Space Object SDA and Cataloguing Specialist

The Enterprise Effects Division (EED) drives integration of Aerospace’s strategic capabilities across the national space enterprise. The division leverages a 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 and space-enabled capabilities.   

As a member of the Space Object Risk Department, you will be providing technical capabilities to support our customers in advancing situational awareness and hazard assessment and mitigation to operate safely in space.  Specifically, we are looking for an experienced technical expert and leader with skills in space object cataloguing, or, more specifically, the process of object tracking, correlation, orbit determination, and covariance analysis to generate reliable, accurate, and predictable object states for use in analysis, risk assessment and satellite command and control. 

Work Model 

This full-time position is based on a hybrid work model, requiring on-site presence at facilities in El Segundo, CA, Chantilly, VA or Colorado Springs, CO for at least 4 days per week, subject to business needs. 

What You’ll Be Doing  

• Contribute to the department focus area of space object cataloguing while also providing additional support to related department functions, which could include space traffic management, space domain awareness data management, space object and debris environment assessment and projections, risk assessment and mitigation of launch, orbital, and suborbital threats related to debris, re-entry, electromagnetic interference, and kinetic collisions. 

• Independently provide deep technical expertise, innovation, and project coordination/leadership in technical deep dives, trade studies, and assessments in teams with multi-disciplinary technical leaders across the company, Aerospace Program Office personnel, and external customers to define and address customer needs  

• Develop and present timely and technically accurate briefings and reports that clearly communicate analysis results and provide recommended solutions to technical leads, management, and customers 

• Train and mentor junior staff 

• Travel occasionally (as necessary) to support customer efforts 

Additional Duties for a Senior Engineering Specialist: 

• Act as a department senior liaison, providing proactive coordination and consultation to customers and Aerospace staff across the company 

• Provide support in strategic planning, identifying opportunities to leverage development and analysis across diverse projects and analysis types while suggesting ways to close capability gaps  

What You Need to be Successful  

Minimum Requirements for an Engineering Specialist: 

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant STEM discipline 

• Approximately eight years of practical professional or postgraduate educational experience 

• Skills in leading and contributing to modeling and simulation activities successfully demonstrated across several customer-driven projects   

• Experience with Aerospace customers and industry players 

• Aptitude with astrodynamics and related mathematics 

• Demonstrated experience and expertise in development and analysis related to space object cataloguing 

• Skills in mathematical formulation and derivation 

• Demonstrated skills in the development and use of computer software tools 

• This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance, which is issued by the U.S. government. U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance. 

What You Need to be Successful  

Additional Minimum Requirements for a Senior Engineering Specialist: 

• Approximately 12 years of practical professional or postgraduate educational experience 

• Substantial skills and experience in leadership and architecture of modeling and simulation activities demonstrated successfully over numerous substantial customer-driven projects   

• Extensive experience and expertise in development and analysis supporting department functional areas 

How You Can Stand Out  

It would be impressive if you have one or more of these: 

• Advanced degree in engineering, math, science or related technical discipline from an accredited school 

• Experience with Python, C++, and/or Fortran 

• Extensive experience with a diverse set of Aerospace customers 

• Possession of current TS/SCI and/or TS/SAP access