Space Force - SDA Operations Center Technical Lead

General Dynamics Mission Systems, Inc•Huntsville, AL

1d•$183,371 - $203,428•Onsite

About The Position

The SDA Operations Center Technical Lead drives resolution of daily onsite challenges associated with operating the SDA satellite constellation, integrating new satellites and capabilities, coordinating subcontractors and mission partners such as Iridium and Raytheon, and providing day-to-day technical direction to the GDMS engineering team supporting onsite operations. The role keeps engineering activities, operational priorities, and partner contributions aligned with mission needs. As part of the US Space Force Space Development Agency Ground Management and Integration program, the Technical Lead supports the evolution, expansion, integration, testing, operation, and sustainment of ground operational systems for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. The position is onsite at an operations center or in Scottsdale, Arizona, with SDA teams in Alabama, North Dakota, or Arizona, and requires travel within the continental United States up to 20 percent.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, aeronautics, systems engineering, or a related science, mathematics, or technical field, plus at least 12 years of relevant experience; or a master’s degree plus at least 10 years of relevant experience.
At least four years of relevant experience supporting or leading satellite or SATCOM operations involving on-orbit vehicles from a ground-based operations center.
At least six years of relevant experience in satellite, SATCOM, ground-system, mission-system, or systems engineering.
Specialized operations and engineering experience may overlap in time.
Experience leading mission operations, constellation operations, LEOP, spacecraft commissioning, or transition to sustained operations.
Experience integrating new spacecraft, ground-system capabilities, operational software, or mission services into an operational environment.
Experience coordinating multidisciplinary engineering teams and external partners during time-sensitive mission activities.
Strong understanding of requirements, CONOPS, interface definitions, operational procedures, integration, verification, and readiness reviews.
Working knowledge of satellite command and control, telemetry, mission planning, ground networks, and SATCOM concepts.
Familiarity with cybersecurity principles applicable to operational mission systems.
Strong written, verbal, organizational, and stakeholder-management skills.
Proficiency with Jira and Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
United States citizenship.
Active Department of Defense Secret clearance or higher.
Ability to provide onsite support and travel within the continental United States up to 20 percent.

Nice To Haves

Experience operating or integrating a proliferated LEO satellite constellation.
Experience with US Space Force, SDA, PWSA, missile warning, or missile-tracking missions.
Experience directing launch campaigns, mission rehearsals, in-orbit testing, commissioning, and constellation expansion.
Experience managing technical performance and interfaces involving subcontractors, satellite manufacturers, launch providers, and network operators.
Experience with 24/7 operational support, on-call issue triage, anomaly response, and service restoration.
Experience developing operational training, qualification, or simulation programs.
Familiarity with missile-tracking data flows, sensor fusion, mission-data processing, and rapid dissemination.
Knowledge of cloud infrastructure, operational automation, Python, or data-analysis techniques.
Experience supporting government customers and geographically distributed mission partners.

Responsibilities

Provide onsite technical leadership for daily constellation operations and associated ground-system activities.
Coordinate GDMS engineering support across mission operations, systems engineering, software, ground systems, networks, cybersecurity, integration, test, and sustainment.
Drive resolution of operational issues, anomalies, engineering dependencies, and mission-impacting risks.
Lead integration and operational acceptance of new satellites, payloads, ground-system releases, and mission capabilities.
Plan and coordinate operational readiness activities, rehearsals, testing, commissioning, and transition to sustained operations.
Provide technical direction to cross-functional engineers supporting the operations center without displacing established functional-management responsibilities.
Coordinate technical interfaces, priorities, and deliverables with subcontractors and mission partners, including Iridium and Raytheon.
Translate operator and mission needs into requirements, system behaviors, interfaces, operational workflows, and engineering priorities.
Evaluate end-to-end mission threads involving spacecraft, payloads, ground entry points, antenna systems, networks, processing environments, operations centers, and external users.
Support preplanned and ad hoc satellite and payload scheduling, situational awareness, and mission-response activities.
Lead anomaly response, technical investigation, root-cause analysis, corrective-action planning, and closure.
Develop or review CONOPS, mission procedures, contingency procedures, interface documentation, readiness criteria, and verification evidence.
Communicate operational status, technical risks, priorities, and recommendations to program leadership, customers, subcontractors, and engineering teams.
Use Jira and other program mechanisms to maintain technical priorities, actions, dependencies, and closure evidence.
Identify opportunities to improve operational effectiveness through automation, analytics, and responsible application of AI.