Satellite Communications/Ground Systems Integration & Test Engineer

Peraton•Greenbelt, MD

1d•$80,000 - $128,000•Onsite

About The Position

Peraton is seeking a Satellite Communications / Ground Systems Integration & Test Engineer to support the Space Exploration Networks Services and Evolution (SENSE) contract on-site at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), in Greenbelt, MD. As prime contractor on the Peraton SENSE contract, Peraton is responsible for the operation, maintenance, sustainment, and systems engineering of NASA’s worldwide satellite communication networks. In this position, you will be an integral part of a world class team that ensures NASA spaceground communications are reliable and meet mission requirements. As a Satellite Communications / Ground Systems Integration & Test Engineer you will have the opportunity to work with NASA’s Space Relay (SR) fleet of Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS). The SR is a unique and highly sought-after capability that uses geostationary relay satellites to communicate with low earth orbiting satellites and other customer platforms. The SR is the primary communications capability for the Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope and numerous other NASA, U.S. government and commercial missions. In this position, you will be working with Special Projects and Missions (SPM) U.S. Government customers. As a mission lead, you will support all phases of the mission life cycle: from initial exploratory compatibility discussions, through the technical aspects of designing, implementing, and testing ground and space interfaces, to procedural aspects for scheduling and controlling operational service. This cradle-to-grave approach for the mission lead function provides exposure to all aspects of the “customer commitment” function and enables growth both technically and programmatically. It is also rewarding to see tangible results from your work in the form of new missions or upgraded capabilities to existing missions.

Requirements

A Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, Math, or other related technical field, and 5+ years of related technical experience; or an MS degree and 3+ years of experience.
Systems integration experience and a working knowledge of satellite ground terminal architectures and associated operations
Requirements analysis, requirements management, test planning, and test procedure development
Design, development, integration, and test of ground communication systems and subsystems
Developing and presenting Key Decision Point (KDP) presentations (e.g., System Requirements /Design Reviews)
An active Secret clearance and an ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI clearance with a Polygraph, which requires a US citizen.
Must be a US Citizen and show proof of citizenship.
Must be able to maintain ability to access government worksite.

Nice To Haves

Active TS/SCI with a Polygraph
Strong written and oral communications to present material to team and customer
Proficient with the Microsoft Office suite including complex macro-driven Excel spreadsheets
Basic IT system administration experience (simple web pages, SharePoint, etc.)
COMSEC experience (annual key changes, etc.)

Responsibilities

Apprise potential new SR customers of system capabilities. Research and respond to technical and operational inquiries to determine if the SR is a good candidate for the customer.
Participate in requirement’s, design, test and operations readiness reviews and provide guidance to ensure designs and operations concepts are consistent with SR support policies and constraints.
Develop and maintain high-level requirements, documentation defining service requirements, mission support parameters, interface design concepts and initial operations concepts.
Work with customers to develop realistic operations profiles that can be used as input for network loading and characterization models.
Prepare technical specifications from which ground terminal engineers can prepare cost estimates for adding new customers to the SR ground terminal infrastructure.
Develop and maintain interface control documentation to define interfaces between customer facilities and the SR ground terminals.
Perform liaison function between customer spacecraft engineering personnel and NASA Radio Frequency (RF) engineers.
Contribute to and monitor progress against plan for integration and test efforts. Contribute to test plans and write briefing messages for engineering tests as the customer’s design progresses.
Help customers transition to operations by leading the development of operations procedures and facilitating schedule and control system capabilities.
Participate in engineering review boards to review and disposition discrepancy reports encountered during testing and operations support.
Maintain service accounting records for assigned missions to determine if level of support is consistent with the requirements baselines.
Present network status and respond to mission action items as part of monthly working group meetings and/or technical exchange meetings.