Technical Project Engineer - Software Portfolio & Program Integration

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 Information Systems and Cyber Division (ISCD) integrates modern software technologies—including elastic compute clouds, containerization, microservices, real-time operating systems, and visualization frameworks—with expertise in cyber security, software architecture, software engineering, data science, artificial intelligence, process improvement, and software development to deliver resilient, high‑performance software systems for Intelligence Community, DoD, and civilian customers.

The Software Tools & Assurance Department advances modern software engineering and digital engineering practices to deliver responsive and reliable mission software, with a focus on cloud platforms, microservices, workflow automation, and system modernization.

We are seeking a Technical Project Engineer ready to lead, bring order, and visibility to our department’s portfolio of ongoing programs. Rather than owning a single product, you will work across the full portfolio of projects in our department and subdivision, partnering with technical leads to track status, surface risks and opportunities, and help leadership prioritize where attention and resources are needed. This is a technical program management role grounded in real software delivery experience — you will need to understand architecture, CI/CD, and agile delivery well enough to ask the right questions, translate technical nuance for leadership, and credibly engage technical leads as a peer. Over time, you will also help shape how the portfolio evolves and how we engage customers going forward.

Work Model

• This is a full-time position with selected candidate(s) being required to work full-time, on-site at El Segundo, CA or Albuquerque, NM.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Portfolio Visibility & Status Reporting: Gather and synthesize status across the department’s portfolio of ongoing programs and projects, maintaining a consolidated, accurate picture for department and subdivision leadership.
• Issue & Opportunity Escalation: Identify blockers, risks, resource conflicts, and emerging opportunities across projects, and bring them to management’s attention with the context needed to act.
• Technical Lead Partnership: Work directly with technical leads across many concurrent projects to understand architecture decisions, delivery health, and schedule risk well enough to represent each project’s status accurately.
• Portfolio Shaping: Help department and subdivision leadership organize, prioritize, and evolve the portfolio over time, including how projects are grouped, staffed, and sequenced.
• Process & Reporting Cadence: Establish and refine the recurring mechanisms (status reviews, dashboards, reports) used to roll up program health across the portfolio for leadership consumption.
• Customer Engagement Strategy: Contribute to how the department and subdivision engage with customers across the portfolio, including identifying patterns across projects that inform future customer strategy.
• Culture of Innovation: Champion modern software development methodologies, driving positive change by introducing new commercial perspectives, challenging established practices, and mentoring junior engineers.

What You Need to be Successful – Project Engineer / Senior Project Engineer – Software Architecture Engineering & Cloud Computing Architecture

Minimum Requirements – Project Engineer (L2):

• Bachelor’s degree in applicable STEM areas or other discipline.
• Eight or more years of experience with increasing responsibility in software engineering, software architecture, or technical program/project management.
• Demonstrated experience in software architecture, design, CI/CD, and Agile delivery practices — sufficient to engage credibly with technical leads on the health and risk of their projects.
• Experience tracking, synthesizing, and reporting status across multiple concurrent projects or workstreams to leadership.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate technical detail into clear status, risk, and opportunity narratives for management.
• Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent priorities and build relationships across technical teams that do not report to you.
• Willingness to travel occasionally to other domestic work locations or customer sites.
• This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance, which is issued by the U.S. government. U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.

Minimum Requirements – Senior Project Engineer (L3) — in addition to the above:

• Twelve or more years of experience with increasing responsibility in software engineering, software architecture, or technical program/project management.
• A track record of leading or coordinating the delivery of multiple complex software programs simultaneously, including direct engagement with program and department leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to independently shape how a portfolio of projects is organized, prioritized, and resourced.

How You Can Stand Out

It would be impressive if you have one or more of these:

• Advanced degree (Master’s or Doctorate) in a STEM or related technical field.
• Prior experience as a Technical Program Manager (TPM), Project Manager, or similar role spanning multiple software products or programs, rather than ownership of a single product.
• Previous experience in leading ground segment programs for DoW missions.
• Hands-on background in software architecture, design, CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Jenkins), or cloud/microservices environments, gained from prior engineering or technical leadership roles.
• Experience building or operating portfolio-level status reporting, dashboards, or governance processes for engineering leadership.
• Experience shaping customer engagement strategy or business development across a portfolio of programs, rather than a single contract or product.
• Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), or equivalent certification.
• Demonstrated ability to bring industry knowledge of modern software and program management practices to drive innovation within established teams.
• Strong track record of building, mentoring, and leading technical teams or working groups from the ground up.
• Active TS/SCI clearance.

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)

$144,500.00 - $216,700.00Pay 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.