Space Vehicle Systems Engineer (architect)

Stellar Solutions, a nationally recognized "Great Place To Work", has exciting opportunities providing Engineering solutions for innovative new-entrant space companies, as well as established space systems manufacturers, commercial space system operators and service providers, and other industry stakeholders including investors.

At Stellar Solutions, we offer talented, energetic, and immediately productive resources to satisfy our customers' critical needs in systems engineering and integration, mission operations, program management and strategic planning. We are a leading service and expertise provider for high-tech commercial ventures, spanning communications, earth observation and remote sensing systems and data products, to the infrastructures that support earth orbiting and beyond earth orbit businesses.

Stellar Solutions is seeking a Space Vehicle Systems Engineer (architect) to support a national security space mission at Los Angeles Air Force Base (LAAFB). This role provides systems architecture and engineering expertise across the space vehicle, with emphasis on the spacecraft bus, orbital mechanics, system interfaces, and overall mission architecture. The engineer will help ensure that complex space capabilities are coherently designed, integrated, reviewed, and verified to meet mission requirements.

The Space Vehicle Systems Engineer (architect) will work closely with Government customers and contractor teammates to provide technical leadership across the space vehicle lifecycle. The role requires broad systems thinking and the ability to connect architecture, requirements, interfaces, integration, testing, and technical reviews into an effective mission-level engineering approach.

Key responsibilities include:

Develop and evaluate space vehicle system architectures encompassing the spacecraft bus, orbital mechanics, interfaces, and overall mission architecture.
• Support systems engineering planning, integration, testing, and technical baseline management across the space vehicle lifecycle.
• Develop, manage, and maintain system requirements and Interface Control Documents (ICDs).
• Evaluate system-level interfaces and dependencies to support effective integration of space vehicle capabilities.
• Support major space system technical reviews, including SRR, SDR, SFR, PDR, CDR, TRR, FCA, SVR, MRR, and PCA activities, as applicable.
• Apply knowledge of the DoD acquisition environment to support technical planning, reviews, and engineering decisions.
• Perform systems engineering and program management functions supporting design reviews and requirements verification.
• Collaborate with Government customers and contractor teammates to resolve technical issues and advance program objectives.
• Support technical assessments of space system design, integration, test, and mission assurance activities.
• Communicate technical findings, recommendations, risks, and engineering considerations to program stakeholders.

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience with space vehicle systems engineering, planning, integration, and testing.
• 7+ years of experience with systems architecture, requirements management, and Interface Control Document development and management.
• 3+ years of experience supporting reviews of space systems, including experience with SRR, SDR, SFR, PDR, CDR, TRR, FCA, SVR, MRR, or PCA and the DoD acquisition system.
• Ability to communicate effectively and establish collaborative relationships with Government customers and contractor teammates.
• Ability to work with a high degree of motivation and a dynamic work ethic in support of the DoD mission.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or Computer Science.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with collaboration and program tools such as Confluence or Jira.
• Experience designing, building, and testing communications antennas, transmitters, or receivers associated with a payload.
• Experience with mission assurance in strategic or tactical MILCOM payload development.
• Knowledge of DoD systems engineering, testing, and production policies and practices.
• Ability to perform multiple systems engineering and program management functions supporting design reviews and requirements verification.

Clearance & Additional Requirements

• Secret clearance required.
• TS/SCI clearance desired.
• Ability to support classified work at the customer site as directed.
• On-site work at LAAFB is required based on customer direction.

Location
El Segundo, California - This position is full-time and supports a Government customer environment; Work style expectation is considered onsite.

Compensation:

The typical salary range for this position is USD $130,000 - $144,000 per year. Individual pay is determined by many factors including work location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

In addition to base salary, this position is eligible for a comprehensive total rewards package that includes an annual performance bonus, an employer-funded Profit-Sharing Plan (PSP) contribution based on base compensation, and comprehensive employer-paid medical benefits, PTO pay-out options, along with additional company-sponsored benefits. All of these benefits represent an additional 30-40% to your base compensation for a total compensation package.

The Space Vehicle Systems Engineer (architect) will help establish and maintain a technically coherent space vehicle architecture that connects mission needs to system requirements, interfaces, integration, verification, and test. Successful performance will provide the Government with decision-quality engineering insight and disciplined technical artifacts needed to advance the space vehicle through major lifecycle reviews and toward mission capability. Deliverables may include architecture products, requirements documentation, ICDs, technical assessments, review materials, verification artifacts, reports, and briefings.