Demo

Senior Space Chief Engineer

General Atomics
General Atomics Salary
Englewood, CO Full Time
POSTED ON 10/22/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 11/18/2026
Job Summary

General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) designs and manufactures first-of-a-kind electromagnetic and electric power generation systems. GA-EMS' expanding portfolio of specialized products and integrated system solutions support critical fleet, space systems and satellites, missile defense, power and energy, and process and monitoring applications for defense, industrial, and commercial customers worldwide.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Space Chief Engineer within our Space Engineering Directorate. This position reports to the Director of Space Engineering and serves as a senior technical leader for space vehicle and mission design in support of business development and capture activities. The Technical Director does not have direct reports but exercises technical leadership through deep subject matter expertise, mentoring, and advising engineering staff across multiple programs.

The Technical Director is responsible for shaping and communicating the technical approach for new and emerging space missions, partnering closely with Strategic Development, Program Management, and Engineering. This includes leading the development of mission and vehicle architectures, guiding design best practices, and contributing to high quality technical and proposal content (e.g., technical volumes, design reference missions, CONOPS, and MBSE products).

This position is located in Englewood, CO.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Serve as the senior technical authority for space vehicle design and mission architecture in support of captures, proposals, and program reviews.
  • Lead and participate in customer facing technical engagements (industry days, technical interchange meetings, proposal orals, and working groups) to represent GA’s space vehicle design capabilities and concepts.
  • Lead recurring multi discipline design reviews and working sessions to develop and converge space vehicle and mission architectures, including cross architecture trade studies and common, interoperable design approaches across multiple mission areas.
  • Provide technical leadership and mentoring to systems, mechanical, electrical, GNC, and mission design engineers on best practices in space vehicle design, integration, and test.
  • Define and guide satellite bus and payload design approaches, including autonomy and fault management concepts, requirements development and verification strategies, functional and environmental test strategies, and on orbit operations concepts.
  • Lead or oversee feasibility studies, trade studies, and concept exploration for new missions, including performance, cost, schedule, and risk trades.
  • Partner with capture and proposal teams to develop technical and cost proposal content, including technical volumes, basis of estimate inputs, risk and opportunity assessments, and prototyping or demonstration plans.
  • Ensure alignment of technical approaches with programmatic considerations and provide technical input to planning, programming, budgeting, and execution activities.
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders and external mission partners across Commercial, Civil, and DoD communities, and help identify and shape strategic partnerships.


We recognize and appreciate the value and contributions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences and welcome all qualified individuals to apply.

Job Qualifications

  • Typically requires a bachelors degree, masters degree or PhD in engineering or a related technical discipline from an accredited institution and progressive engineering experience as follows; eighteen or more years of experience with a bachelors degree, sixteen or more years of experience with a masters degree, or thirteen or more years with a PhD. May substitute equivalent engineering experience in lieu of education.
  • Demonstrated experience leading multi discipline teams in the design and integration of complex space vehicles and/or space systems of systems, from concept through design, integration, launch, and operation
  • Deep expertise in space vehicle and mission design, such as:
    • Satellite bus design, including structures, power, thermal control, avionics, propulsion, and communications.
    • Attitude determination and control system (ADCS) concepts and performance analysis.
    • Autonomous on-board fault management and operational autonomy concepts.
    • Requirements development, allocation, and verification planning.
    • Environmental and functional test strategies and on-orbit checkout and operations concepts.
  • Demonstrated experience in technical capture and proposal development, including authoring technical volumes, developing mission concepts and CONOPS, and supporting cost and schedule estimates.
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to clearly communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences, and to lead customer-facing technical discussions.
  • Strong background in aerospace, mechanical, or electrical engineering, math, and/or physics.
  • Experience with test, analysis, and/or experimentation of space systems or military systems, including space operations.
  • Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) tools and methods for requirements, behaviors, architecture, and interface specifications.
  • Must be customer focused and able to work on a self-initiated basis or in a team environment and able to work extended hours and travel as required.
  • The ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret & Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) clearance is required.

Job Type: Full-Time Salary

Salary range: 140,940 - 252,293

Salary.com Estimation for Senior Space Chief Engineer in Englewood, CO
$284,252 to $348,571
If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution. Compensation Planning
Enhance your organization's compensation strategy with salary data sets that HR and team managers can use to pay your staff right. Surveys & Data Sets

What is the career path for a Senior Space Chief Engineer?

Sign up to receive alerts about other jobs on the Senior Space Chief Engineer career path by checking the boxes next to the positions that interest you.
Income Estimation: 
$190,687 - $235,769
Income Estimation: 
$218,238 - $263,470
Income Estimation: 
$213,354 - $274,761
Income Estimation: 
$242,530 - $287,120
Income Estimation: 
$150,467 - $192,499
Income Estimation: 
$149,289 - $190,988
Income Estimation: 
$97,457 - $126,589
Income Estimation: 
$176,972 - $219,172
Employees: Get a Salary Increase
View Core, Job Family, and Industry Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles Skills Library

Job openings at General Atomics

  • General Atomics Grand Forks, ND
  • General Atomics Systems Integration, LLC (GA-SI), an affiliate of General Atomics, is a provider of military and commercial engineering services. GA-SI is ... more
  • Just Posted

  • General Atomics Englewood, CO
  • Job Summary General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems (GA-EMS) designs and manufactures first-of-a-kind electromagnetic and electric power generation systems... more
  • Just Posted

  • General Atomics Herndon, VA
  • Job Summary General Atomics (GA), and its affiliated companies, is one of the world’s leading resources for high-technology systems development ranging fro... more
  • 1 Day Ago

  • General Atomics Tupelo, MS
  • Job Summary GA’s Electromagnetic Systems (EMS) Group focuses on the military and commercial applications of advanced electromagnetic technologies, includin... more
  • 2 Days Ago


Not the job you're looking for? Here are some other Senior Space Chief Engineer jobs in the Englewood, CO area that may be a better fit.

  • trueanomalyinc Denver, CO
  • Space is a warfighting domain. True Anomaly seeks those with the talent and ambition to build the technology that secures it. OUR MISSION True Anomaly deli... more
  • 1 Month Ago

  • True Anomaly Denver, CO
  • A new space race has begun. True Anomaly seeks those with the talent and ambition to build innovative technology that solves the next generation of enginee... more
  • 12 Days Ago

AI Assistant is available now!

Feel free to start your new journey!