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We have an exciting opportunity for a Chief Engineer, Space Missions located at our facility in Littleton, CO. In this role you will serve as the senior technical authority responsible for ensuring technical excellence, systems integrity, and mission success across the Space Missions portfolio of programs. You'll operate across multiple programs, allocating time to the highest-risk and most technically complex challenges, providing deep technical leadership, and serving as a unifying technical fabric across the Space Missions Engineering organization. The Chief Engineer is accountable for embedding systems thinking, enforcing disciplined engineering practices, and elevating technical rigor across the full product lifecycle—from concept through flight operations. This role partners closely with Program and Engineering leadership to resolve hard technical problems, adjudicate technical tradeoffs, and ensure mission success.
Job Responsibility:
Serve as the senior technical authority across the Space Missions portfolio, ensuring technical integrity, rigor, and mission assurance
Allocate time across programs to address the most complex, high-risk technical challenges, providing hands-on technical leadership and independent technical judgment
Drive systems thinking throughout the full spacecraft lifecycle, ensuring cohesive architecture, requirements flow down, interfaces, and verification closure
Lead and participate in independent technical reviews, gate reviews, readiness assessments, anomaly and failure resolution efforts, and design decisions, bringing cross-program insight and historical context
Establish and uphold engineering principles, standards, and best practices across spacecraft, products, and disciplines
Mentor and coach technical leaders and Responsible Engineers
Provide technical oversight during proposal development, architecture definition, and early mission concept studies
Act as a trusted technical interface to customers, partners, and internal executives
Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field
20+ years of experience in spacecraft or complex aerospace system development
Demonstrated experience serving as a Chief Engineer, Lead Systems Engineer, or equivalent senior technical authority
Deep understanding of full spacecraft system architecture including mission design, avionics, power, GNC, software, structures, thermal, and integration & test
Proven ability to solve complex, cross-disciplinary technical problems and adjudicate difficult engineering tradeoffs
Experience leading technical execution through SRR, PDR, CDR, qualification, launch readiness, and on-orbit operations
Eligible for a U.S. security clearance
Nice to have:
Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related technical discipline
Experience working across a spacecraft full program lifecycle
Experience operating in a matrixed engineering organization with multiple concurrent spacecraft programs
Background supporting government space customers (NASA, Space Force, SDA, DARPA) and/or prime contractors
Experience leading or participating in independent review teams, red teams, or mission assurance boards
Strong command of systems engineering principles, requirements management, verification and validation, and configuration control
Strong knowledge of digital engineering, MBSE, and modern verification approaches
Demonstrated record of mentoring senior engineers and shaping technical culture
Ability to influence technical outcomes across multiple programs without direct line authority
Active U.S. security clearance
What we offer:
Highly competitive benefits package
Commitment to core values of Integrity, Innovation, Impact, Inclusion, and Excellence