Project Engineer III (Clearance Required)

Sierra Space•Centennial, CO

1d•$119,064 - $163,713

About The Position

The Project Engineer III role focuses on leading and executing technical projects, ensuring the successful integration of engineering solutions, and driving innovation within the team. This position requires a strong technical foundation, advanced engineering expertise, and the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams. The role involves overseeing the design, development, and implementation of engineering projects, ensuring they meet technical specifications and quality standards as well as cost & schedule constraints. This role serves as a bridge between the Engineering and Program Office on a given project. In this role, you will lead small cross-functional teams and projects, effectively balancing technical, cost, and schedule constraints while overseeing the design, development, and implementation of engineering projects. You will provide technical estimation support to develop Basis of Estimates and ensure projects meet technical specifications and quality standards. Your responsibilities will include conducting trade studies, leading technical evaluations, and providing technical guidance and mentorship to junior engineers. Additionally, you will manage supplier coordination by developing and managing Statements of Work, coordinating with contracts and quality teams, and supporting Risk and Opportunity management on the project. You will communicate and coordinate across engineering and functional teams, delivering clear verbal and written communication of technical concepts, plans, and actions, and effectively communicating project status to both technical and programmatic audiences. Driving innovation and continuous improvement within the engineering team will be a key focus, as will serving as the bridge between Engineering and Program offices to resolve conflicts and represent the voice of all stakeholders, including support functions and customers.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a related field (or equivalent work experience in lieu of degree or Masters +3 yrs experience).
Typically 5+ years of related experience (or Masters + 3 years of experience).
Emerging expertise in Systems Engineering principles and practices, including a thorough understanding of the systems development lifecycle.
Knowledge of requirements management, functional requirements parsing, derivation, and allocation.
Knowledge of systems architecture, systems integration, and Verification and Validation (V&V) principles.
Emerging ability to work and communicate with technical and specialty subject matter expert engineers to drive systems engineering products.
An active Secret U.S. Security Clearance is required.
U.S. Citizenship status is required as this position needs an active U.S. Security Clearance for employment.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience with increasing responsibilities in project management.
Professional Certifications: Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
Experience with systems engineering and integration.
Proficiency in project management software and tools (e.g., MS Project, Primavera).
Experience with CAD software and engineering design tools.
Knowledge of industry standards and regulations.
Experience in product lifecycle management (PLM).
Familiarity with Agile and Lean methodologies.
Strong analytical and decision-making skills.
Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
Experience in developing and managing project budgets.
Demonstrated ability to drive innovation and continuous improvement initiatives.

Responsibilities

Lead small cross-functional teams and projects, effectively balancing technical, cost, and schedule constraints.
Oversee the design, development, and implementation of engineering projects.
Provide technical estimation support to develop Basis of Estimates.
Ensure projects meet technical specifications and quality standards.
Conduct trade studies and lead technical evaluations.
Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior engineers.
Manage supplier coordination by developing and managing Statements of Work.
Coordinate with contracts and quality teams.
Support Risk and Opportunity management on the project.
Communicate and coordinate across engineering and functional teams, delivering clear verbal and written communication of technical concepts, plans, and actions.
Effectively communicate project status to both technical and programmatic audiences.
Drive innovation and continuous improvement within the engineering team.
Serve as the bridge between Engineering and Program offices to resolve conflicts and represent the voice of all stakeholders, including support functions and customers.
Design and maintain ground system architectures including mission operations centers, ground data systems, ground communication networks, and interfaces with launch site infrastructure and tracking stations.
Develop ground software and tools for vehicle monitoring, telemetry processing, command & control, and support pre-launch checkout, mission simulations, and ground rehearsals.
Coordinate ground segment integration with flight systems and ensure end-to-end operational readiness.
Derive, decompose, and manage technical requirements from stakeholder needs through system, subsystem, and component levels.
Manage requirements baseline changes and impact assessments across the product lifecycle.
Develop verification and validation strategies including analysis, inspection, demonstration, and test methods.
Author verification procedures, test plans, and acceptance criteria aligned to requirements traceability.
Lead requirements reviews, trade studies, and technical audits to ensure completeness, consistency, and compliance.
Plan and execute hardware and software integration activities for spacecraft buses, payloads, and subsystems.
Coordinate interface control documents (ICDs) and manage technical interfaces across vehicle elements.
Support integration and test campaigns including functional checkout, environmental testing, and system-level qualification.
Resolve integration anomalies and troubleshooting across mechanical, electrical, thermal, and software domains.
Collaborate with manufacturing, quality, and mission assurance teams to ensure flight readiness.