What are the responsibilities and job description for the Space Protection Mission Engineer position at SAIC?
Job ID 2610296
Location Chantilly, VA, US
Date Posted 2026-03-16
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 Space Protection Mission Engineer to join the Air Force, Space, and Intelligence Business Group providing systems engineering and technical advisory services to a Government Intelligence Community (IC) customer. The customer is developing the next generation of space and ground systems, architectures, and hardware and software solutions.
The Space Protection Mission Engineer will serve as the subject matter expert (SME) and System Program Office (SPO) representative coordinating with the development contractor and stakeholders (including end user operators) for deployment of new space protection and Indications and Warning (I&W) capabilities into space operations. The Space Protection Mission Engineer collaborates within a team of mission-related SMEs to support system development, requirements verification testing (and sell-off), identification of discrepancies, and mission validation testing.
The Space Protection Mission Engineer responsibilities include, but are not limited to
Required Qualifications
Location Chantilly, VA, US
Date Posted 2026-03-16
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 Space Protection Mission Engineer to join the Air Force, Space, and Intelligence Business Group providing systems engineering and technical advisory services to a Government Intelligence Community (IC) customer. The customer is developing the next generation of space and ground systems, architectures, and hardware and software solutions.
The Space Protection Mission Engineer will serve as the subject matter expert (SME) and System Program Office (SPO) representative coordinating with the development contractor and stakeholders (including end user operators) for deployment of new space protection and Indications and Warning (I&W) capabilities into space operations. The Space Protection Mission Engineer collaborates within a team of mission-related SMEs to support system development, requirements verification testing (and sell-off), identification of discrepancies, and mission validation testing.
The Space Protection Mission Engineer responsibilities include, but are not limited to
- Serves as a SPO technical expert providing oversight for software development, implementation, and deployment of ground processing system capabilities that are integrated with the NRO space enterprise
- Authors/reviews I&W system requirements, decomposes to lower-level SPO requirements while maintaining complete traceability, supports test campaign strategy and planning, and assists requirement sell-off to external stakeholders
- Partners with enterprise stakeholders to scope SPO requirements, assist the software developer on SPO requirement interpretation, and work to close any dependency gaps to facilitate on-time development, delivery, and transition to operations of critical space protection capabilities
- Leads working groups with developers and end users in assigned mission area(s) of responsibility to develop operating concepts that drive agile design and development
- Assesses technical progress of software development and based on analysis, shape strategy recommendations to include engineering and acquisition trades within the program’s development priorities and budget profile that most optimally satisfy the enterprise’s demand for space protection capabilities
- Collaborates with other I&W SMEs to develop technical plans and documentation and provide Request for Change (RFC) impact assessments to SPO’s acquisition plans and schedules
- Represents the SPO during software developer’s Program Increment (PI) planning, Pre-planning, Sprint Close-out, and Demonstration events providing SPO’s vision and priorities
Required Qualifications
- Bachelors and nine (9) years or more experience; Masters and seven (7) years or more experience; PhD or JD and four (4) years or more experience
- Active Top Secret/ SCI clearance with Polygraph
- Experience in space Domain Awareness (SDA)
- 3 years’ experience developing, testing, or fielding space and/or ground systems
- Experience in at least one system engineering process area, including requirements development and management, transition, and testing
- Experience supporting NRO SIGINT or GEOINT SPOs and/or familiarity with SIGINT/GEOINT operations
- Experience in Space Protection tactics, techniques, and procedures and familiarity with Indication and Warning (I&W) mission operations
- Proficiency with Confluence and JIRA
- Familiarity with Agile development methodologies including participation in scrums, development of solution epics/features, and continuous integration/continuous deployment
- Familiarity with NRO’s System’s Engineering Directorate (SED) and its Requirements Development/Management, RFC, and Lifecycle Readiness processes