Chief Space Systems Engineer

Job ID: 2613991

Location: El Segundo, CA, US

Date Posted: 2026-06-25

Category: Engineering and Sciences

Subcategory: Systems Engineer

Schedule: Full-Time

Shift: Day Job

Travel: No

Minimum Clearance Required: TS.SCI

Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain: TS/SCI with Poly

Potential for Remote Work: ORA_ON_SITE

Description

SAIC is seeking a highly experienced Space Systems Chief Systems Engineer to support a Space Systems Command SV program. You will work in customer facilities in El Segundo, CA, directly sitting with our Customer to provide our support.

Fun stuff you will do on the job

Engage with Space Vehicle (SV) Contractors to evaluate hardware and software designs against Government generated requirements
Lead technical requirements analysis and development, systems engineering, and oversee development Contractors to develop, design, produce, integrate and test space systems
Oversee integration and test of payloads
Perform system requirements and interface definition development
Provide analysis and recommendations to SV design to ensure technical and performance requirements are being met by the Contractor
Work with Government Customer to manage and negotiate interface control documents with external stakeholders and ensure internal and external interfaces are being met
Provide inputs to System of Systems integration of SV design to overall space systems architecture, ground segment, operations and on-orbit test
Provide assessment and recommendations to execution schedules and life cycle costs
Oversee requirements verification and validation for Government Customer
Provide inputs and assessment of Contractor risk management and provides actionable recommendations to the chief engineer and program manager
Independently collaborates with Government program office representatives, FFRDC, SETA, and contractor personnel

Qualifications

This is you

Bachelor of Science and eighteen (18) years or more experience; Master's and sixteen (16) years or more experience or an additional 4 years of experience may be used in lieu of Bachelor's degree. Experience with SV/ Space Payload development, integration, and/or operations of DoD or other Agency (NRO, NSA, NASA, etc.). Experience leading systems engineering teams focused on integration of complex space and/or ground systems.

Experience applying Systems Engineering principles to the execution of SV and / or payload development, build and I&T
Experience with SV subsystem development and requirements (e.g. power, guidance, command & control, structures, etc...)
Understanding of Risk Management process
Good communication skills to peers and customer leadership
Must have an in-scope security background investigation (T5 or SSBI), adjudicated for SCI eligibility and enrolled in the Continuous Evaluation program (if applicable)
Must be willing to be nominated for access to Sensitive Compartment Information and Special Access Programs and willing to consent to a Polygraph examination

Great additional background and skills

20 years or more of experience with SV development and delivery
Experience with integration & test of payloads onto spacecraft
Familiarity with DoW acquisition processes
Experience as a project/program manager on SV or Spacecraft Bus program/project
Familiarity with ground systems and SV operations

Target salary range: $200,001 - $240,000. The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors.

SAIC is a premier technology integrator providing full life cycle services and solutions in the technical, engineering, intelligence, and enterprise information technology markets. SAIC is Redefining Ingenuity through its deep customer and domain knowledge to enable the delivery of systems engineering and integration offerings for large, complex projects. SAIC's approximately 15,000 employees are driven by integrity and mission focus to serve customers in the U.S. federal government. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $4.5 billion. For more information, visit saic.com. For information on the benefits SAIC offers, see .