The Aerospace Corporation is the trusted partner to the nation’s space programs, solving the hardest problems and providing unmatched technical expertise. As the operator of a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), we are broadly engaged across all aspects of space- delivering innovative solutions that span satellite, launch, ground, and cyber systems for defense, civil and commercial customers. When you join our team, you’ll be part of a special collection of problem solvers, thought leaders, and innovators. Join us and take your place in space.

The Defense Systems Group (DSG) provides analysis-based decision support to senior leaders on space architectures, policy and strategy, technology development, warfighter capability enablers, systems integration, defense industrial base, and threat reduction to help shape existing and future space missions across the national security space (NSS) enterprise. DSG is unique at Aerospace as it not only directly supports major customers, including the U.S. Space Force, U.S. Space Command, Air Force Material Command, and senior leadership at the Pentagon, but also provides a broad range of technical support across the national space enterprise, maintaining vertical responsibilities with customers’ portfolios as well as horizontal, matrixed responsibilities across the corporation. Additionally, DSG provides deep technical expertise to the Space Force Space Systems Command (SSC) in the conception, design, acquisition, launch and operations of satellite, launch vehicle, ground control, and range systems.

The Enterprise Ground Systems Engineering team is seeking an experienced Software Engineer with expertise in software and network messaging standards and protocols to design, develop, and implement robust interface capabilities. The ideal candidate will combine technical knowledge of messaging architectures with proven agile software development practices to deliver scalable, high-performance solutions.

The selected candidate will be required to work full-time, on-site at our facility in El Segundo, CA.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Analyze and debug message busses and interfaces (e.g., Kafka)
• Architect and implement scalable, reliable message-oriented middleware solutions
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams in an agile environment to deliver messaging features iteratively
• Participate in sprint planning, daily stand-ups, retrospectives, and other agile ceremonies
• Write clean, maintainable, and well-documented code following best practices
• Develop and maintain APIs for message publishing, consumption, and routing
• Ensure message delivery guarantees, fault tolerance, and system resilience
• Conduct code reviews and provide technical mentorship to team members
• Troubleshoot and optimize system performance and reliability
• Stay current with emerging messaging technologies and standards

What You Need to be Successful
Minimum Requirements for a Project Engineer -Software Architecture Engineering and Cloud Computing Architecture  

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical/STEM field
• 8 or more years of software development experience
• Strong knowledge of network messaging standards and protocols
• Hands-on experience with message buses and streaming platforms (Kafka, ActiveMQ, etc.)
• Proficiency in one or more programming languages (Java, Python, Go, C , etc.)
• Knowledge of containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Demonstrated experience working in agile/scrum development environments
• Experience with monitoring and observability tools (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack)
• Experience with RESTful APIs and integration patterns
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills
• Excellent communication and collaboration abilities
• This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI security clearance, issued by the US government. US citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.

In addition to the above, the minimum requirements for a Sr. Project Engineer - Software Architecture Engineering and Cloud Computing Architecture include:  

• 12 or more years of software development experience
• Experience providing technical leadership and Integration supporting Space superiority efforts
• Proven ability working with customer and contractor teams on connecting capabilities across the enterprise
• Prior experience leading and executing technical assessments and identifying technical gaps, risks and issues

How You Can Stand Out
It would be impressive if you have one or more of these:

• Active Secret or Top Secret/SCI security clearance.
• Experience with cloud messaging services (AWS SNS/SQS, Azure Service Bus)
• Understanding of distributed systems, microservices architecture, and event-driven design
• Understanding of message serialization formats (JSON, Protocol Buffers, Avro)
• Familiarity with network hardware components (routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, network interface cards) and their role in messaging infrastructure
• Certifications in agile methodologies (CSM, PSM, SAFe)
• Background in network protocols and TCP/IP stack
• Experience with security protocols and message encryption

We offer a competitive compensation package where you’ll be rewarded based on your performance and recognized for the value you bring to our business.  The grade-based pay range for this job is listed below.  Individual salaries within that range are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge and skills.

(Min - Max)

Leadership Competencies

Our leadership philosophy is simple: every employee, regardless of level and role, can demonstrate leadership. At Aerospace, our commitment is our people. To cultivate our talent and ensure that we have a strong pipeline of future leaders, we want individuals who:

• Operate Strategically
• Lead Change   
• Engage with Impact   
• Foster Innovation   
• Deliver Results  

Ways We Reward Our Employees

During your interview process, our team will provide details of our industry-leading benefits.

Benefits vary and are applicable based on Job Type.  A few highlights include:

• Comprehensive health care and wellness plans

• Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation

• Standard and alternate work schedules, including telework options

• 401(k) Plan - Employees receive a total company-paid benefit of 8%, 10%, or 12% of eligible compensation based on years of service and matching contributions; employees are immediately eligible and vested in the plan upon hire

• Flexible spending accounts

• Variable pay program for exceptional contributions

• Relocation assistance

• Professional growth and development programs to help advance your career

• Education assistance programs

• An inclusive work environment built on teamwork, flexibility, and respect

We are all unique, from various backgrounds and all walks of life, yet one thing bonds all of us to each other-the belief that we can make a difference. This core belief empowers us to do our best work at The Aerospace Corporation.

Equal Opportunity Commitment

The Aerospace Corporation is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, color, religion, genetic information, marital status, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, physical disability, medical condition, mental disability, or disability status and any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. If you’re an individual with a disability or a disabled veteran who needs assistance using our online job search and application tools or need reasonable accommodation to complete the job application process, please contact us by phone at 310.336.5432 or by email at peoplemangmnt.mailbox@aero.org" target="_blank">peoplemangmnt.mailbox@aero.org . You can also review Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal.