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 Materiel 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 technicalexpertiseto the Space Force Space Systems Command (SSC) in the conception, design, acquisition,launchand operations of satellite, launch vehicle, ground control, and range systems.

STARS, theSpaceliftTelemetry Acquisition and Reporting System, is a networked, distributed processing system used toacquire, process, analyze, display, and archive launch vehicle telemetry and other data for vehicle checkout and launch activities.We are seeking aTechnical ProductLeadto take ownership of STARS 2.0, our cloud-based software platform that hosts mission-critical applications for launch engineering and mission assurance work.

Reporting directly to the Systems Director of the STARS Mission Operations Center, this individual contributor will serve as the bridge between program leadership, end users, and our technical team of approximately 10 engineers. The ideal candidate combines deep technicalexpertisewith strong product management and stakeholder engagement skills. You willbe responsible forthe reliability and continuous improvement of the platform, translating user needs into actionable requirements, overseeing the software release process, and working closely with leadership to set strategic priorities and annual goals. This role requires someone who can work autonomously on day-to-day decisions while collaborating with the Systems Director on large-scale architectural changes and strategic initiatives. You must be comfortable supporting live mission operations outside of normal business hours and have the technical judgment to ensure that every releasemaintainsplatform stability and meets ourhigh standardsfor mission assurance.

The selected candidate willbe requiredto work full-time, on-site at our Aerospace Technical Campus in El Segundo,CA.  

WhatYou’llBe Doing

• Own end-to-end reliability and performance of the STARS 2.0 platform, monitoring system health and proactively addressing technical debt

• Lead release review board meetings and oversee the software release process, with authority to veto releases that threaten platform stability orfail tomeet process requirements

• Run weekly wargame sessions and actively contribute to product team meetings

• Gather feedback from launch engineers and end users, translating it into clear requirements, epics, and technical tasks

• Triage and prioritize incoming tasks, bugs, and feature requests on a day-to-day basis

• Collaborate with the Systems Director toestablishannual platform goals, strategic roadmap, and budget priorities

• Partner with the Project Manager to ensure the team adheres toestablishedsoftware development processes

• Act as the liaison between the technical team, program office, and customers,facilitatingcommunication and alignment

• Support live mission operations, including availability outside of normal business hours as needed

• Identifyand implement structural and process improvements for both the platform and technical team

• Coordinate rapid response when production issues arise, working with the team to implement fixes

• Travel occasionally to launch sites (at least annually) to meet with stakeholders and field teams

What You Need to be Successful

MinimumRequirementsforProject Engineer-SystemsSoftware Engineering and Cloud Computing Architecture:

• Bachelorsof Science degree in an applicable STEM areas or other discipline

• 6 or moreyears of software engineering experience, preferably with experience on STARS 2.0 or similarmission-critical platforms

• 2+ years in a product ownership, technical lead, or similar role managing product roadmaps and delivering on strategic goals

• Hands-on experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP)

• Working knowledge of data platforms and architectures

• Demonstrated experience with DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines

• Proficiencywith automated testing frameworks and test-driven development practices

• Understanding of microservices architecture and distributed systems

• Experience working in a program office or similar cross-functional environment

• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders

• Proven ability to navigate competing priorities, negotiate trade-offs, and work autonomously while knowing when to escalate

• Experience gathering user requirements and working directly with customers and end users

• This position requires the ability to obtain andmaintaina Secret security clearance, issued by the US government. US citizenship isrequiredto obtain a securityclearance.

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

• 10or moreyears of software engineering experience, preferably with experience on STARS 2.0 or similarmission-critical platforms

• 3+ years in a product ownership, technical lead, or similar role managing product roadmaps and delivering on strategic goals

• Deepexpertisewith cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) including architectural design decisions and cost optimization strategies

• Demonstrated experience leading incident response, implementing reliability improvements, andestablishingbest practices for DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, and automated testing frameworks across teams

How You Can Stand Out 

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

• Prior hands-on experience with the STARS 2.0 platform or related launch engineering systems

• Background in aerospace, defense, or mission-critical systems

• Active Secret security clearance

• Experience supporting live operations or production environments with on-call responsibilities

• Familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodologies and experience leading ceremonies

• Track recordof incident management, post-mortem facilitation, and implementing reliability improvements

• Knowledge of security and compliance requirements for government/aerospace systems

• Experience providing strategic input on budget planning and resource allocation

• Demonstrated success inidentifyingand implementing process improvements that enhanced team performance or product quality