Technical Product Lead (Project Engineer/Sr. Project Engineer)

The Aerospace Corporation•El Segundo, CA

2d•$117,300 - $175,900•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. STARS, the Spacelift Telemetry Acquisition and Reporting System, is a networked, distributed processing system used to acquire, process, analyze, display, and archive launch vehicle telemetry and other data for vehicle checkout and launch activities. We are seeking a Technical Product Lead to take ownership of STARS 2.0, our cloud-based software platform that hosts mission-critical applications for launch engineering and mission assurance work. Reporting directly to the Systems Director of the STARS Mission Operations Center, this individual contributor will serve as the bridge between our technical team of approximately 10 engineers, program leadership, and end users. The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise with strong product management and stakeholder engagement skills. You will be responsible for the reliability and continuous improvement of the platform, translating user needs into actionable requirements, overseeing the software release process, and working closely with leadership to set strategic priorities and annual goals. This role requires someone who can work autonomously on day-to-day decisions while collaborating with the Systems Director on large-scale architectural changes and strategic initiatives. You must be comfortable supporting live mission operations outside of normal business hours and have the technical judgment to ensure that every release maintains platform stability and meets our high standards for mission assurance. The selected candidate will be required to work full-time, on-site at our Aerospace Technical Campus in El Segundo, CA.

Requirements

Bachelors of Science degree in an applicable STEM areas or other discipline
6 or more years of software engineering experience, preferably with experience on STARS 2.0 or similar mission-critical platforms
2+ years in a product ownership, technical lead, or similar role managing product roadmaps and delivering on strategic goals
Hands-on experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
Working knowledge of data platforms and architectures
Demonstrated experience with DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines
Proficiency with automated testing frameworks and test-driven development practices
Understanding of microservices architecture and distributed systems
Experience working in a program office or similar cross-functional environment
Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders
Proven ability to navigate competing priorities, negotiate trade-offs, and work autonomously while knowing when to escalate
Experience gathering user requirements and working directly with customers and end users
Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance, issued by the US government.
US citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.
10 or more years of software engineering experience, preferably with experience on STARS 2.0 or similar mission-critical platforms (for Sr. Project Engineer)
3+ years in a product ownership, technical lead, or similar role managing product roadmaps and delivering on strategic goals (for Sr. Project Engineer)
Deep expertise with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) including architectural design decisions and cost optimization strategies (for Sr. Project Engineer)
Demonstrated experience leading incident response, implementing reliability improvements, and establishing best practices for DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, and automated testing frameworks across teams (for Sr. Project Engineer)

Nice To Haves

Prior hands-on experience with the STARS 2.0 platform or related launch engineering systems
Background in aerospace, defense, or mission-critical systems
Active Secret security clearance
Experience supporting live operations or production environments with on-call responsibilities
Familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodologies and experience leading ceremonies
Track record of incident management, post-mortem facilitation, and implementing reliability improvements
Knowledge of security and compliance requirements for government/aerospace systems
Experience providing strategic input on budget planning and resource allocation
Demonstrated success in identifying and implementing process improvements that enhanced team performance or product quality

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end reliability and performance of the STARS 2.0 platform, monitoring system health and proactively addressing technical debt
Lead release review board meetings and oversee the software release process, with authority to veto releases that threaten platform stability or fail to meet process requirements
Run weekly wargame sessions and actively contribute to product team meetings
Gather feedback from launch engineers and end users, translating it into clear requirements, epics, and technical tasks
Triage and prioritize incoming tasks, bugs, and feature requests on a day-to-day basis
Collaborate with the Systems Director to establish annual platform goals, strategic roadmap, and budget priorities
Partner with the Project Manager to ensure the team adheres to established software development processes
Act as the liaison between the technical team, program office, and customers, facilitating communication and alignment
Support live mission operations, including availability outside of normal business hours as needed
Identify and implement structural and process improvements for both the platform and technical team
Coordinate rapid response when production issues arise, working with the team to implement fixes
Travel occasionally to launch sites (at least annually) to meet with stakeholders and field teams

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