Space Vehicle Production Engineer

SAIC•Chantilly, VA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

SAIC is seeking a self-directed Space Vehicle Production Engineer to support cutting-edge space programs in Chantilly, Virginia. The role works daily on-site with the Government, providing technical and programmatic advice and guidance on a critical space system. The engineer helps ensure the space vehicle’s mechanical, electrical, and software components function safely and reliably to fulfill the mission. The position supports space vehicle and subsystem engineering across system development, production, integration, and test. It includes assessing contractor designs and manufacturing documentation, overseeing environmental, thermal, and acceptance testing, and advising Government customers on technical decisions, program risks, and courses of action. The engineer serves as a technical point of contact, leads reviews, translates customer needs into engineering requirements, and communicates findings and recommendations to Government and industry stakeholders. The role requires a strong satellite systems engineering background, experience with major Government acquisition programs, and extensive expertise in one or more relevant space vehicle engineering disciplines. A TS/SCI clearance is required. The position is based on-site in Chantilly, Virginia.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and 14 or more years of experience, or a master’s degree and 12 or more years of experience.
Strong satellite systems engineering background.
Experience with major Government acquisition programs.
Extensive experience in one or more of the following: mass properties, mechanical design and analysis, design for manufacturing, optical-mechanical systems, environmental testing, propulsion, mechanisms, guidance and controls, thermal engineering, structures, or aerospace engineering.
Experience with space systems, including developing concepts of operations and mission threads, collaborating with stakeholders on interfaces, conducting trade studies, defining interfaces, and working with developers to mature interface requirements.
Ability to absorb extensive technical detail and formulate logical solutions for execution on inflexible schedules, including when data is conflicting or incomplete.
Knowledge and application of systems engineering processes and functions.
Systems engineering and system integration experience.
Experience with Intelligence Community or Department of Defense Satellite Program Office best practices.
Experience with satellite system requirements development, design, manufacturing, and test.
Strong interpersonal, leadership, team-building, and problem-solving skills, including effectiveness in a Government/contractor team environment.
Ability to facilitate technical discussions with subject-matter experts.
Ability to communicate with senior decision-makers who have varying levels of programmatic and technical expertise.
Effective communication, coordination, and customer engagement skills.
Ability to work without supervision in a fast-paced, dynamic, team environment.
Active TS/SCI clearance required.
Bachelor’s degree required.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred.
Previous SAP experience desired.

Responsibilities

Provide the Government with space vehicle and subsystem engineering support, including recommended inputs and courses of action on technical and programmatic topics.
Oversee environmental, thermal, and acceptance testing to help ensure hardware can withstand launch and orbital conditions.
Assess contractor designs and documentation for manufacturing, assembly, and integration of flight hardware.
Work with space vehicle design engineers to ensure parts can be reliably built, machined, or assembled on the production floor.
Identify, mitigate, and resolve space vehicle and subsystem risks and issues, providing technical leadership as needed.
Prepare and deliver written reports, risk assessments, recommendations, and presentations to the customer.
Foster communication and alignment among team members to identify challenges and solutions.
Evaluate prime contractor performance at milestone reviews, including compliance with technical requirements and the quality of deliverables.
Support system development from initial requirements verification through mission design, prototype development, and test.
Serve as the main technical point of contact, lead reviews, and translate customer needs into actionable engineering requirements.
Participate in studies and system trades to evaluate enhanced capabilities.
Assess contractor designs at major milestone reviews, including progress, risks, issues, and ability to achieve mission requirements.
Provide technical support to Government customer activities and programmatic processes.
Develop documents and briefings on work or study status and brief Government and industry audiences as required.