Technical Comm & Nav Systems Engineer - Nutanix : Job Details

Building on The Aerospace Corporation's reputation as a trusted, impartial advisor with integrity and dedication to mission success, the Civil Systems Group (CSG) combines deep technical expertise with market-leading innovation to help our customers solve complex systems engineering and integration challenges. CSG is organized by core customer-facing lines of business to manage and grow programs within NASA, NOAA, and the NNSA, while extending our capabilities to other civilian federal government agencies fully integrated within Aerospace rules, regulations, processes, values, and behaviors.

Human Exploration and Spaceflight (HESF) Division in CSG is the company subject matter experts for human spaceflight. HESF supports NASA and its bold human exploration missions from the NASA Headquarters mission directorates to the Moon to Mars office down to every Artemis Program in operation. We also support the International Space Station (ISS), Commercial LEO Development Program, Commercial Crew Program, and Human Health and Performance. HESF support spans the systems engineering and integration lifecycle for programs from architecture and mission design to technology development, requirements and design reviews, and finally to verification, safety, and on orbit operational reviews and concurrences.

Aerospace seeks a technically skilled Project Engineer to support NASA's satellite communications, mission operations, and ground system integration activities. As Technical Comm & Nav Systems Engineer (Project Engineer - Systems Engineering), you will be responsible for ensuring the technical rigor, operational readiness, and mission success of NASA's space communication and navigation technologies. The successful candidate will lead and contribute to efforts involving RF and optical communications link design, payload data downlink architectures, ground station integration, and Telemetry, Tracking, Commanding, and Ranging (TTCR) systems across LEO, MEO, GEO, and CisLunar mission domains.

Work Model

This is a full-time onsite position at NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center in Greenbelt, MD.

What You'll Be Doing

• Design and analyze RF (S-, X-, Ku-, Ka-band) and optical (lasercom) satellite communication links for LEO, MEO, GEO, and CisLunar missions.
• Develop and optimize payload data downlink architectures, including ground processing for high-rate mission data.
• Support Telemetry, Tracking, Commanding, and Ranging (TTCR) systems integration and performance validation across all orbital regimes.
• Define and verify TTCR link budgets, ranging accuracy, Doppler compensation, and time synchronization.
• Support satellite command and control operations, including CONOPS development, anomaly resolution, and command validation.
• Integrate ground station subsystems (antennas, transmitters, receivers, modems) for end-to-end mission operations.
• Develop system requirements, interface documents, and operational concepts for communications and TTCR subsystems.
• Evaluate emerging technologies such as optical communications terminals, advanced waveforms, and autonomous ground systems.
• Collaborate with flight dynamics, mission planning, and payload teams to ensure integrated ground system support.
• Troubleshoot ground-to-space communications issues and supporting system verification and validation activities.

What You Need to be Successful - Project Engineer- Systems Engineering

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in science, engineering, or other applicable STEM areas
• 6 or more years of experience in systems engineering or a related technical field such as aerospace engineering, telecommunications, or project management of complex technical programs
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional teams to deliver strategic and technical outcomes in support of government or commercial space programs
• Proven ability to develop and manage stakeholder relationships across government, industry, and academia to support program goals
• Ability to effectively utilize oral and written communication to express technical concepts and recommendations to personnel at all technical and managerial levels
• Willing to travel occasionally to work locations or customer sites (approximately 10–20%)
• This position may require the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance, which is issued by the U.S. government. U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.

How You Can Stand Out

It would be impressive if you have one or more of these:

• Experience leading successful industry engagement activities and commercialization efforts
• PhD or master's degree in engineering, science, or other applicable STEM areas
• 9 or more years of relevant professional experience, including experience in developing productive strategic partnerships across industry and government
• Experience working with NASA Goddard or SCaN