Payload Systems Engineer

Job ID: 2611875

Location: Chantilly, VA, US

Date Posted: 2026-04-24

Category: Engineering and Sciences

Subcategory: Systems Engineer

Schedule: Full-Time

Shift: Day Job

Travel: Yes - 10% of the time

Minimum Clearance Required: TS.SCI_wPoly

Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain: None

Potential for Remote Work: ORA_ON_SITE

Description

SAIC is seeking a Payload Systems Engineer in Chantilly, VA to provide onsite systems engineering and technical advisory (SETA) services in a dynamic NRO System Program Office (SPO) at the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). You will be critical in supporting the development and execution of multiple satellite systems, both on-orbit and in development. This position leads the payload division SETA team responsible for assisting the government in acquiring multiple payloads systems. The job requires familiarity with the NRO organization, major acquisition processes, and satellite systems.

Job Responsibilities:

• Provide advice to the PROSPO Payload Division Chief regarding all aspects of payload development and acquisition
• Support the System Program Office (SPO) in a technical capacity for planning, execution, monitoring, and oversight of multiple EO and SAR payload systems in development and acquisition
• Assist the Government in developing concept of operations (CONOPS) and approaches to employment of EO and SAR systems
• Assist the Government in developing requirement documents, statements of work, and other contract documents during program acquisition and contract action preparation
• Provide oversight of acquisitions to ensure end-to-end system closure and satisfaction of mission need
• Draft technical evaluations and function as an advisor in source selections
• Provide technical and programmatic assessments of contractor designs at major milestone reviews to assess progress, risks and issues, and the ability to achieve mission requirements
• Participate in program reviews and technical interchange meetings between developers and COTR
• Review Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL) deliverables to ensure content, technical accuracy, and sufficiency of design details to meet program requirements and objectives
• Provide technical support to Government customer activities and programmatic processes
• Develop documents and briefings to communicate work or study status and brief Government and industry as required
  
  

Qualifications

• ?TYPICAL EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Bachelors and fourteen (14) years or more experience; Masters and twelve (12) years or more experience; PhD or JD and nine (9) years or more experience
• Proven extensive experience with satellite system requirement development, design, manufacturing, and test
• Excellent interpersonal, leadership, team building and problem-solving skills with a demonstrated ability to be effective in a government/contractor team environment
• Experience acquiring multiple payloads systems
• Working knowledge of the NRO organization, major acquisition processes, and satellite systems
• Active TS/SCI with current polygraph
  
  

SAIC is a premier technology integrator providing full life cycle services and solutions in the technical, engineering, intelligence, and enterprise information technology markets. SAIC is Redefining Ingenuity through its deep customer and domain knowledge to enable the delivery of systems engineering and integration offerings for large, complex projects. SAIC's approximately 15,000 employees are driven by integrity and mission focus to serve customers in the U.S. federal government. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $4.5 billion. For more information, visit saic.com. For information on the benefits SAIC offers, see .