Space Protection Mission Engineer

Job
Location: CHANTILLY, VA, United States
Date Posted: Dec 17, 2025
Category: Engineering and Sciences
Subcategory: Systems Engineer
Schedule: Full-time
Shift: Day Job
Travel: No
Minimum Clearance Required: TS/SCI with Poly
Clearance Level Must Be Able to Obtain: None
Potential for Remote Work: On-Site
Benefits:

SAIC is seeking a Space Protection Mission Engineer to join the Space and Intelligence Business Group providing systems engineering and technical advisory services to a rapidly expanding 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 protection capabilities into space operations. The Space Protection Mission Engineer collaborates within a team of mission-related SMEs to coordinate 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:

• Coordinate with other SPOs and stakeholders to develop a common space protection concept of operations that includes capability requirements and interfaces necessary to safeguard space assets and advance the nation’s space resiliency posture.
• 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.
• Collaborate with other SMEs to develop technical plans and documentation, advise the customer on technical progress of the acquisition, and support the integration of ground processing systems with space systems.
• Support the Contracting Officer Technical Representative(s) and developers to refine requirements, designs, and testing capabilities to meet user needs.
• Produces and presents recommendations and briefings to engineering boards within the context of engineering and acquisition trade spaces.
• Manage enterprise requirements processes to include traceability with and decomposition of lower-level acquisition office requirements, requirements sell-off to external stakeholders, and Request for Change (RFC) impact assessments.
• Represents the SPO as a technical SME during internal and external engagements.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s and 9 or more years of experience; master’s and 7 or more years of experience;
  PhD and or more years of experience.
• Active Top Secret/SCI clearance with Poly.
• 3+ years’ experience using or developing space and/or ground software systems.
• Experience in Government System Engineering disciplines, including requirements development and management, readiness, and testing.
• Experience with Requirements Management tools.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience in space domain awareness system development and/or operations.
• Experience developing, testing, or fielding space systems.
• Familiarity with NRO’s System’s Engineering Directorate (SED) and its Requirements
• Development/Management, RFC, and Lifecycle Readiness processes.
• Familiarity with Agile development methodologies to include participation in scrums, development of solution epics/features, and continuous integration/continuous deployment.
• Familiarity with Confluence and JIRA.

Overview

SAIC accepts applications on an ongoing basis and there is no deadline.
SAIC® is a premier Fortune 500® mission integrator focused on advancing the power of technology and innovation to serve and protect our world. Our robust portfolio of offerings across the defense, space, civilian and intelligence markets includes secure high-end solutions in mission IT, enterprise IT, engineering services and professional services. We integrate emerging technology, rapidly and securely, into mission critical operations that modernize and enable critical national imperatives.
We are approximately 24,000 strong; driven by mission, united by purpose, and inspired by opportunities. SAIC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $7.5 billion. For more information, visit  . For ongoing news, please visit our newsroom .

Please apply through the internal career site here >