Mission Manifest Office 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.

At Aerospace, we are committed to providing an inclusive and diverse workplace for all employees to share in our common passion and aspiration – to carry out a mission much bigger than ourselves.

Defense Systems Group (DSG) provides analysis-based decision support to senior leaders on space architectures, policy and strategy, development planning, system of systems engineering, and threat reduction to help shape the future space missions across the national security space (NSS) enterprise. DSG is unique at Aerospace as it not only directly supports major customers, including US Space Force, U.S Space Command, Air Force Materiel Command, and senior leadership at the Pentagon, but also provides a broad range of services and support across the national space enterprise, maintaining vertical responsibilities with customers but also horizontal, matrixed responsibilities across the corporation. DSG also assists 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 Mission Integration & Mission Manifest Office Directorate within the Launch Systems Division is responsible for NSS spacecraft-launch vehicle integration, working across Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, Vulcan, and New Entrant launch vehicles.  We are seeking a Mission Manifest Office Engineer (Senior Project Engineer– Systems and Mission Assurance Engineering) to provide technical support for multi-manifest mission planning, assembly, integration, and test. In this role, you will serve as the primary technical support to the SSC Mission Manifest Office (MMO). You will be responsible for solving technical integration issues and developing new processes to design mission sets which support a more agile and responsive mission integration process. You will also have the opportunity to work with stakeholders across the national security space enterprise. The selected candidate must be able to work effectively with customer personnel at all levels, and establish and maintain excellent working relationships with contractor, customer, and Aerospace personnel across multiple organizations.

Work Model

This position sits in El Segundo, CA, at LAAFB in the SSC/AATS Program Office, and is part of a customer-facing program office team.  Some telework will be acceptable, depending on customer support needs.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Provide technical support and training to the SSC MMO on issues related to assembly, integration, and testing of multi-manifest payloads to prepare them for launch
• Provide technical expertise on the design of future multi-manifest mission sets, requirements, and processes to enable agile mission integration.
• Provide technical leadership across a diverse team of Engineering Technology Group (ETG) staff to deliver broad technical expertise to our customers.
• Work with launch vehicle programs, spacecraft programs, and the launch sites to ensure launch systems meet all mission requirements.
• Work with launch vehicle, space vehicle, and integration contractors to ensure timely delivery of required products to support launch.

What You Need to be Successful

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant Engineering, Math, or Science subject area
• At least 12 years of progressively increasing responsibility in a relevant field 
• Proven ability to work in multidisciplinary teams and ability to work with government customers.
• Familiarity with space system assembly, integration, and test
• Ability to travel
• Experience in a variety of technical subject areas associated with spacecraft and launch vehicles
• Proven track record working with Space Force customers and leadership without direct involvement from Aerospace management
• Experience working with contractor personnel and across Aerospace organizations
• Ability to balance technical details and broader programmatic issues
• This position requires current Secret clearance or ability to obtain Secret clearance, which is issued by the US government.  U.S citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.

How You Can Stand Out

It would be great if you had one or more of these:

• Advanced degree in a relevant engineering field
• Direct experience with NSSL-class spacecraft-launch vehicle integration and related documentation such as Interface Control Documents (ICDs)
• Experience in space systems, DoD acquisition processes and/or activities related do no harm, and multi-manifest integrated payload stacks.
• Previous line or team management experience and/or Aerospace Corporation program office experience working with multi-disciplinary teams.
• An active TS/SCI security 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)

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 diverse 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/Affirmative Action employer. We believe that a diverse workforce creates an environment in which unique ideas are developed and differing perspectives are valued, producing superior customer solutions. 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 ieo.mailbox@aero.org. You can also review Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal, as well as the Pay Transparency Policy Statement.