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 National Systems Group serves as the technical advisor to the Intelligence Community and its mission partners involved in the collection and distribution of national and tactical intelligence, including electronics programs, advanced technologies, ground and communications, imagery programs, and systems engineering and launch.
The GEOINT Futures Office (GFO) Space Vehicle Department supports the development, integration, test, launch and initialization of a complex National Intelligence electro-optical space vehicle. We are looking for a Space Vehicle Systems Director (Systems Director-Engineering Program Management and Systems Engineering) to lead and manage the a program of six to eight direct reports and approximately twenty equivalent staff. This role is within Aerospace's Imagery Programs Division, GEOINT Futures Office.
Work Model
This full-time position is based in Chantilly, VA, and requires 100% onsite work.
What You'll Be Doing
- Leading Aerospace Corporation support to the development of a major National Intelligence space vehicle providing an electro-optical mission capability.
- Guiding your team in forming coordinated assessments and recommendations
- Providing government and Aerospace leadership with key recommendations and status
- Participating in program working groups, integrated program teams, and anomaly resolution efforts
What You Need to be Successful
Minimum Requirements for Systems Director - Engineering Program Management and Systems Engineering
- Bachelor's or Advanced degree in a relevant technical subject area
- 10 or more years of professional experience in a relevant field
- Experience supporting National Security Space missions
- Excellent leadership, interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills
- Willing to travel domestically approximately once a month
- This position requires a current and active TS/SBI/SCI security clearance and polygraph, which is issued by the U.S. government. U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.
How You Can Stand Out
It would be impressive if you have one or more of these:
- Prior experience as a manager who has hired staff and led staff through annual performance reviews
- Experience with tasking Aerospace's Engineering Technology Group or a matrixed engineering group
- NRO vehicle acquisition and its vehicle initialization process experience
- Electro-optical payloads and common satellite subsystems experience
- Experience with satellite assembly, integration, test, and launch
Leadership Competencies
Our leadership philosophy is simple: every employee, regardless of level and role, can demonstrate leadership. At Aerospace, our commitment is our people. To cultivate our talent and ensure that we have a strong pipeline of future leaders, we want individuals who:
- Operate Strategically
- Lead Change
- Engage with Impact
- Foster Innovation
- Deliver Results
Ways We Reward Our Employees
During your interview process, our team will provide details of our industry-leading benefits.
Benefits vary and are applicable based on Job Type. A few highlights include:
- 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
- A work environment built on teamwork, flexibility, and respect
We are all unique, from various backgrounds and all walks of life, yet one thing bonds all of us to each other-the belief that we can make a difference. This core belief empowers us to do our best work at The Aerospace Corporation.
Equal Opportunity Commitment
The Aerospace Corporation is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, color, religion, genetic information, marital status, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, physical disability, medical condition, mental disability, or disability status and any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. If you're an individual with a disability or a disabled veteran who needs assistance using our online job search and application tools or need reasonable accommodation to complete the job application process, please contact us by phone at 310.336.5432 or by email at [email protected] . You can also review Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal.
Top Skills
What the Team is Saying
What We Do
The space enterprise has been transformed by rapid change and growth. New vehicles for national security space, a more rapid launch cadence, proliferated satellite constellations, the pursuit of interplanetary exploration, and thriving commercial ventures are changing the nature of the space industry. The Aerospace Corporation (Aerospace) is a leading architect for U.S. space programs, shaping efforts to outpace threats to our national security while cultivating the technologies needed to further this new era of space commercialization and exploration.
Aerospace works across the space enterprise in service of the public interest. In addition to supporting the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community, our customers include NASA, NOAA, numerous federal agencies, and commercial space — all of whom benefit from our deep technical knowledge. We only pursue business related to the space mission and complementary fields, operating as the nation’s trusted partner to solve the toughest challenges and develop reliable and innovative technologies.
Innovation in space occurs when people have the freedom to imagine and do. At Aerospace, we take pride in our readiness to solve some of the most complex challenges in the space enterprise.
Why Work With Us
We are a non-profit corporation chartered by the government to work on the hardest problems in space. We employ technical experts in every discipline of space-related science and engineering who touch every part of the US space program. Come join us as we make an impact bigger than ourselves.
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Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
