Lead Systems Engineer – Space Vehicle Operations and Training Lead

Job Title: Lead, Systems Engineer – Space Vehicle Operations & Training Lead 
Job Code: 45908
Job Location: Palm Bay, Florida
Job Schedule: 9/80 (Every Other Friday Off!)

Job Description:
L3Harris Technologies is seeking an experienced Space Vehicle Operations & Training Lead to provide technical leadership for Low-Earth-Orbit Operations (LEOPS) supporting a constellation of developmental spacecraft. This position will lead the development and execution of spacecraft operations, operating procedures, training products, and mission-support documentation while providing day-to-day technical directions to the LEOPS operations team.

The selected candidate will serve as a key interface between Space Operations, Engineering, Program Management, and the customer to ensure operational products, training requirements, and Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL) deliverables are developed, integrated, and delivered in support of program milestones and mission execution.

The position requires an experienced space operations professional capable of leading multidisciplinary teams in a high-tempo environment while maintaining the technical rigor required for safe and effective spacecraft command and control. The candidate will also support and sustain on-site 24 × 7 LEOPS activities during designated mission periods.

Essential Functions:
•    Lead the LEOPS team and provide day-to-day technical guidance, mentorship, prioritization, and coordination of spacecraft operations activities.
•    Direct the development, technical review, validation, configuration control, and release of spacecraft operating procedures, training curricula, lesson materials, and mission-support documentation.
•    Lead development and maintenance of operations and training products supporting spacecraft initialization, checkout, commissioning, nominal operations, contingency operations, and anomaly response.
•    Author, maintain, coordinate, and control LEOPS-related CDRL deliverables, ensuring products meet contractual, technical, schedule, and customer requirements.
•    Serve as the primary Space Operations interface for Integrated Mission System (IMS) inputs, ensuring assigned activities, milestones, dependencies, and deliverables are accurately represented and delivered on schedule.
•    Coordinate across Space Vehicle Engineering, Ground Systems, Mission Planning, Training, Systems Engineering, Program Management, and customer organizations to ensure operational readiness.
•    Support spacecraft command-and-control activities, including telemetry monitoring and analysis, commanding, mission planning, contact execution, and anomaly resolution.
•    Lead technical reviews of operating procedures and training products to ensure accuracy, completeness, configuration alignment, and operational usability.
•    Identify operational risks, training gaps, procedure deficiencies, and integration dependencies and coordinate corrective actions with appropriate stakeholders.
•    Support test, rehearsal, certification, and mission-readiness activities leading to spacecraft launch and on-orbit operations.
•    Execute and sustain 24 × 7 on-site LEOPS operations during designated mission periods, including shift coverage, anomaly response, spacecraft C2 execution, and real-time customer coordination.
•    Provide technical status, risks, dependencies, and recommendations to program and customer leadership.

Qualifications:
•    Bachelor’s Degree and minimum 9 years of prior relevant experience. Graduate Degree and a minimum of 7 years of prior related experience. In lieu of a degree, minimum of 13 years of prior related experience.
•    Active TS/SCI w/ CI Poly required.
•    4+ years of experience in spacecraft/satellite operations, satellite command and control (C2), mission operations, or a directly related space operations environment.
•    3+ years of experience developing, reviewing, validating, or executing spacecraft operating procedures, mission procedures, technical orders, or comparable mission-support documentation.
•    2+ years of experience developing, delivering, or evaluating technical training for spacecraft operators, mission controllers, or similar technical personnel.
•    2+ years of experience leading, supervising, or providing technical directions to multidisciplinary teams in mission-critical, high-tempo, or safety-critical operational environments.

Preferred Additional Skills:
•    Previous experience leading Launch and Early Orbit Operations (LEOP/LEOPS), spacecraft commissioning, or early on-orbit checkout activities.
•    Experience supporting operations of Low-Earth-Orbit spacecraft or proliferated satellite constellations.
•    Experience developing and managing Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL) deliverables.
•    Experience developing Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) inputs, identifying dependencies, and coordinating schedule execution.
•    Experience with spacecraft telemetry analysis, commanding, ground-system configuration, contact scheduling, and anomaly resolution.
•    Experience developing training using formal Instructional Systems Design (ISD) methodologies such as ADDIE.
•    Experience developing qualification/certification programs, training plans, evaluation criteria, and operator certification standards.
•    Experience supporting spacecraft integration and test, mission rehearsals, readiness reviews, or operational acceptance activities.
•    Strong written and verbal communication skills with demonstrated ability to brief technical and operational information to program leadership and customers.

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