Operations Lead

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 Digital Innovation Division (DID) is responsible for operating, managing, and sustainment of the Mission Payload Division’s collateral secret Analysis, Visualization, and Integration Laboratory (ANVIL), a multi-disciplinary, multi-tenant laboratory that supports some of the company’s most critical missions. 

Mission IT is seeking a skilled Operations Lead with deep expertise in IT infrastructure, systems administration, and secure lab operations. In this role, you will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of ANVIL’s on-premises and cloud ecosystems, and deploying Mission IT services which form the backbone of mission-critical analysis and integration capabilities supporting the nation’s most complex space enterprise and mission assurance challenges. In addition to leading lab operations, you will have the opportunity to grow as a people leader, mentoring and developing 2-3 direct reports as a Mission IT Ops Section Manager. This dual role offers broad exposure to modern technical disciplines, direct engagement with internal and external stakeholders, and the opportunity to shape how a critical lab evolves to meet emerging mission needs. 

As the Operations Lead, you will personally drive the day-to-day execution of lab custodian duties, perform data transfer operations, and direct system, data, and cloud infrastructure administrator activities across a diverse and growing portfolio of tenant missions. You will collaborate closely with the ANVIL Director and the ANVIL Technical Lead, who serves as the chief architect, engineer, and integrator for the lab.

You will also collaborate with Aerospace facilities, collateral information security, the corporate IT department (EIS), supply chain, environment health and safety (EHS), other corporate entities. Additionally, you will contribute to integrating engineering IT services, identifying ANVIL needs and requirements, and the development, operations and sustainment of the secure, high-performing lab environment. Your ability to influence the efforts and direction of the ANVIL team in a fast-paced, dynamic environment will be key to your success. This position requires a strong sense of shared responsibility and ownership, working alongside cross-functional team members to achieve ANVIL’s mission objectives. 

Work Model: This is a full-time position based in El Segundo, CA which requires 100% onsite work. 

What You’ll Be Doing 

• Perform and oversee ANVIL lab IT operational processes and facility coordination, including: 
• Lab scheduling, maintenance, and point-of-contact management with DID services, facilities, security, EIS, supply chain, and other corporate entities 
• Coordinating lab upgrades and maintenance requiring HVAC, power, UPS, network, physical security, property, or EHS approvals 
• Perform and oversee ANVIL lab custodian duties, including: 
• Managing user accounts (i.e., creation, monitoring, access control, onboarding) 
• Maintaining inventories of ANVIL IT equipment, software, software licenses, and security containers 
• Submitting and tracking software and IT hardware changes for approval 
• Perform and oversee ANVIL system and data administration duties, including: 
• Assisting users in accomplishing their tasks within the ANVIL environment 
• Installing, configuring, testing, and maintaining CISD-approved hardware and software (i.e., COTS software, Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS), and Aerospace custom software) 
• Configuring user accounts and resetting passwords within ANVIL systems 
• Developing storage allocations and defining/maintaining backup, archival, and recovery procedures 
• Coordinate with Corporate data management planning to execute good data governance 
• Perform and oversee timely data transfer operations for ANVIL, including: 
• Managing data transfer and trusted downloads into and out of ANVIL information systems following corporate and customer guidance 
• Maintaining documentation and logs of data transfers 
• Managing the interface with Aerospace CMS for transfer of ANVIL classified materials in and out of ATC, and with Special Security for data transfer into ASENET 
• Overseeing operations of ANVIL on-prem and cloud ecosystems, including: 
• Planning, deploying, and maintaining virtual infrastructure as a service (i.e., Windows/Linux VMs, AD server, Trellix storage) 
• Planning, deploying, and maintaining on-prem cloud workloads, overseeing container vulnerability mitigation, and onboarding/allocating appropriately sized resources for tenants 
• Identifying and implementing opportunities to reduce operational toil and streamline system and data administration processes (i.e., automation) 
• Serving as a Section Manager for a small team of engineering system administrators, including: 
• Directly supervising and mentoring 2-3 system administrators, providing day-to-day direction, performance management, and career development 
• Implementing and maintaining task and workload management tooling (e.g., Jira) to capture, allocate, prioritize, and drive open tasks to closure 
• Supporting staffing, onboarding, and training/certification development for direct reports 
• Assisting the Mission IT Ops Director in coordinating a larger team of Site Reliability Engineers (SREs) performing DevOps activities in support of ANVIL 

What You Need to be Successful 

Minimum Requirements for Manager: 

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM-related discipline (preferably in IT Management, Computer Science or related discipline) 
• 6 years of experience in IT infrastructure, systems administration or related technical operations 
• Experience in IT operations management, including planning, coordinating, and overseeing day-to-day operational activities across multiple functional areas 
• Experience leading projects or initiatives from planning through execution, including coordinating schedules, dependencies, and stakeholders across technical and non-technical teams 
• 3 years of experience supervising, leading, or mentoring technical staff, or demonstrated readiness to take on first-line supervisory responsibilities 
• Experience administering Linux environments 
• Experience supporting secure or classified IT environments, including access control and change control processes 
• Experience with virtualization technologies and cloud-native infrastructure deployment (e.g., Kubernetes) 
• Working knowledge of cloud platforms, particularly AWS and Azure 
• Ability to identify and resolve technical and operational problems independently 
• Active Secret clearance, which is issued by the U.S. government. U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance 
• This position requires an active Secret clearance which is issued by the U.S. government. . US 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: 

• Active certifications such as: PMP®, CAPM®, ITIL® Foundation certification, Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), CompTIA Security+, CISSP®, or equivalent 
• Master’s degree in STEM, IT Management, or related technical/business discipline 
• Experience designing or implementing container vulnerability mitigation strategies in production environments 
• Experience operating in a matrixed organization, balancing priorities across multiple reporting or stakeholder lines 
• Prior experience in a dual technical/people-management role, balancing hands-on execution with direct supervisory responsibilities 
• Experience supporting or coordinating with Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) or DevOps teams 
• Experience building or scaling a growing team or operational function from an early stage

We offer a competitive compensation package where you’ll be rewarded based on your performance and recognized for the value you bring to our business.  The grade-based pay range for this job is listed below.  Individual salaries within that range are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge and skills.

(Min - Max)

$145,000.00 - $217,400.00Pay Basis: Annual

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

• An inclusive 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.