Space R&D Systems Engineer

Space R&D Systems Engineer

Location
Chantilly, VA

Job Code
1631

# of Openings
1

Employee Referral Bonus Eligible
Yes

FTS International, LLC (FTS) is committed to providing the Federal Government with quality consultants and support. To ensure mission success we focus on putting our customers first while minimizing corporate bureaucracy on our staff. We provide Subject Matter Experts (SME) free of Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI) focused on independent analysis and mission support services within the disciplines of Engineering, Counter Terrorism Operations, Management, Information Technology, Signals Analysis, Administration, Cyber Security and Linguistics.

FTS has an opportunity for a Space R&D Systems Engineer in Chantilly, VA.

The Space R&D Systems Engineer will support a Program Office leading research and development of transformational space systems, with emphasis on AI/ML capability development and transition to operations.

Responsibilities

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  Serve as the mission translator between AI/ML developers, systems engineers, and operational end-users, converting mission needs into technical requirements and technical capability into operational outcomes at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels
  
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  Serve as the primary translator between AI/ML development teams and operational mission stakeholders, orchestrates multi-team Agile development, cultivates external research partnerships, and helps the customer manage and execute the office's full program portfolio, driving progress across its acquisition vehicles from strategy through funding, stakeholder alignment, and approval
  
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  Help the customer manage and execute the program office's full portfolio of programs, driving progress across all acquisition vehicles: shaping acquisition strategy, identifying and securing funding, identifying and aligning stakeholders, and obtaining project approvals and authorizations
  
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  Orchestrate an AI/ML development team and its supporting contractor performers; coordinate development efforts, drive the Agile process, and serve as proxy product owner across ceremonies and PI planning
  
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  Lead applied research adapting cutting-edge AI/ML technologies, including agentic systems, multi-modal foundation models, and modern integration frameworks, to specific IC and DoD mission areas, and validate feasibility before transition to operations
  
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  Guide development and integration of AI/ML capabilities intended for operational spacecraft and mission-baseline ground systems, including cross-domain (low-to-high) transfer
  
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  Develop and manage external R&D partnerships with universities and industry; engage faculty, researchers, and vendors to identify and onboard work aligned to mission priorities
  
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  Support structuring and administration of rapid-cycle acquisition and partnership mechanisms, such as Partnership Intermediary Agreements (PIA), to bring external research onboard at mission speed
  
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  Drive cross-organizational collaboration and stakeholder alignment across program offices, the broader NRO enterprise, and the Intelligence Community to enable capability transition
  
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  Align R&D priorities to Directorate and Enterprise requirements; build the investment case, secure steering-committee buy-in, and grow program scope
  
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  Provide continuity and institutional knowledge through government and contractor transitions; onboard new performers and integrate diverse teams
  
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  Perform analyses of alternatives and deliver technical and programmatic briefings, assessments, and recommendations to customer staff, senior leadership, and industry partners
  

Required Skills/Qualifications

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  TS/SCI with polygraph 
  
• 
  BS STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math) in engineering discipline 
  
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  9+ years' relevant experience
  
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  Demonstrated ability to translate between technical development teams and operational end-users
  
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  Experience coordinating Agile software or AI/ML development teams (product owner, scrum, or equivalent)
  
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  Working knowledge of AI/ML concepts, including foundation models, agentic systems, and multi-modal approaches
  
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  Stakeholder management and cross-organizational collaboration experience within the IC or DoD
  
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  Experience supporting program or portfolio execution across acquisition vehicles, including acquisition strategy, funding, stakeholder alignment, and project approvals
  
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  Strong written and oral communication for technical and senior-leadership audiences
  
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  Critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills
  

Desired Skills/Qualifications

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  MS STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math) in engineering discipline 
  
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  Operational mission background (space operations, ISR, maritime, or comparable) supporting domain SME credibility
  
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  Experience with novel acquisition and partnership vehicles (PIA, OTA, CRADA, or similar)
  
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  Experience developing university and industry R&D partnerships
  
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  Familiarity with agentic and model-integration frameworks (for example MCP or Google ADK) and multi-modal model development
  
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  Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, EKS) and cross-domain solutions
  
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  Systems engineering and integration across spacecraft, ground, and launch systems
  
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  Digital Engineering / MBSE, modeling and simulation, or performance analysis
  
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  Program growth, capture, or business development exposure
  
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  Knowledge of IC missions, organizations, and processes
  

Expected Salary Range: $149,000 - $170,000 per year. Placement within the range is determined by qualifications, job-related criteria, experience, internal equity and market considerations. In addition, FTS International, LLC has benefits offerings in addition to salary to include Health Insurance, Paid Time Off, Life Insurance, Short Term and Long-Term Disability, Retirement and Savings, Learning and Development opportunities, wellness programs as well as other optional benefit elections.

FTS International, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer – vets/disabled.