Missile Warning & Tracking Lead SEIT Engineer

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 Defense Systems Group (DSG) provides analysis-based decision support to senior leaders on space architectures, policy and strategy, technology development, warfighter capability enablers, systems integration, defense industrial base, and threat reduction to help shape existing and future space missions across the national security space (NSS) enterprise. DSG is unique at Aerospace as it not only directly supports major customers, including the U.S. Space Force, U.S. Space Command, Air Force Material Command, and senior leadership at the Pentagon, but also provides a broad range of technical support across the national space enterprise, maintaining vertical responsibilities with customers’ portfolios as well as horizontal, matrixed responsibilities across the corporation. Additionally, DSG provides deep technical expertise to the Space Force Space Systems Command (SSC) in the conception, design, acquisition, launch and operations of satellite, launch vehicle, ground control, and range systems.

The Missile Warning mission is undergoing its biggest architectural shift in a generation — and you'll be at the center of it. Together with government and industry partners, we're shaping the design, development, and fielding of a next-generation constellation of missile warning and tracking satellites in medium Earth orbit (MEO). As the MEO Missile Warning & Tracking (MWT) Lead SEIT Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in the transition to a new proliferated Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) MEO architecture by providing systems engineering leadership to the Epoch 2 SEIT effort within the MEO MWT program. This is a unique opportunity to help stand up SEIT support for a newly selected Epoch 2 Vendor 2 contractor from day one, while also supporting the more mature Epoch 2 Vendor 1 effort, which has already passed Critical Design Review (CDR). Few roles offer this kind of side-by-side view across two completely different stages of the acquisition lifecycle, on the same mission, at the same time. You'll work closely with the acquisition program office (SSC/SYD 84/MT), the SETA systems engineering lead, and both Epoch 2 contractors to execute a disciplined systems engineering approach spanning early technical baseline development through verification & validation (V&V) and launch & early orbit phase (LEOP) activities.

You won't just be writing requirements or reviewing documents. In this role you will act as the primary Aerospace technical point of contact and liaison to the government for MWT Epoch 2 systems engineering, trusted to keep government leaders, prime contractors, and mission partners aligned as this next-generation missile warning capability takes shape. You’ll also coordinate closely with the Aerospace enterprise test lead and Aerospace enterprise SEIT lead to ensure Epoch 2 activities remain aligned with broader program and enterprise integration efforts.

The selected candidate will be required to work full-time, on-site at one our facilities in El Segundo, CA, Colorado Springs, CO, or Denver, CO.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Drive alignment between the government and contractor teams to ensure requirement decomposition adequacy and to develop and execute the program verification & validation (V&V) approach
• Serve as the go-to technical voice for the government test lead and government chief engineer, in coordination with the Aerospace Epoch 2 lead
• Proactively identify risk and opportunity trades and present findings to government decision makers; participate in contractor and government risk and opportunity boards
• Identify, leverage and guide subject matter experts (SMEs) to assess the technical adequacy of contractor work products and engineering approach, across both the newly onboarded Epoch 2 vendor and the more mature, post-CDR vendor
• Build the technical playbook for SEIT processes, technical baseline rigor, and engineering review cadence for the newly selected Epoch 2 vendor, while sustaining disciplined execution and configuration control for the established Epoch 2 vendor
• Provide technical support to interface finalization, giver/receiver (G/R) management, and program systems engineering processes (e.g., engineering review boards, configuration control boards, and other technical exchanges with key external organizations)
• Coordinate with the Aerospace enterprise test lead, Aerospace enterprise SEIT lead, and SETA systems engineering lead to ensure Epoch 2 technical approach remains aligned with broader program and enterprise integration efforts

If you love getting in on the ground floor of a major defense program — and want real influence over how it's built — this is that job.

What You Need to be Successful

Minimum Requirements for Senior Project Engineer - Systems Engineering - Acquisition and Systems Engineering:

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field or other relevant field is required
• 12 or more years of progressively more responsible experience in systems engineering or program management is required
• Experience in the acquisition and development of complex technical systems (e.g., space, defense, or related high-reliability industries)
• Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and digital technical baselines

• Demonstrated ability to navigate complex, multi-stakeholder environments, including differing perspectives on roles, responsibilities, and technical approach among government, contractor, and SETA personnel

• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills for interactions at all levels of corporate and government leadership
• Demonstrated ability to work adaptively on multiple tasks in a small, diverse, geographically distributed team in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to travel domestically as needed to support program activities, typically 4–6 times per year
• This position requires a current and active Secret clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI security clearance, 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:

• Advanced degree in a STEM field or other relevant field is strongly preferred

• Direct experience with space or ground system acquisition and development

• Strong knowledge with Missile Warning & Tracking mission area, architecture and performance
• Proficiency with rapid acquisition models and best practices especially as applied to DoD programs
• Direct, embedded experience supporting a government program office or acquisition customer, with regular government interaction

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)

$160,300.00 - $240,500.00Pay 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.