Mission Architect - Space Systems

EchoStar Corporation

$168K — $240K *
Aerospace & Defense
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in engineering, aerospace, or related field
  • 15+ years of relevant work experience, ideally within defense sectors
  • Active U.S. government security clearance at TS or TS/SCI level
  • Deep knowledge of satellite and terrestrial communication systems
  • Established connections with senior leaders in defense and intelligence sectors
  • Proficiency in front-end business development and proposal generation

Responsibilities

  • Lead customer engagement and create proposals to secure new business
  • Architect advanced system CONOPs and multi-domain connectivity solutions
  • Align multi-disciplinary teams across R&D, engineering, and partners
  • Evaluate emerging technologies and market trends to maintain differentiation
  • Leverage AI and data analytics to enhance business development efforts
  • Define strategic growth initiatives with senior leadership

Benefits

  • Versatile health perks including flexible spending accounts and HSA
  • 401(k) Plan with company match
  • Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
  • Career opportunities for professional growth
  • Flexible time away plan
Full Job Description
Department Summary

EchoStar has an exciting opportunity in our Hughes Network Systems division for a Director level Mission Architect supporting our Defense and Government Solutions Division (DGSD). This role will oversee space/ground-enabled mission architectures across its portfolio of programs serving the U.S. Department of War (DoW), Intelligence (IC), and mission partners. This role draws on Hughes' 50-year legacy in satellite communications to connect commercial innovation with mission-critical defense capabilities of national security significance.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Candidates must be willing to participate in at least one in-person interview.

This role serves as a subject matter expert in space and ground-enabled connectivity across all operational domains to solve complex government customer connectivity challenges. The primary focus centers on driving front-end business development and architecting technically feasible, end-to-end mission solutions within the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community sectors. Additionally, active program support and organic growth strategies will be executed in collaboration with cross-functional engineering, executive, and customer teams.

What Success Looks Like (Objectives):
  • Lead customer engagement, proposal creation, and technical studies to win new hardware, software, and service business across military and intelligence markets
  • Architect advanced system CONOPs, mission requirements, and multi-domain connectivity solutions that align with government operational needs
  • Drive multi-disciplinary team alignment across R&D, engineering, and partner organizations to ensure market relevance and seamless execution
  • Evaluate emerging technologies, market trends, and competitive products to maintain market differentiation
  • Leverage AI tools and data analytics to accelerate system architecture evaluations, synthesize market research, and optimize business development efforts
  • Define near-term and long-term strategic growth initiatives alongside senior leadership while capturing adjacent organic growth opportunities on active programs

Skills, Experience and Requirements

Core Skills and Competencies (What you'll bring):
  • Deep domain expertise in space/ground-enabled connectivity, SATCOM, software-defined networking, and multi-domain operational mission frameworks
  • Proven capability to establish and maintain senior-level stakeholder relationships across government agencies, defense contractors, and technology partners
  • Strong strategic thinking and problem-solving skills to navigate complex, ambiguous technical challenges and translate large datasets into actionable recommendations
  • High-level executive communication, technical presentation, and mentoring capabilities to guide cross-functional teams and align interdisciplinary stakeholders
  • AI literacy and application capabilities to evaluate emerging tech trends, automate analytical workflows, and enhance strategic decision-making processes
  • Critical experience driving revenue growth through global technology partnerships and cross-matrixed leadership within defense telecommunications


Additional Qualifications:
  • Existing network of senior leaders within USSF, NRO, DISA, COCOMs, and other armed services or intelligence agencies
  • Experience delivering polished executive-level presentations and mentoring team members to elevate overall team performance


Minimum Requirements:
  • Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree in engineering, aerospace, or a related field
  • Minimum Experience: 15+ years of relevant work and/or military experience
  • Required Technical Skills: Must have at least 15 years of experience with:
    • Active U.S. government security clearance at TS or TS/SCI level
    • Satellite and terrestrial communication systems integration across space, air, sea, land, and cyber domains
    • Front-end business development, proposal development, and CONOPs generation within U.S. DoW/IC markets


Visa sponsorship not available for this role

Salary Ranges

Compensation: $168,245.00/Year - $240,350.00/Year
Benefits

We offer versatile health perks, including flexible spending accounts, HSA, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, career opportunities, and a flexible time away plan; all benefits can be viewed here: EchoStar Benefits.

The base pay range shown is a guideline. Individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, and competencies; compensation is based on the role's location and is subject to change based on work location.

The posting will be active for a minimum of 3 days. The active posting will continue to extend by 3 days until the position is filled.

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