Principal Systems Engineer

Want to build a space station? Interested in being on the innovative team who builds this?
As a Principal Systems Engineer, you will lead the early architecture and development of the Orbital Reef Mission Systems element. Your work will directly affect the design of the vehicles used for people living and working in space.
At Sierra Space, we envision a future where humanity lives and works in space, on moons, and on distant planets. Sierra Space builds and delivers the future of space transportation, destinations and infrastructure, offering "space-as-a-service" in support of the new space economy.
Become part of our team developing the first independent commercial space station. This space station is based on our expandable LIFE habitat, serviced by the Dream Chaser® spaceplane, and will provide the facilities and services for commercial research, manufacturing and tourism.
Sierra Space, based in Louisville, Colorado with operations in Madison, Wisconsin, Durham, North Carolina, and Kennedy Space Center, Florida, designs and manufactures advanced spacecraft, satellites, propulsion and environmental systems, spacecraft subsystems and components for the U.S. government (including NASA), commercial customers and international organizations. Learn more about Sierra Space
Sierra Space is seeking a candidate with a strong background in systems engineering and spaceflight mission operations to join the Flight Operations Mission Systems team. As a member of Mission Systems you will be responsible for ensuring the Orbital Reef ground segment is designed for ground operability, maintainability, and redundancy. You will also be responsible for the approaches, processes and products used to integrate with the Sierra Space mission control center and ground segment.
In this role, you'll work closely with Systems Engineering and Design Engineering teams within Sierra Space and across Orbital Reef partners to develop system requirements, including ground segment and relevant operations requirements. You will lead the effort for developing the Orbital Reef Mission Systems specification, as well as the development of the ground architecture, and concepts of operations. You will also be responsible for integrating operational concepts and plans with design inputs, development of processes, development of operations products (including procedures, flight rules, and more), flight design integration and real-time mission support in our mission control center. Your work will ensure the successful planning, training, and execution of the Orbital Reef mission.
This candidate will have experience with various phases of a program, from early design and mission development through training and operations and have the ability to work closely with ground segment designers to ensure the end product is operable and capable of performing the intended mission. Working knowledge of mission systems, including control centers and ground networks is highly desirable. The candidate must also be comfortable working in a fast-paced and often-changing environment with little direction.
Occasional support of other Sierra Space programs, including Dream Chaser®, may be required at times, given the skill set of the candidate. Travel may be required.
Must-haves:

• Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering or related discipline and typically 14 or more years of relevant experience.
• Related experience may be considered in lieu of required education.
• Higher education may be considered in lieu of experience.
• Strong technical writing skills, including technical review and operations product development.
• Demonstrated experience with systems engineering, ground segment system architecture development, requirements specification, verification & validation, systems analysis, and system modeling.
• Leadership abilities inclusive of life cycle program or product management and multi-disciplinary decision making.
• Requires ability to manage complex situations, delegate and empower authority, lead and inspire, drive innovative thinking for success, instill collaboration and transparency, challenge the status quo, and demonstrate the ability to adapt to dynamic situations.
• Requires skills in time management, team building, conflict resolution, communication and strategic thinking
• Experience working in multi-disciplinary design and development teams.
• Strong background in engineering fundamentals, and willing to learn new disciplines.
• Prior experience with requirements development and/or verification
• Clear and concise communication skills.

Preferred:

• Prior experience with human spaceflight operations
• Prior experience with mission planning (ConOps, procedures, flight rules, etc.) and/or mission training activities
• Prior experience with requirements development and/or verification
• Willing to learn new areas of need.
• Ability to think outside-the-box, explore multiple options, anticipate problems, and implement mitigations.
• Ability to decompose a large complicated problem into manageable pieces, understand such problems from different points of view, and explain issues and solutions to other engineers.
• The ability to obtain and maintain a Security Clearance may be required. Learn more about the background check process for Security Clearances

IMPORTANT NOTICE:
To conform to U.S. Government international trade regulations, applicant must be a U.S. Citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or U.S. Department of Commerce.
With 30+ years of proven spaceflight heritage, Sierra Space has provided more than 4,000 space systems, subsystems and components to customers worldwide, and participated in more than 500 missions to space, including to Mars. The company has technology in production and in development to enable space habitats for short- and long-duration space travel, a fleet of Dream Chaser spaceplanes, and the first free-flying commercial space station. Please visit www.sierraspace.com to learn more about Sierra Space, its business areas, capabilities, programs, products and services.
Estimated Starting Salary Range: $159,430.15 - $219,216.46
Sierra Space offers annual incentive pay based upon performance that is commensurate with the level of the position.
Sierra Space offers a generous benefit package, including medical, dental, and vision plans, 401(k) with 150% match up to 8%, life insurance, 3 weeks paid time off, tuition reimbursement, and more.
As COVID-19 continues to significantly impact our employees, families and communities, we are taking action to address the increased risk and uncertainty COVID-19 and associated variants pose in the workplace. SNC is committed to supporting our employees while ensuring we continue to meet essential national security needs of our country.
With employee health and safety as our top priority, and as a federal contractor, SNC will continue to require COVID-19 vaccination status for all employees including new hires. In accordance with applicable requirements, all current and newly hired employees who are unvaccinated may be required to adhere to enhanced onsite safety protocols including weekly COVID-19 testing, face coverings, and social distancing.
The status of applicable COVID-19 vaccination requirements are subject to change depending on applicable court orders and the course of ongoing litigation. Candidates may later be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or have an approved exemption.
At Sierra Space, our mission is to dream, innovate, inspire and empower the next generation to transform humanity through technology and imagination. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we welcome our employees to bring their whole selves to their work. Sierra Space is committed to fostering an inclusive, accepting, and diverse environment free of discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. Contributions to Sierra Space come in many shapes and styles, and we believe diversity in our workforce fosters new and greater ways to dream, innovate, and inspire.