to travel overseas.
U.S. citizenship.
Active TS/SCI security clearance with a polygraph.

Nice To Haves

Experience with hardware development, verification, validation, and O&M for large systems.
Experience coordinating government construction activities, including Requests for Change (RFCs), site surveys, and stakeholder coordination.
Experience with NRO, IC, or DoD program-management processes.

Responsibilities

Support software procurement from requirements identification and development through system test, sell-off, delivery, and installation at multiple sites.
Support the design and development of computer architectures from hardware and software perspectives, providing analysis and recommendations for ground C2.
Evaluate hardware obsolescence and options for maintenance or replacement.
Provide formal and informal feedback on program status and recommended paths forward; participate in test procedure reviews and witness testing.
Review the adequacy of ground-system specifications, RADs, RVPs, ICDs, RVRs, and system-level requirements documentation.
Review, analyze, and coordinate changes to ground-system specifications.
Participate in defining, managing, testing, verifying, and validating collection-segment internal and external interfaces.
Coordinate with SED, GED, MOD, and non-NRO SPO ground elements as required; advise on the design and deployment of scalable infrastructure platforms.
Attend system-level design reviews and program-management reviews to assess ground-system design maturity and requirements compliance and provide technical recommendations to the customer.
Participate in and witness ground-systems testing to verify internal and external interfaces; review and correlate post-test data to assess whether requirements are met.
Maintain knowledge of current industry command-and-control system hardware and software design, manufacturing, and test specifications and standards, and apply that knowledge when reviewing developer documentation and processes.
Use analytical skills and tools to analyze design modifications and assess ground-system interface implications against performance requirements.
Review acquisition-milestone ground-systems design documentation for adequacy, accuracy, and completeness; identify cost, schedule, and technical risks and opportunities; and provide mitigation strategies through formal and informal comments.
Assess developer verification data and recommend approval or disapproval to the GPOC, with clear supporting commentary.
Develop and maintain productive relationships with prime-contractor and functional counterparts.
Apply an understanding of risk-management processes and methods for adjudicating program risk-mitigation strategies.
Coordinate delivery and acceptance testing across geographically diverse sites and travel to those sites and developer sites.
Coordinate with facilities teams during site surveys and installation and for long-term facilities maintenance of IT equipment and specialized hardware.
Support request-for-change (RFC) processes.
Evaluate proposals and provide technical evaluations to the customer, recommending cost position and technical soundness.