Spacecraft Systems Engineering Lead

Science Systems & Applications • Greenbelt, MD

2d • Onsite

About The Position

Science Systems and Applications, Inc. (SSAI) is seeking an experienced Spacecraft Systems Engineering Lead to provide technical leadership and systems engineering expertise across spacecraft design, development, integration, and mission readiness activities.

This position is on-site at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center with expected domestic travel (10-25%).

Requirements

• Master’s degree(M.S.) and a minimum of 12 years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated experience supporting spacecraft Mission Systems Engineering during the pre-launch phase of a spaceflight mission.
• Strong knowledge of systems engineering processes and tools, including requirements management, system design, development, integration, and test.
• Experience coordinating across multi-disciplinary engineering teams and collaborating with government stakeholders and industry partners.
• Experience supporting major mission lifecycle reviews, including Critical Design Review (CDR), Operations Readiness Review (ORR), or similar milestone reviews.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience preparing technical documentation and presenting findings to mission leadership.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting geosynchronous or geostationary spacecraft missions.
• Working knowledge of science instruments and spacecraft-to-instrument interfaces.
• Active or prior security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Provide broad systems engineering leadership and technical guidance related to spacecraft design, development, and verification as the mission progresses through Critical Design Review (CDR) and into Assembly, Integration & Test (AI&T).
• Work closely with the Mission Systems Engineering (MSE) team to provide technical insight and support across spacecraft development activities during the pre-launch mission phase.
• Provide cross-project support to the Observatory Manager by coordinating and prioritizing contributions from part-time discipline and specialty engineers based on evolving mission needs.
• Coordinate closely with spacecraft and instrument industry partners as well as government stakeholders to support spacecraft design, interface definition, trade studies, requirements verification, and anomaly resolution activities.
• Support mission-level systems engineering activities including requirements management, interface coordination, system integration planning, and risk mitigation.
• Provide technical assessments and recommendations related to spacecraft architecture, subsystem integration, and system performance.
• Contribute to documentation, reporting, and technical communication with project leadership and stakeholder organizations.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level