The Aerospace Corporation

Emerging Mission Integration Lead

The Aerospace Corporation$185K — $277K *
Aerospace & Defense
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science, or a related technical field
  • 13+ years leading strategic initiatives for space capabilities
  • Systems-level understanding of cislunar mission areas
  • Proven thought leadership through publications and presentations
  • Exceptional communication skills for multi-disciplinary team engagement
  • Strategic problem-solving capabilities with a focus on innovation
  • Current Top Secret/SCI clearance

Responsibilities

  • Advance corporate cislunar strategy for national security missions
  • Lead strategy development and execution of technical investment priorities
  • Shape future cislunar capabilities and interoperable infrastructure
  • Coordinate with internal teams on lunar exploration missions
  • Drive execution of cislunar initiatives and project management
  • Serve as a thought leader in cislunar matters through external engagements
  • Develop strategic partnerships across academia, industry, and government
  • Engage with senior government customers to shape future architectures
  • Build cross-functional teams for cislunar solutions

Benefits

  • Competitive compensation package
  • Opportunity to shape an emerging domain
  • Engagement with high-level government and partner stakeholders
  • Involvement in innovative and strategic projects
  • Collaborative work with diverse teams across Aerospace and beyond
Full Job Description

The Enterprise Effects Division (EED) drives integration of Aerospace’s strategic capabilities across the national space enterprise. The divisionleveragesa broad array of engineering disciplines against a dynamic portfolio of programs, customers, and national challenges. EED spans the capability lifecycle from concept and architecture design to performance assessment to application of space-enabled mission effects.

The Opportunity 

This position initially focuses solely on Cislunar space but may pivot to address additional emerging national security space missions, as needs evolve. Cislunar space—the region beyond geostationary altitude encompassing the Earth-Moon gravitational system—represents a strategically significant frontier for national security. As the Emerging Mission Integration Lead (Principal Engineer), you will play a foundational role in helping government leadership establish an enterprise architecture for cislunar capabilities. This position centers on security-focused equities while integrating across the cislunar enterprise to position the U.S. Government (USG) for mission success. 

This is a ground-floor opportunity to shape an emerging domain. As the Engineering and Technology Group (ETG) lead for cislunar integration, you will engage across policy, doctrine, technology, and research & development to drive progress in this strategically critical domain. You will provide technical and strategic leadership to shape cislunar infrastructure and mission capabilities across Aerospace, industry, and U.S. and allied partners. You will also collaborate with Aerospace’s internal teams leading lunar exploration support to ensure alignment across the corporation’s cislunar and lunar portfolios. 

Reporting within the Enterprise Integration Solutions Office (EISO) within EED, you will drive integration across multiple stakeholders for the national space enterprise. You will partner with executive champions to advance the corporate strategy for cislunar space and execute associated Technical and Strategic Investment Priorities. 

Work Model:  4 or more days per week on-site in (Chantilly, VA; El Segundo, CA; or Albuquerque, NM) 

 

What You'll Be Doing 

  • Advance corporate cislunar strategy across the full spectrum of national security cislunar missions, in partnership with customer-facing groups and ETG divisions 

  • Lead strategy development andexecutionfor Aerospace's corporate Cislunar Technical and Strategic Investment Priorities

  • Shape future cislunarcapabilitiesby developing strategies, concepts, and products for interoperable infrastructure—including domain awareness, communications, and position, navigation, and timing (PNT)

  • Coordinate withAerospace’s internal teamsresponsible forcomplementary lunar exploration mission area 

  • Lead executionof cislunar initiatives through project management, research strategy alignment, and development of new corporate direction, goals, and investment opportunities

  • Serve asone ofAerospace's externally facingleaders on cislunar mattersthrough publications, interviews, and professional forums in partnership with the Center for Space Strategy and Policy and Corporate Communications

  • Develop and foster strategicpartnershipsacross academia, industry, and government

  • Directly engage with senior government customersto understand requirements and shape future architectures

  • Build and influence cross-functional teamsto deliver integrated solutions for cislunar challenges

  • Shape and leadcorporate responsesto emerging mission needs as they arise

What You Need to be Successful 

Minimum Requirements: 

  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science, or a related technical field 

  • 13+ years of professional experience leading or guiding strategic initiatives for space capabilities, with demonstrated progression to positions of increasing responsibility 

  • Systems-level understanding across multiple cislunar mission areas (e.g., domain awareness, communications, navigation, etc.) with demonstrated ability to integrate across technical disciplines 

  • Proven thought leadership in defining and implementing novel concepts or strategies, demonstrated through publications, white papers, and presentations to senior decision-makers 

  • Exceptional communication skills with proven ability to lead and influence multi-disciplinary teams and engage senior stakeholders and external partners 

  • Strategic, innovative approach to complex problem solving with ability to navigate ambiguity 

  • Current Top Secret/SCI clearance 

How You Can Stand Out: 

  • Advanced degree (Master'sor Ph.D.) in Engineering, Science, or a related technical field

  • Direct leadership ofcislunaror deep space research, development, or operational initiatives

  • Proventrack recordbuilding andleading high-performing technical teams

  • Deeptechnicalexpertisein one or more areas: space domain awareness,satellitecommunications,orPNT,withdemonstratedknowledge of relevant customer communities and operational contexts

  • Experience working across national security,civil, and/or international partnermissions

  • Active participationin professional organizations or advisory groups focused on space policy or emerging space domains

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)

$185,200.00 - $277,800.00

Pay Basis: Annual

About The Aerospace Corporation

The Aerospace Corporation is a nonprofit corporation that operates a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) headquartered in El Segundo, California. The corporation provides technical guidance and advice on all aspects of space missions to military, civil, and commercial customers. Aerospace also designs and develops spacecraft, sensors, and other systems in support of national security, civil, and commercial customers. The corporation has more than 4,000 employees and operates a number of laboratories and test facilities across the United States.
Learn more about The Aerospace Corporation
Size
4,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1960

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