Spacecraft Technical Lead

Job Description

This position is for a Spacecraft Technical Lead Engineer in Chantilly, VA supporting cutting-edge and innovative space programs. The Spacecraft Technical Lead Engineer will work daily on-site with the Government to provide advice and guidance on technical and programmatic aspects of a critical space system.

Job Responsibilities

• Define requirements to ensure the spacecraft operates seamlessly, from design through manufacturing, testing, and launch.
• Provide Government with recommended inputs and courses of action for technical and programmatic topics.
• Foster communication and alignment among team members to identify challenges and corresponding solutions.
• Evaluate prime contractor performance at milestone reviews ensuring compliance with technical requirements, and quality of deliverables.
• Serve as the main technical point of contact, leading reviews, and translating customer needs into actionable engineering requirements.
• Support system development from initial requirements verification through mission design, prototype development, and test.
• Participate in studies and system trades for enhanced capabilities.
• Support verification, validation, and test planning.
• Provide technical and programmatic assessments of contractor designs at major milestone reviews to assess progress, risks and issues, and the ability to achieve mission requirements.
• Provide technical support to Government customer activities and programmatic processes.
• Develop documents and briefings to communicate work or study status and brief Government and industry as required.

Qualifications

• TYPICAL EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Bachelors and fourteen (14) years or more experience; Masters and twelve (12) years or more experience; PhD or JD and nine (9) years or more experience.
• Strong satellite systems engineering background.
• Major government acquisition program experience.
• Experience with space systems, including development of concept of operations, mission threads, and collaboration with stakeholders on interfaces; ability to conduct trade studies, define interfaces, and work with the developer to mature interface requirements.
• Ability to absorb extensive technical detail and logically formulate solutions for execution on an inflexible schedule, often requiring integration of conflicting and, at times, incomplete data.
• Knowledge and application of Systems Engineering processes and functions.
• Systems engineering and system integration experience.
• Experience with the Intelligence Community or the Department of Defense Satellite Program Office best practices.
• Experience with satellite system requirements development, design, manufacturing, and test.
• Excellent interpersonal, leadership, team building and problem-solving skills with a demonstrated ability to be effective in a government/contractor team environment.
• Ability to facilitate technical discussions with SMEs.
• Ability to communicate with a diverse audience of senior decision makers with varying levels of programmatic and technical expertise.
• Effective communication, coordination, and customer engagement skills.
• Ability to work in a fast paced, dynamic, and team environment with no supervision.
• Active TS/SCI with current Poly Required.
• Previous SAP experience Preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree required / Master’s degree preferred.

Pay

The target salary range for this position is $160,001 - $200,000. The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors.