Senior Spacecraft Systems Engineer - Payload

CesiumAstro•Westminster, CO

6d•$133,000 - $161,000

About The Position

CesiumAstro is seeking a Senior Spacecraft Systems Engineer to support payload systems engineering for communication systems used on satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. The role analyzes customer, mission, and system-level needs and turns them into clear, verifiable requirements, while defining and managing interfaces between payloads and space vehicles and among system elements. The engineer supports system architecture, technical trade studies, risk identification, requirements and configuration management, and engineering change activities. They develop verification and validation strategies and documentation, partner with Integration & Test teams, and help resolve discrepancies to ensure requirements are met. The role also contributes to program planning and execution, participates in technical and customer reviews, mentors junior engineers, and improves systems engineering processes and documentation. Applicants must meet U.S. Government space technology export eligibility requirements: be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, conditional resident, asylee, or refugee, or be eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline with typically 5–8 years of relevant experience; alternatively, a related master’s degree with typically 3–6 years of relevant experience, or a related PhD with typically 0–3 years of relevant experience.
Strong knowledge of systems engineering principles and the systems development lifecycle.
Experience developing, managing, and verifying system and subsystem requirements.
Knowledge of systems architecture, interface management, systems integration, and configuration management.
Understanding of verification, validation, and systems integration processes.
Ability to interpret customer requirements, CONOPS, and technical specifications to develop engineering solutions.
Ability to use Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Visio.
Experience with requirements management tools such as Jama, IBM DOORS, or similar.
Experience with MBSE tools such as CATIA Magic/Cameo, MagicDraw, or similar.
Experience with systems modeling and simulation tools.
Ability to use collaboration platforms such as Confluence, SharePoint, or similar.
Experience with configuration management and version control tools such as Git, GitLab, Bitbucket, or similar.
Ability to use issue tracking tools such as Jira or similar.
Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.
Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
Effective written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
Ability to collaborate effectively within multidisciplinary engineering teams.
Must meet the stated U.S. Government space technology export eligibility requirements.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with spacecraft mission planning, launch support, and on-orbit operations.
Experience supporting spacecraft system integration, mission readiness, and operational activities.
Experience supporting aerospace, defense, or other highly regulated engineering programs.

Responsibilities

Analyze customer, mission, and system-level requirements and decompose them into clear, verifiable system and subsystem requirements.
Establish definitions for hardware and software interfaces between the payload and space vehicle.
Maintain end-to-end requirements traceability to customer requirements, system architecture, and Concept of Operations (CONOPS).
Define and manage hardware, software, electrical, mechanical, and data interfaces between system elements.
Collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams to refine requirements for completeness, feasibility, technical accuracy, and manufacturability.
Support requirements management, configuration management, baseline control, and engineering change activities.
Identify technical risks, requirement gaps, ambiguities, and design issues early in development.
Support system architecture development, technical trade studies, and engineering analyses to evaluate design alternatives and optimize system performance.
Develop system verification and validation strategies, including verification methods, acceptance criteria, and verification levels aligned with program requirements.
Define verification configurations, including the hardware, software, firmware, and test environments needed for verification activities.
Develop and maintain verification documentation, verification cross-reference matrices, requirements traceability matrices, and verification evidence packages.
Partner with Integration & Test teams to plan, coordinate, and support system integration and verification activities.
Evaluate test results, resolve technical discrepancies, and support corrective actions to ensure compliance with system requirements.
Support technical planning, Program Increment (PI) planning, staffing assessments, and engineering execution activities.
Prioritize systems engineering work to meet technical, cost, schedule, and program milestones.
Participate in technical reviews, design reviews, customer meetings, and engineering milestone activities.
Mentor junior engineers in systems engineering best practices, requirements development, traceability, verification, and technical documentation.
Drive continuous improvement of engineering processes, systems engineering rigor, and technical documentation.
Collaborate across multidisciplinary engineering teams to support successful program execution.
Perform additional duties and responsibilities as assigned.