Future Systems 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 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 Imagery Programs Division’s (IPD) Reconnaissance Systems (RS) Office is seeking a Senior Project Leader to lead Aerospace support to future radar systems, to include technology development, demonstration missions, space system and enterprise requirements development, architectural studies, acquisition planning and industry engagement. The Futures Lead will oversee contributions from a large pool of diverse technical SMEs in support of these activities as well as engage deeply with government and contractor radar SMEs from across the enterprise, external agencies and the user community. It is a dynamic and exciting time in RS with systems at various lifecycle stages, and the Futures Lead will have the opportunity to shape the future of a critical space capability. This position requires 100% on site work in Chantilly, VA What You’ll Be Doing Provide technical leadership to shape the future system vision, technology development roadmap, requirements, architecture, and associated demonstration missions while applying lessons learned from heritage missions Lead a diverse team of technical SMEs to support these activities in a timely and responsive fashion to help define the acquisition tradespace and inform customer decision-making Define and lead the development of a potential Aerospace payload prototype or testbed as well as any independent lab or range testing, analysis, modeling and simulation, advanced processing or AI/ML, or any other capabilities needed to reduce risk, solve contractor problems or advance mission capabilities Identify and develop R&D investment opportunities, both within and external to Aerospace, to help the customer advance the state of technology in the future system Provide on-site Aerospace support to the government customer, to include facilitating any requested technical training or technology deep dives, and collaborate closely with the customer team (SETA contractors, other Aerospace personnel) and development contractors to bring future systems to fruition What You Need to be Successful Minimum Requirements for the Senior Project Leader – Synthetic Aperture Radar: Bachelor’s degree in mathematics, physics, engineering or related technical discipline Twelve or more years of professional engineering or technical management experience, working across boundaries to develop an integrated system Experience with the development and test of RF or SAR space systems or payloads Experience with requirements development, verification or systems architecting Strong customer-oriented attitude, ability to cultivate strong relationships across organizations, and demonstrated aptitude for coordinating exchanges between technical SMEs and customers Ability to distill complex technical information into key findings and communicate those findings efficiently and credibly to the customer team at the appropriate level of technical depth Willing to provide occasional backup support to other team members and flex with program office needs as the mission evolves Willing to support frequent travel (typically 1 trip per month) This position requires a current and active TS/SSBI/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: Advanced degree in mathematics, physics, engineering or related discipline Experience developing SAR or RF payloads specifically for National Security Space customers Industry experience developing ISR or commercial remote sensing satellites 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) $171,400.00 - $257,100.00 Pay 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 accoun