Chief Systems Engineer - Satellite Communications

Chief Systems Engineer - Satellite Communications

Position Title: Chief Systems Engineer - Satellite Communications

Work Location: Albuquerque, NM or Herndon, VA

Clearance Requirement: Must have an active Top Secret / SCI security clearance. U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a clearance.

Employment Type: Full-time

About Us: BlackVe, Inc. is a mission-first, dynamic, and innovative national security company focused on emerging space and advanced technologies and dedicated to pushing the boundaries of engineering excellence in support of our government customers.

Job Description

The Chief Systems Engineer - Satellite Communications will serve as the end-to-end technical lead for the development and delivery of advanced satellite communications systems. This role is responsible for the technical integrity, system performance, and systems engineering execution across the space, communications payload, ground, network, terminal/user, waveform, software, and mission operations elements. The Chief Systems Engineer will establish and maintain the technical baseline from mission needs and CONOPS through requirements, architecture, design, integration, verification, deployment, and operations, while serving as a primary technical interface to customers, partners, and internal engineering teams.

Key Responsibilities and Essential Job Functions

• Serve as the senior technical authority for end-to-end satellite communications system development, with responsibility for integrated technical performance and the system technical baseline.
• Lead development and maturation of the mission architecture, CONOPS, system requirements, performance budgets, interfaces, and verification strategy.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary engineering teams across RF and communications, payload, spacecraft, ground, network and software, cybersecurity, terminals, waveforms, integration and test, and mission operations.
• Translate mission and customer needs into an executable system architecture and requirements baseline, ensuring alignment across segments, suppliers, and external interfaces.
• Drive major technical decisions and trade studies, resolve cross-segment issues, and balance performance, cost, schedule, manufacturability, and technical risk.

Essential Job Functions

• Lead, manage, and hold the program systems engineering team accountable for disciplined execution, technical quality, and closure of cross-functional actions.
• Own the end-to-end technical baseline across the satellite communications mission, including space, payload, ground, network, user/terminal, and operations elements and their external interfaces.
• Lead the development of system architecture and CONOPS in accordance with program goals, customer mission needs, operational scenarios, and lifecycle constraints.
• Lead requirements decomposition, allocation, traceability, and verification planning across all technical disciplines, and ensure requirements remain complete, consistent, testable, and achievable.
• Own system interface definition and consistency, including development and maintenance of interface control documents and coordination of hardware, software, RF, network, and operational interfaces.
• Establish and enforce technical baseline, configuration control, design documentation, decision tracking, and review processes appropriate to the program lifecycle.
• Lead system-level technical analyses and design trades, including communications link performance, coverage, capacity, latency, availability, spectrum and interference, resilience, and other key system performance drivers.
• Lead and support major technical reviews and readiness events, including SRR/SFR, PDR, CDR, TRR, system integration, verification, validation, and customer acceptance activities.
• Identify, quantify, and manage technical risks, assumptions, margins, technical performance measures, and risk-reduction activities in accordance with program cost and schedule objectives.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to engineers and technical leads, communicate technical status and risks to program leadership and customers, and foster a culture of engineering rigor, accountability, and collaboration.

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated knowledge and experience in satellite communications and complex space system development.
• Must have an active Top Secret / SCI security clearance.
• Bachelor's degree or higher in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 12+ years of relevant aerospace, defense, or communications systems engineering experience, including significant technical leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience leading system architecture, requirements development and decomposition, interface management, technical trades, integration, verification, and technical risk management for a complex system.
• Working knowledge of satellite communications fundamentals and end-to-end mission segments, including RF links and antennas, communications payloads, spacecraft, ground systems, networks/software, user terminals, waveforms, and mission operations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience serving as a Chief Systems Engineer, Lead Systems Engineer, Systems Architect, Deputy Chief Engineer, or equivalent technical leader on a satellite or communications development program.
• Experience with DoD or Intelligence Community satellite communications, MILSATCOM, protected or tactical communications, or other mission-critical communications systems.
• Deep understanding of systems engineering principles and practical experience applying them to requirements management, architecture development, interface control, technical performance management, verification, and design reviews in cost- and schedule-constrained programs.
• Experience with one or more relevant technical areas such as UHF, S-, X-, Ka-band, or optical communications; phased arrays or advanced antennas; digital communications payloads; modem/waveform development; networked ground systems; or resilient/contested communications.
• Experience with systems engineering and MBSE toolsets such as Jama, DOORS, Cameo, or similar tools, including disciplined requirements traceability and configuration management.
• Strong customer-facing technical leadership, communication, and mentoring skills, with the ability to convey complex technical issues to engineering teams, program leadership, partners, and government customers.

Location and Travel Requirements

• This position is based in Herndon, VA or Albuquerque, NM, with occasional travel to other company locations or partner facilities as needed.

Why Join Us

• Mission first-Always. We prioritize delivering results that directly support space and intelligence community programs and national security objectives.
• We operate as one team, grounded in trust, accountability, and open collaboration, where individuals actively support one another to achieve shared mission success.
• Work on high-impact programs across space, ISR, and advanced technology domains supporting DoD and IC customers.
• Ownership-driven culture is founded in teamwork where every employee is an owner, with equity participation and a direct stake in our success.
• Competitive compensation and benefits package, including flexible time off; 401(k) with company contribution
• Constant opportunities for program and professional impact.

This position may include access to technology and/or data that is subject to U.S. export controls pursuant to ITAR and EAR. To comply with federal export controls, all persons hired must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. lawful permanent resident, refugee or asylee as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(A)(3), or must otherwise be eligible to obtain the required authorization from the U.S. Department of State and/or U.S. Department of Commerce as applicable.