Sr. Space Development Agency Tracking Engineer

The Aerospace Corporation•Chantilly, VA

21h•Onsite

About The Position

The Aerospace Corporation is the trusted partner to the nation’s space programs, solving the hardest problems and providing unmatched technical expertise. As the operator of a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), we are broadly engaged across all aspects of space— delivering innovative solutions that span satellite, launch, ground, and cyber systems for defense, civil and commercial customers. When you join our team, you’ll be part of a special collection of problem solvers, thought leaders, and innovators. Join us and take your place in space. The Defense Systems Group (DSG) provides analysis-based decision support to senior leaders on space architectures, policy and strategy, technology development, warfighter capability enablers, systems integration, defense industrial base, and threat reduction to help shape existing and future space missions across the national security space (NSS) enterprise. DSG is unique at Aerospace as it not only directly supports major customers, including the U.S. Space Force, U.S. Space Command, Air Force Materiel Command, and senior leadership at the Pentagon, but also provides a broad range of technical support across the national space enterprise, maintaining vertical responsibilities with customers’ portfolios as well as horizontal, matrixed responsibilities across the corporation. Additionally, DSG provides deep technical expertise to the Space Force Space Systems Command (SSC) in the conception, design, acquisition, launch and operations of satellite, launch vehicle, ground control, and range systems. The Space Development Agency (SDA) was established in 2019 by the Department of Defense to define and monitor the Department’s future thread-driven space architecture and accelerate the development and fielding of new military space capabilities necessary to ensure our technological and military advantage in space for national defense. Aerospace support to SDA resides within the Agile Acquisition Division of the Defense Architectures and Integration office of the Defense Systems Group, which provides decision support at the enterprise level to senior Aerospace customers across the Department of War, as well as helping to connect and align customers and Aerospace across the space enterprise. This position supports SDA’s Tracking Cell, in which the selected candidate will provide expertise in Missile Warning (MW), Missile Tracking (MT), and Missile Defense (MD) mission architecture definition, performance modeling and evaluation, acquisition oversight, operations planning, and external stakeholder enterprise mission integration. We are looking for a Sr. Space Development Agency Tracking Engineer (Senior Project Engineer - Signal & Image Processing Engineering and Modeling & Simulation Engineering). The selected candidate will be required to work full-time, on-site at our facility in Chantilly, Virginia. What You’ll Be Doing This position will support the SDA Tracking Cell Director and Tracking Tranche Program Managers, who work with other SDA cells as well as external mission stakeholders to focus on providing Warfighter capabilities to fill capability gaps. This cell provides Missile Warning, Tracking, and Defense (MWTD) technical leadership to SDA across all tranches, including understanding of MWTD architectural modeling and requirements as well as acquisition support, enterprise MWTD stakeholder coordination and partner system operational integration, warfighter mission involvement, and ensuring that SDA tracking space and ground efforts fulfill warfighter requirements. Tracking is the primary sensing mission for SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) and its proliferated LEO tracking layer is a core component of the future MWTD system. This job includes daily interaction with SDA senior leaders, FFRDCs, SETAs, and UARC personnel across all SDA program cells and mission areas. This role may also include daily interaction with external mission stakeholders and partners across the DoD as well as regular engagement with industry partners on potential technology developments that support accelerated and enhanced missile defense mission capability. This role supports the SDA tracking cell director and program managers by providing MWTD mission systems engineering, integration, and test expertise to help guide contract execution, performance assessments and trades, on-orbit operations planning and analysis, PWSA space and ground system integration, technology roadmap development, and future tranche requirement definition. Responsibilities include assisting the government in monitoring contractor execution, providing direct systems engineering and subject matter expert (SME) support, and directing the Aerospace Engineering Technology Group (ETG) SME support to all tracking operations, integration, and acquisition efforts, including modeling, simulation, and analysis of operational capabilities of missile defense scenarios. The successful candidate will apply innovative approaches to MWTD sensing, testing, and processing mission acquisitions and operations as well as MWTD enterprise and warfighter integration.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited program in engineering, math, computer science, physics, or other related discipline
12 or more years of increasingly responsible and related engineering/scientific experience
Relevant, progressive work experience in Missile Warning, Tracking, and Defense (MWTD) space vehicle development and test, and in space-to-ground system integration
Experience leading, working, and communicating effectively as part of a team in a fast paced, dynamic environment, reacting quickly and providing products of consistent, high quality
Demonstrated ability to build and lead cross-functional high-performance teams
Demonstrated ability to influence outcomes utilizing objective facts
Ability to build and/or maintain substantive rapport with Aerospace peers and government customers
Ability to work with the Aerospace Engineering Technology Group matrix and other Aerospace program offices
Excellent written communication skills, organizing complex materials and concepts in a manner that is clear and logical
Excellent verbal communication skills building consensus through speaking with clear, concise, persuasive, and polished professional style
Candidate must be willing to travel domestically approximately 10% of the time
Current and active TS/SCI clearance, which is issued by the US government.
US citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance

Nice To Haves

A Masters or PhD degree from an accredited program in engineering, math, computer science, physics, or other related discipline
12 or more years of experience in MWTD systems, architectures, operations, data processing, and performance assessment
Experience with mentoring junior engineers
Experience directly interfacing with customers and delivering comprehensive assessment products
Multidisciplinary experience including spacecraft and launch vehicle concept design and operations, knowledge of DoD, IC, Civil, and Commercial mission and technologies
Direct experience working with SDA and a working knowledge of the SDA architecture, functional cells, and leadership interactions

Responsibilities

Provide expertise in Missile Warning (MW), Missile Tracking (MT), and Missile Defense (MD) mission architecture definition, performance modeling and evaluation, acquisition oversight, operations planning, and external stakeholder enterprise mission integration.
Support the SDA Tracking Cell Director and Tracking Tranche Program Managers.
Provide Missile Warning, Tracking, and Defense (MWTD) technical leadership to SDA across all tranches.
Coordinate enterprise MWTD stakeholder coordination and partner system operational integration.
Ensure SDA tracking space and ground efforts fulfill warfighter requirements.
Facilitate daily interaction with SDA senior leaders, FFRDCs, SETAs, and UARC personnel across all SDA program cells and mission areas.
Facilitate daily interaction with external mission stakeholders and partners across the DoD.
Engage with industry partners on potential technology developments that support accelerated and enhanced missile defense mission capability.
Provide MWTD mission systems engineering, integration, and test expertise to help guide contract execution, performance assessments and trades, on-orbit operations planning and analysis, PWSA space and ground system integration, technology roadmap development, and future tranche requirement definition.
Assist the government in monitoring contractor execution.
Provide direct systems engineering and subject matter expert (SME) support.
Direct the Aerospace Engineering Technology Group (ETG) SME support to all tracking operations, integration, and acquisition efforts, including modeling, simulation, and analysis of operational capabilities of missile defense scenarios.
Apply innovative approaches to MWTD sensing, testing, and processing mission acquisitions and operations as well as MWTD enterprise and warfighter integration.

Benefits

Comprehensive health care and wellness plans
Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation
Standard and alternate work schedules, including telework options
401(k) Plan — Employees receive a total company-paid benefit of 8%, 10%, or 12% of eligible compensation based on years of service and matching contributions; employees are immediately eligible and vested in the plan upon hire
Flexible spending accounts
Variable pay program for exceptional contributions
Relocation assistance
Professional growth and development programs to help advance your career
Education assistance programs
An inclusive work environment built on teamwork, flexibility, and respect