Mission Engineer - Software SME

Space Dynamics Laboratory•Chantilly, VA

1d•$133,000 - $226,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Join the Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) team, where you'll contribute to groundbreaking innovations! We are seeking applicants for a mid-level Systems Engineer to help manage software development projects that support the Space Development Agency’s PWSA with our Strategic & Military Space Division. The Strategic & Military Space Division delivers advanced satellite and sensor systems that support the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community. Our division is a key component of national security, providing technological solutions and expert mission support. Become part of a team dedicated to making a tangible contribution to our nation’s defense capabilities.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. citizen with an active, or previously held, U.S. Government security clearance
Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical field and 10+ years of combined software engineering and systems engineering experience
Systems engineering experience with familiarity with satellite bus architectures
Ability to lead and communicate effectively to interdisciplinary technical teams in proposal and design efforts for small- to mid-sized programs
Ability to provide mitigation strategies to minimize risk
Ability to interpret customer-driven requirements to determine areas of risk from a technical, cost, and schedule perspective
Ability to provide leadership and mentoring to junior engineers
Ability to respond resourcefully to new demands and challenges
Proficiency in managing and prioritizing requirements development and verification, risks, interfaces, configurations, and trade studies on medium to large complexity programs
Proficiency in providing technical oversight and leadership as the Lead Systems Engineer on small- to medium-sized programs
Proven organization and planning skills
Strong verbal and written communication skills
Ability to work effectively both individually and within a team environment
Strong attention to detail while still having a system-level perspective
Ability to anticipate software development risks and develop contingency plans to manage them
Proficiency in all phases of a software development lifecycle
Ability to relate well with outside customers and maintain good relationships under challenging circumstances
Ability to abstract the progress of a software development project and present appropriate status to senior leadership (may include remote presentations, white papers, and/or personal communications)

Nice To Haves

Moderate travel to support SDA (approximately 6-9 weeks a year)

Responsibilities

Supports program managers and lead systems engineers on a program in technical management of projects through tracking, risks, requirements, interfaces, configurations, and related tasks
Has technical responsibility for planning and conducting technical projects or phases of projects
Designs and coordinates complex systems that involve interdisciplinary engineering such as software, hardware, thermal, structural, optical, and electrical
Defines and develops interfaces between development teams
Ensures common understanding between teams throughout development and is responsible for coordinating the work of many engineers, each of whom is an expert in one part of a system
Gathers all the necessary information about what is needed in a system, selects several possible ways of designing the system, and uses systems analysis to break down the possible solutions into smaller parts
Creates and maintains programmatic and technical documentation to ensure efficient planning and execution
Coordinates system development tasks to include design, integration, and formal testing
Oversees software development activities of SDA contractors to ensure appropriate processes and procedures are followed
Operates as a subject matter expert on behalf of SDA to influence mature software development practices across the organization
Operates as a technical point of contact for SDA upper management