Aviation Defense Contractor Jobs in Colorado (NOW HIRING)

At MITRE, your passion fuels work that impacts our nation and improves lives. This is where your skills strengthen national security, cybersecurity, health, transportation, and citizen services. We're a nonprofit engineering, applied research, and advanced technology organization working in the public interest. With objectivity and integrity at our core, we lead federally funded research and development centers for U.S. government agencies - collaborating with industry and academia to deliver integrated, high-impact solutions that advance our nation's health, security, and prosperity. Our people tackle the toughest technical challenges, supported by competitive benefits, meaningful career development, and a culture of innovation, collaboration, and technical excellence. Choose MITRE for a career with purpose - and help shape the future. MITRE Technology and Engineering (MTE) System Engineering Technical Division is seeking Lead Integration and Interoperability Systems Engineer with specialization in Ground System Integration. This individual will be responsible for delivering high-value, high-impact outcomes within a diverse and growing program supporting an evolving strategic space enterprise mission area. The successful candidate will lead and collaborate with technical subject matter experts (SMEs) across a portfolio of projects, as well as other FFRDCs, UARCs, government stakeholders, vendors, and prime contractors, to perform a variety of technical program office tasks, analyses, studies, and recommendations that inform current and future space-based capabilities. This position is focused on the integration of space system ground segment capabilities within the Missile Defense domain, including systems engineering, interface development, integration and test planning, software integration, communications subsystem integration, data management, and operational support across pre-launch and post-launch phases. The role requires deep technical expertise in ground segment development and integration, including coordination across space, ground, network, cloud, and operations center elements to enable resilient, interoperable, and mission-effective capabilities. Highly competitive candidates must bring a strong technical background and depth of domain knowledge to advance the department's strategic growth in next generation missile defense in one or more of the following ways: • Drive innovation in next generation defense space enterprise architecture
• Advance space systems integration within future Missile Defense Architectures
• Lead technical efforts to ensure space-based assets and associated ground segments are integrated into broader defense systems frameworks, enabling interoperability across sensors, interceptors, and Command/Control elements Minimum Qualifications: * Bachelor's degree and 8+ years of experience in systems engineering, modeling and simulation, software engineering, computer science, or related disciplines.
* Experience in collaborating with technical interagency government, contractor, and vendor teams in the development, demonstration, and deployment of complex system of systems architectures.
* Experience with ground segment engineering and delivery, ensuring resilient and reliable ground segment operations and space to ground communications.
* Experience with leading the development of Interface Control Documents (ICDs), Data Management Plans, and related data architectures to enable effective system integration and interoperability
* Experience with pre-launch integration campaigns for space-to-ground (S2G) and space-to-space (S2S) communication subsystems
* Experience with the integration of communication subsystem(s) with ground-based networks, mission processing environments, and space operations centers
* Experience with the development and integration of cloud-based architectures and solutions
* Experience with the development and integration of Space System Ground Segments to include development and integration of core software services with mission-unique software components and external system interfaces
* Experience with post-launch S2S and S2G communication anomaly identification, root cause analysis, and remediation
* Ability to identify and perform technical tasks involving studies, assessments, technical evaluations, and recommendations to inform programmatic and acquisition decisions with data-driven analysis
* Ability to clearly communicate and collaborate to influence design and facilitate implementation of ground segment integration and interoperability with C2BMC and other external systems
* Experience in leading the growth and development of new project opportunities that expand the technical work portfolio
* Ability to work closely across sponsor directorates, leveraging knowledge and resources, ensuring consistency of effort, and fostering teamwork and innovation among the sponsor, SETA staff, FFRDCs/UARCs, other government agencies, vendors, and prime contractor(s)
* Ability to communicate complex technical and operational findings clearly through briefings, white papers, visualizations, technical reports, and stakeholder discussions.
* Ability to work with cross-functional teams that may include operators, engineers, software developers, modelers, data scientists, test personnel, subject matter experts, and government customers.
* Strong written and verbal communication skills.
* Must have an active Top Secret U.S Government issued Security Clearance and m ust be eligible to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI 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 requires a minimum of 4 days a week on-site. Preferred Qualifications: * Master's degree and 6+ years of experience in systems engineering, modeling and simulation, software engineering, computer science, or related disciplines.
* Experience leading technical interagency government, contractor, and vendor teams in the development, demonstration, and deployment of advanced space-based technologies and associated ground segments. Overseeing the technical planning and execution of the work and developing and presenting results to the government sponsor.
* Advanced knowledge of Space System Ground Segment integration strategy development, integration and test planning, architecture maturation, and software development efforts
* Active DoW Top Secret clearance with SCI This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s):
Top Secret This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):
Top Secret/SCI Salary compensation range and midpoint:
$146,400 - $183,000 - $219,600 Annual Work Location Type:
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