Lead Systems Engineer

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with customers, stakeholders, and internal teams to define and document mission objectives, system requirements, and operational concepts.
• Translate customer and mission needs into actionable engineering solutions, ensuring alignment with technical and programmatic constraints.
• Lead system trade studies, performance evaluations, and feasibility assessments to ensure optimal system architecture design.
• Prepare detailed technical reports, presentations, and documentation for internal and external stakeholders, including government agencies and customers.
• Develop system-level integration and verification plans, conducting end-to-end testing to validate mission requirements.
• Cook up with subsystem teams to troubleshoot and resolve integration challenges, ensuring mission readiness.
• Support mission operations teams during testing and real-time mission execution.
• Conduct system performance analysis, including reliability, safety, and mission effectiveness, under various environmental conditions.
• Assess mission success criteria and operational risks and propose mitigation strategies.
• Identify and analyze mission risks related to complex space missions, including collision risks and operational uncertainties.
• Develop mitigation strategies and contingency plans for safe and reliable mission execution.

Qualifications

• Staff level: 12+ years full lifecycle experience, including leading a vehicle through design, test, and verification
• Principal level: 15+ years full lifecycle experience, including leading a vehicle through design, test, and verification
• Strong technical leadership and systems architecture experience
• Proven leadership in design, analysis, and verification on a major aerospace program
• Strong analytical and communication skills, with ability to lead technical trades
• Demonstrated ability to balance technical rigor with schedule and program realities
• Strong systems engineering and technical leadership background across mechanical, electrical, and software domains
• Ability to lead cross-functional technical teams and coordinate across hardware and software boundaries
• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or related field
• . Citizen and eligible for DoD TS/SCI or TS/SAP U.S. government security clearance

Preferred Skills And Experience

• Advanced degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or Systems Engineering
• Strong track record leading cross-functional engineering teams and managing design-to-delivery cycles
• Demonstrated expertise with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)
• Background in range certification, test readiness reviews, and safety boards
• Active TS/SCI clearance
• Experience in defense or classified space missions
• Familiarity with U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and NASA mission standards and processes
• Experience working with government agencies, primes, or subcontractors on space missions.