Site Lead - Space Test & EvaluationSaratoga Federal is seeking a
Site Lead - Space Test & Evaluation to own delivery, customer relationships, and team performance for our U.S. Space Force Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM) T&E portfolio. This role is on-site at Schriever Space Force Base.
The RoleThis is the senior-most Saratoga position at the site. You are accountable for everything our team produces at Schriever: the quality of the technical work, the health of the customer relationship, and the growth of the people delivering it.
This is a working lead position. You will carry your own T&E tasking alongside the team-leading test campaigns, authoring and defending technical products, and briefing senior government leadership directly. Roughly two-thirds of your time is hands-on technical work; the remainder is team leadership, customer engagement, and shaping where the portfolio goes next.
We are looking for someone who leads from the front. Senior government leaders should want you in the room when a "go/no-go" decision is on the table, and your team should be learning the trade by watching how you do the work.
Key Responsibilities- Site Leadership & Delivery: Serve as Saratoga Federal's senior on-site representative. Own contract performance, deliverable quality, schedule, and staffing across all T&E tasking at the site.
- Customer Ownership: Act as the primary point of contact for STARCOM leadership, program offices, and operational test agencies. Anticipate customer needs, surface risk early, and resolve issues before they escalate.
- Hands-On T&E Execution: Personally lead the most complex or highest-visibility test campaigns-shaping T&E strategy, running the analysis, and delivering "go/no-go" recommendations to senior government leadership.
- Technical Oversight: Provide senior review and final quality control on test strategies, TEMPs, test plans, safety packages, and executive-level technical reporting. Adjudicate technical disagreements and set the standard for analytical rigor.
- Team Leadership & Growth: Recruit, onboard, mentor, and retain a high-performing SME team. Set expectations, conduct performance reviews, manage utilization, and build bench strength ahead of demand.
- Portfolio Growth: Partner with Saratoga's business development and capture teams to identify new requirements, shape emerging opportunities, and expand scope organically through demonstrated performance.
- Governance & Compliance: Ensure work products, security practices, and contract execution meet DoD, Space Force, and company requirements, including CDRL performance and applicable acquisition and safety compliance.
Qualifications- Education: Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Operations Research, Physics, Mathematics, or a related technical field.
- Experience: 15+ years in Systems Engineering or Test & Evaluation within the DoD ecosystem (specifically Space Force or Air Force), including significant experience with space systems DT, OT, and IT&E.
- Leadership: 5+ years leading technical teams, task orders, or programs, with demonstrated accountability for delivery, staffing, and customer satisfaction-while still personally producing technical work.
- Currency: Recent, hands-on T&E execution experience. This role is not a step away from the technical work.
- Technical Expertise: Deep understanding of space system architectures, orbital mechanics, sensor modalities (EO/IR/RF), and the DoD acquisition lifecycle.
- Executive Presence: Proven ability to brief and advise O-6/GS-15 and above, and to represent a company's performance credibly to a government customer.
- Clearance: Active Top Secret / SCI security clearance is strictly required.
Preferred Qualifications- Master's Degree in a relevant technical field, or an MBA paired with a technical undergraduate degree.
- Graduate of the USAF Test Pilot School (Space Test Course) or equivalent specialized T&E training.
- DAU Test and Evaluation Level III certification (or equivalent).
- Previous experience as a Space Weapons Officer (13S), or as a squadron commander, director of operations, or division chief within STARCOM Test and Evaluation Squadrons (TES).
- Prior experience as a contractor site lead, program manager, or task order manager on a DoD services contract.
- Existing relationships across the Schriever SFB and broader USSF T&E community.
Why Join Saratoga?- Ownership: This is not a coordinator role. You will run the site and stay in the technical work, shaping the portfolio and being measured on outcomes rather than hours.
- Impact: Your work directly influences how the USSF adopts and validates cutting-edge technology.
- Culture: Join a team of high-performers operating at the intersection of strategy, technology, and government.
Benefits- 401(k): Company match of 100% of employee contributions up to 6% of eligible compensation.
- Healthcare: Company-sponsored medical, dental, and vision coverage.
- Paid Time Off: Paid vacation and sick leave, plus company-observed holidays.
- In addition to base salary, this position is eligible for an annual incentive bonus of 5-15% of base salary, awarded under the Company's annual incentive plan based on individual performance, contract performance, and company results. Actual award amounts are determined by management.
The pay range for this role is:
195,000 - 245,000 USD per year (Colorado Springs)
