Space Systems Engineer

VTG

$100K — $195K *
Aerospace & Defense
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, or related discipline with 9+ years of experience; Master’s with 7+ years; PhD or JD with 4+ years.
  • Experience with USG program management and acquisition documentation.
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written.
  • Proven collaborative ability within multidisciplinary teams.
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office tools.

Responsibilities

  • Perform technical reviews and risk assessments of optical and quantum communication systems.
  • Evaluate designs of optical terminals and quantum-enhanced systems.
  • Identify gaps in emerging technologies for high-bandwidth space links.
  • Support the development of technology roadmaps and requirements for modernization.
  • Conduct outreach to mission users to assess needs for optical and quantum capabilities.
  • Prepare technical documentation and program-level briefings for strategic recommendations.
  • Assist in programmatic activities including source selections and system integration planning.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to work on cutting-edge optical and quantum communication technologies.
  • Involvement in high-impact R&D projects for national security.
  • Collaborative work environment with multidisciplinary teams.
  • Support for ongoing professional development and educational advancements.
  • Engagement in the government acquisition process and lifecycle management.
Full Job Description
Overview

VTG is seeking an Space Systems Engineer, located in Chantilly, Va.

What will you do?

Seeking a Communications Systems Engineer with strong optical and quantum communications engineering experience.

We are hiring a Communications Systems Engineer to provide systems engineering and technical advisory (SETA) support to an IC Research & Development (R&D) customer developing advanced hardware, software, and architectural solutions for mission-critical optical and quantum communication systems.

Responsibilities
  • Perform technical reviews, assessments, and risk evaluations of optical and quantum communication system development efforts at the component, subsystem, system, and architecture levels.
  • Evaluate designs and technologies including optical terminals, free-space optical links, photonic components, entanglement-based communication architectures, and quantum-enhanced optical subsystems.
  • Assess emerging technologies and identify gaps related to high-bandwidth space links, advanced modulation formats, pointing/tracking systems, link budgets, networking performance, and secure quantum-enabled transport architectures.
  • Support development of technology roadmaps, requirements, specifications, verification approaches, and transition strategies for optical and quantum system modernization.
  • Conduct technical outreach with mission users to capture needs and evaluate applicability of emerging optical and quantum capabilities.
  • Prepare system engineering documentation, technical analyses, and program-level briefings to communicate findings and strategic recommendations.
  • Provide support to programmatic and acquisition activities, including source selections, lifecycle documentation, and system integration planning.

Do you have what it takes?

Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, or related discipline and nine (9) years or more experience; Masters and seven (7) years or more experience ; PhD or JD and four (4) years or more experience
  • Experience with USG program management and acquisition lifecycle processes and documentation.
  • Strong interpersonal, verbal, and technical writing communication skills.
  • Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools.

Desired Qualifications
  • Master's degree in engineering, physics, or related discipline.
  • 12+ years of relevant experience, including at least 4 years in optical or quantum communication systems.
  • 1+ year of experience supporting USG R&D acquisition processes and documentation.
  • Experience with space-based optical terminals, quantum optical payloads, photonic systems, or advanced quantum-enhanced communication architectures

Clearance:
  • Must be a U.S. Citizen with an active TS/SCI clearance with Poly

Pay Range: VTG's estimated starting pay range is $100,000 - $195,000 annually, which is a general guideline for the geographic location. When extending an offer, VTG also considers work experience, education, skill level, market considerations and may possibly include contractual requirements which may cause an offer to fall outside of this range.

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