Space Systems Engineer and Acquisition SME (Intelligence Center)

Location: McLean, Virginia

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The Influence and Integration Department advances IC’s enterprise priorities by translating policy intent into integrated, executable approaches across the Intelligence Community. The department supports IC’s policy and mission integration efforts by shaping policy frameworks, strengthening governance and oversight, and guiding capability development that connects strategic direction to mission execution. Through disciplined analysis, enterprise coordination, and sustained partnership, the department aligns policy, mission priorities, and analytic leadership to enable coherent implementation of modernization initiatives and reinforce the sponsor’s role as the strategic leader of the IC.

Roles & Responsibilities:

The successful candidate for this position is a Space Systems Engineer and Acquisition Expert who combines strong foundations in space systems, systems engineering, technical analysis, and major systems acquisitions with hands-on experience supporting complex space and ground related acquisitions in the GEOINT or SIGINT disciplines. The Space Systems Engineer and Acquisition Expert will help our government sponsor establish, assess, and improve technical and programmatic approaches that support acquisitions across the Intelligence Community. The candidate will play a critical role in shaping acquisition strategy, evaluating program execution, informing policy and governance, and providing senior leader decision support.

The successful candidate will serve as a trusted technical advisor and may act as a primary point of contact for senior government sponsors. The candidate will be expected to develop clear, concise, and actionable deliverables; communicate complex technical concepts to senior decision makers; and align acquisition and engineering approaches to enterprise-wide mission needs.

The candidate should have hands-on experience in many of the areas specified below:

• Technical and analytical support to space and ground related acquisitions - including risk, schedule, and cost assessments - across the Intelligence Community.
• Demonstrated working knowledge of and application of Intelligence Community acquisition policy, including the ICD 801 series
• Strong working knowledge of the General Defense Intelligence Program (GDIP) and experience supporting programs or acquisition efforts tied to National Intelligence Program (NIP) funding, mission priorities, and stakeholder coordination across the intelligence community and Department of War.
• Development and assessment of acquisition strategies, technical plans, and programmatic blueprints for GEOINT or SIGINT related space-based capabilities
• Support to significant milestone events and movement of major system acquisitions through key schedule milestones.
• Translation of mission needs into acquisition recommendations, implementation plans, and senior leader decision support materials.
• Enterprise coordination that enables a Community-wide perspective to be incorporated throughout the acquisition cycle.
• Ability to assess interoperability, data sharing, and enterprise integration implications of new space and sensor capabilities and corresponding ground system capability needs.
• Ability to work with technical and program teams to translate strategy, policy, and mission intent into executable acquisition approaches.

• Deep analytic or systems engineering expertise in at least one of the following:
  • Mission architecture analysis, including space, ground, transport, and user segment considerations.
  • Sensor system performance assessment, including coverage, sensitivity, revisit, latency, and data quality tradeoffs.
  • Requirements analysis, traceability, and technical baseline management across the acquisition lifecycle.
  • Knowledge of satellite payloads, remote sensing systems, ground processing, and mission operations concepts.
  • Cross-domain integration of space, airborne, terrestrial, and analytic capabilities.
  • Support to source selection, capability evaluations, and independent technical assessments.
  • Understanding of resilience, survivability, cybersecurity, and supply chain considerations for space systems.

Basic Qualifications:

• Typically requires a minimum of 10 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 8 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 5 years’ experience; or equivalent combination of related education and work experience.
• Recognized as a technical expert in GEOINT or SIGINT applications enabled by space-based systems and associated ground segments.
• Demonstrated ability to apply expert-level experience and knowledge of GEOINT or SIGINT systems, practices, and procedures within acquisition, systems engineering, and analytic disciplines.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver clear and concise deliverables to senior Government decision makers on space system, sensor, and/or ground segment related topics.
• Ability to interface with and serve as a primary point of contact to senior leader government sponsors.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, including developing and delivering well-structured presentations to Government senior staff.
• Must have an active Top Secret/SCI w/Poly U.S Government issued Security Clearance. Per the U.S. Government’s eligibility requirements, you must be a U.S Citizen to be considered for a security clearance.
• This position has an on-site requirement of 5 days a week on-site

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience supporting U.S. government intelligence and/or DoW organizations in acquisition, systems engineering, or technical advisory roles.
• Experience supporting space and sensor related acquisitions, milestone reviews, and enterprise coordination activities.

Additional preferred qualifications based on general knowledge:

• Degree in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, or related field.
• Experience with space payloads, remote sensing, ground systems, and mission processing architectures.
• Familiarity with DoD and IC acquisition processes and systems engineering reviews.
• Experience integrating technical, operational, and acquisition perspectives into executable recommendations for senior leaders.

This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s):

This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):

Salary compensation range and midpoint:

Work Location Type:

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local or international law.

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