Civil Observing Systems Technical Advisors

The Aerospace Corporation•Silver Spring, MD

5d•$155,900 - $233,900•Onsite

About The Position

The Aerospace Corporation, operating a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), is seeking experienced and mission-focused Technical Advisors to support strategic, technical, policy, and interagency activities for both the NOAA weather and USGS land imaging enterprise family of systems. These full-time, permanent Technical Advisor positions fall within our Space Based Environmental Sensing Directorate in support of either NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Systems (NESDIS) or USGS Sustainable Land Imaging (SLI) Senior Executive leaders as primary customers. In support of NOAA or USGS leaders, each technical advisor will lean in and be a trusted expert that helps shape future architecture, space, and ground capabilities, provide guidance in and engagement with the commercial space domain, and strengthen partnerships across USGS, NASA, NOAA, government agencies, and other global stakeholders. Our Space Based Environmental Sensing Directorate provides the Aerospace technical leadership team supporting systems engineering and technical oversight for the NOAA and USGS portfolios. Our efforts are integral to the success of NOAA and USGS developments and implementations, commercial provider partnerships, international activities, and a myriad of other efforts. The selected candidate(s) will be required to work full-time, on-site at NOAA headquarters, Silver Spring, MD or USGS Headquarters, Reston, VA.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited program in applicable STEM areas.
Twelve or more years of increasingly responsible, professional civil space programs, including mission development, operational systems, enterprise architectures, and remote sensing product workflows.
Experience supporting or working with Earth‑observation portfolios and knowledge of federal mission roles (e.g., USGS, NASA, NOAA).
Ability to contribute technical insight to policy development, NOAA and/or USGS strategies, including preparation of materials for federal review.
Strong grasp of commercial partnership strategies and technical capabilities relevant to remote sensing approaches and products.
Ability to build and maintain productive relationships with commercial industry, international agencies, and mission partners.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate across science, engineering, and operations domains.
Ability to communicate complex technical information clearly across diverse audiences.
Willing to travel domestically and potentially internationally to customers and partner sites. Approximately 6-8 trips annually.
Position may require the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance, which is issued by the U.S. government. U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience within USGS, NASA, or NOAA programs pertaining to Space and ground remote sensing programs and capabilities, including mission, flight and ground systems architectures.
Direct experience with related commercial industries and marketplaces, including space systems or product workflows.
Direct experience leading multi-disciplinary engineering and/or remote sensing product teams.
Direct experience with government to government international bi-lateral exchanges and work planning activities benefiting U.S. civil space and international collaboration.
Current and Active Secret or Top Secret security clearance.

Responsibilities

Serve as senior technical advisor to the NOAA NESDIS and/or USGS SLI senior leadership team, supporting strategic planning, program communication, stakeholder outreach, and cross-team coordination for policy, science, engineering, and operational domains.
Lead portfolio-level systems engineering, providing technical insight, architecture guidance and innovation, and integration support across missions, ground system architectures, and data and product collections.
Support planning and execution of the commercial strategy, including engagement with industry providers, assessment of commercial data options and business models, and alignment with long-term programmatic goals, including data and product quality.
Advise customer leadership on internation activities and strategies, including the development of partnerships supporting NOAA and/or USGS mission objectives
Develop and guide implementation of policy ensuring alignment with federal directives and NOAA and/or USGS program priorities.
Provide senior technical guidance for NOAA NESDIS and/or USGS SLI activities, including new mission development, and readiness.
Build and strengthen partnerships with other federal agencies, to advance interagency coordination that underpins the NOAA and/or USGS enterprise and future mission architecture(s)
Deliver technical guidance for NOAA and/or USGS communication and interactions with key stakeholders
Support championing NOAA and/or USGS strategies, user needs advocacy, modernizing data discovery and access, and cultivating partnerships that enhance the sustainability and resilience of weather system capabilities.
Provide technical leadership and mentorship to multidisciplinary teams supporting NOAA and/or USGS missions

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