a.i. solutions is looking for a highly-motivated Systems Engineer with a passion for aerospace. This person will work in a team environment as the primary customer point of contact for spacecraft operations engineering activities working on the Prototype Operations-I (POPS-I) contract in support of U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command's Innovation and Prototyping Delta at Kirtland AFB, NM. This individual will serve as a key leader on the program and will provide engineering expertise and leadership to fulfill customer operational engineering requirements. The successful candidate should possess significant knowledge of space operations engineering, ground systems engineering, training, and satellite command and control. The successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to embrace the a.i. solutions mission of always meeting customer requirements and striving to exceed their expectations.

Essential Roles & Responsibilities:

• Responsible for leading and/or participating in space mission Pre-Launch, L&EO, and On-Orbit operations activities, to include mission exercises and rehearsals, in the capacity of mission lead, evaluation engineer, or senior operator as assigned
• Obtain certification as a space mission operations engineer on multiple experimental satellite missions
• Support system readiness, planning, preparation, execution and ops crew evaluation for satellite launch and early orbit operations, on-orbit operations, and end-of-life retirement/disposal
• Provide recommendations and advice to program leadership regarding satellite faults, ground system failures, or operator errors
• Lead engineering reviews and participate in engineering boards and configuration boards, both internally and with the government customer
• Create engineering test plans and products, as well as assist in development and review of operational procedures developed by program mission lead personnel
• Directly interface with program management, cross-functional program stakeholders, suppliers, customers, team members and government representatives and manage effective communications among them, to include providing engineering project or mission status as required
• Develop long-term strategic roadmap for operational engineering and test objectives
• Promote corporate culture and foster an environment of collaboration, innovation, and professional development within the team
• Perform personnel management/supervisory actions as required, including timekeeping administration, performance reviews, assisting in hiring personnel, and assisting team with professional development
• Identify and develop opportunities for technical or business process improvement
• Develop relationships with the customer and team members to ensure delivery of our corporate promise and overall successful mission support
• Participate in corporate initiatives and business development, opportunity capture, and/or proposal generation efforts
• Support flexible hours including potential night and weekend work on an on-call basis
• Travel on occasion as required, estimated to be 10%

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in engineering, management or related discipline, or equivalent experience
• 5 years of directly related experience in space operations, space engineering, or ground systems engineering.
• Demonstrated experience with Quality Management Systems, IS09001/AS9100
• TS clearance with SCI eligibility
• U.S. citizenship

Desired Background:

• Master's degree in engineering or technical field
• Extensive space operations and space engineering experience
• Strong personnel management/supervisory experience
• Proven leadership experience in a technical field
• Proactivity in identifying and addressing challenges to include innovations that result in positive organizational impact

EEO/AA including Vets and Disabled