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.

At Aerospace, we are committed to providing an inclusive and diverse workplace for all employees to share in our common passion and aspiration – to carry out a mission much bigger than ourselves.

Aerospace’s Strategic and Global Awareness Directorate (Project West Wing) provides technical intelligence analysis and research for a broad range of national security space and intelligence community customers. Our team works to provide unique, timely, independent assessments and counsel regarding current and future threats to the use of space as well as the effectiveness of strategic deterrents. The team brings technical skills to bear to characterize the dynamic field of international space programs and their implications to U.S. National Security Space.

What You’ll Be Doing

• The Director of the International Space Systems group leads an elite team that is in high demand to provide unique and highly impactful analyses to customers across the nation.
• The Director provides thought leadership, technical savvy, and oversight for a wide range of technical activities related to technical intelligence and analysis of international space programs.
• The Director develops strong day-to-day relationships with Intelligence Community (IC) and DoD agencies, customers and peers, and shares insights into technical and operational national security challenges.
• A key role for the Director is supporting and growing the technical staff, managing resources, determining staffing needs, and coordinating activities of the team.
• The Director should develop and implement a vision for sustaining analytic excellence and growing the customers served.
• Conduct and direct technical analyses of U.S. and foreign space systems
• Oversee a broad well-established portfolio of analytic assessments for multiple customers
• Identify short- and long-term technical challenges for a diverse customer base
• Pro-actively assess potential impacts of developments in worldwide space and counterspace on operations involving U.S. national security space
• Collaborate on, oversee, and/or facilitate, long term research and analysis projects that are performed to support current and future customer needs. Such projects include technical data analysis, information and data synthesis, developing innovative solutions to hard problems,  
• Collaborate on, oversee, and/or facilitate, projects with operational timelines that are performed to support current and future customer needs
• Interface with key customers, give community briefings, and support international meetings
• Prepare technical reports, briefings, and other deliverable materials as required
• Critically review reports, briefings and other materials produced by a high-achieving staff
• Develop customer relationships and prepare technical reports, briefings, and other materials
• Establish organization’s objectives and goals and communicate them to subordinates, management, and interfacing matrix organizations. Conduct organization’s activities consistent with corporate policies/practices, goals, and objectives. Set performance standards; assess sufficiency and quality of organization’s services.
• Manage staff task assignments, customer engagements including definition of deliverables and communication of technical products and budget status, manpower planning and budgeting, staff administrative requirements, engagement with Directorate data management functions, and adherence to required and assigned corporate-level duties and assignments
• Provide analytical mentoring to newer analysts
• Seek and identify opportunities for additional, expanded, new business and assists higher management in the evaluation and pursuit of new opportunities
• Participate with higher management in determining organization’s structure and staff resource needs. Participate in budget planning and allocation of resources. Implement policies, practices, and operating processes and recommends improvements to higher management. Report organization’s activities, progress and achievements through written and oral reports to management, subordinates, and customers.
• Identify and assign staff functional responsibilities, based on a diverse range of experience levels in the group ranging from SMEs to trainees. Coordinate work activities within organization; monitor workload, work progress and schedules; ensure completion of organization’s work assignments within cost and schedule guidelines. Participate in inter-organizational team assignments associated with management and technical issues and in training and educational activities.
• Promote the development of advanced processing and analytical techniques and tools for the group, defining, leading, and/or facilitating development efforts that take advantage of machine learning/artificial intelligence and other innovative approaches 
• Ensure that the modernization of the analytical infrastructure meets the needs of the group, helping define the architecture and coordinating with other departments
• Cooperate and communicate frequently with customer to coordinate and report work progress, issues, and results.

What You Need to be Successful

• Progressively responsible professional engineering/scientific experience, including substantial experience in a lead role with proven ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with all levels of customers and corporate staff
• A Master’s degree in Science, Engineering, or Mathematics 
• Requires a strong interest in, and enthusiasm for, understanding developments in global space activities and related space operation
• Requires a strong interest in working with a small team, including recruiting and developing analysts in key national security specialties
• Should be a self-starter, motivated to impact high-interest national space situations, with the potential to develop personal areas of expertise in the analysis of international space capabilities
• Requires demonstrated skills and experience with fusing and analyzing information from multiple data sources and extrapolating this information to answer space system questions
• Requires superior written and oral communication skills, the ability to communicate effectively with senior military and civilian customers, and an ability to work well with other analysts, internal and external to Aerospace
• Occasional non-standard working hours will be required to support to real-world events
• Periodic travel required for coordination with regional Aerospace/PWW personnel and U.S. Government agencies throughout the country. International travel to cover technical conferences or meetings is possible
• Ability to take and pass USG counterintelligence polygraph exam
• Must have a current TOP SECRET clearance and current eligibility for an SCI access.

How You Can Stand Out

• Personnel management experience and prior experience with DoD and IC customers
• Advanced technical degrees
• Prior background in space systems engineering, sensor systems, space domain awareness, space surveillance networks, and spacecraft anomaly resolution
• An understanding of astrodynamics fundamentals, and experience with analysis tools such as STK (Systems [previously Satellite] Took Kit) or SOAP (Aerospace’s Satellite Orbit Analysis Program), as well as familiarity with Unix, MATLAB, and Python
• An affinity for challenging puzzles and problem solving
• Reading comprehension and translation skills in selected foreign languages is of interest

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 diverse 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.