Senior Lead Systems Engineer

Moog is a performance culture that empowers people to achieve great things. Our people enjoy solving interesting technical challenges in a culture where everyone trusts each other to do the right thing. For you, working with us can mean deeper job satisfaction, better rewards, and a great quality of life inside and outside of work.

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Moog is a world-class provider of spacecraft propulsion systems, avionics, flight software, and structures. Our depth of expertise in these subsystems positions us uniquely to develop a high-value vertically integrated space vehicle solution to our customers. We invite top performers to apply to become a part of our lean and agile team.

The Arvada, CO location is nestled near the foothills of the front range, just west of Denver. The office is a 10-minute drive from downtown Golden and Arvada and is an easy commute from most of the Denver Metro area. Colorado offers year-round outdoor activities and is a melting pot of cultures.

Moog’s Space and Defense Group is seeking an experienced Senior Lead Systems Engineer to join our Space Vehicles team in Arvada, CO. This includes all phases from conceptual design to development, integration, test, and delivery. Typical space vehicle applications include spacecraft buses, a “smart upper stage”, an in-space transfer vehicle, and a hosted payload platform. The selected candidate will be responsible for technical authority on a spacecraft bus program, and working side-by-side with other engineers in a team environment. You will report to the Systems Engineering Manager and will have a 9/80 hybrid work schedule, which provides every other Friday off!

To be considered for the Senior Lead Systems Engineer role, here’s what you’ll typically need to bring with you:

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, systems engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 7+ years of relevant aerospace engineering experience, including spacecraft or similarly complex mission-critical systems.
• Experience leading spacecraft payload, bus or space vehicle-level systems engineering across multiple lifecycle phases.
• Strong understanding of spacecraft architectures, subsystem interactions, requirements management, interface control, technical budgets, and verification.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary trade studies, integration activities, technical risk management, design reviews, system testing, and anomaly resolution.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and make sound technical decisions while balancing performance, risk, cost, and schedule.
• Experience with requirements management, configuration management, analysis, modeling, or engineering collaboration tools.
• Experience leading technical teams, design reviews, supplier oversight, trade studies, and anomaly investigations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting technical information to multidisciplinary teams, leadership, customers, and suppliers.
• Ability to support occasional travel and off-shift testing and support when required.

It would be great if you also had:

• Master’s degree or doctorate in aerospace, systems engineering, or a related discipline.
• 12+ years of spacecraft engineering experience, including service as a lead systems engineer, spacecraft bus lead, or chief engineer.
• Experience taking a spacecraft through design, integration, environmental testing, launch, commissioning, or on-orbit operations.
• Technical depth in one or more spacecraft subsystems, such as GN&C, electrical power, avionics, flight software, propulsion, thermal, structures, or communications.
• Experience with model-based systems engineering (MBSE)/SysML.
• Familiarity with NASA, Department of Defense, Space Force, ECSS, AIAA, or commercial spacecraft standards and mission-assurance practices.
• Experience with reliability and safety analyses, fault management, redundancy, radiation effects, and single-point-failure assessments.
• Experience managing suppliers, launch vehicle interfaces, payload integration, and ground or mission-operations interfaces.
• Experience supporting business development, capture, proposals, customer presentations, technical volumes, and basis-of-estimate development.

As the Senior Lead Systems Engineer, you will:

• Serve as the technical lead and systems engineering authority for the spacecraft bus throughout the program lifecycle.
• Lead spacecraft architecture, requirements development and allocation, design trades, technical baselines, and system-level decision-making.
• Direct cross-functional integration of bus subsystems, including structures, thermal, power, avionics, flight software, GN&C, propulsion, communications, and harnessing.
• Define and manage interfaces among the spacecraft bus, payload, launch vehicle, ground segment, mission operations, customers, and suppliers.
• Lead technical gate reviews, maintain system requirements, verification plans, interface documentation, technical budgets, performance margins, and configuration baselines.
• Responsible for oversight of customer deliverables with author role for fault management, reliability, survivability, compliance matrix and bus user’s guide.
• Coordinate risk management, issue resolution, anomaly investigations, and design or test corrective actions.
• Develop and oversee the spacecraft assembly, integration, verification, and validation strategy, including environmental and end-to-end testing.
• Work with engineering leads to ensure the design complies with mission, customer, safety, reliability, quality, regulatory, and mission-assurance requirements.
• Coordinate technical execution with program leadership, customers, suppliers, payload teams, launch providers, manufacturing, and test organizations.
• Mentor engineers and subsystem leads while clearly communicating technical status, risks, decisions, and recommendations.
• Support new-business pursuits by developing mission concepts, spacecraft architectures, technical solutions, compliance assessments, risk evaluations, cost and schedule inputs, proposal content, statements of work, and customer presentations.
• Participate in customer engagements, capture activities, proposal reviews, and technical interchange meetings to communicate solution value and feasibility.
• Improve systems engineering processes, tools, standards, and lessons learned.

How We Care for You:

• Financial Rewards: great compensation package, annual profit sharing, matching 401k and the ability to participate in Employee Stock Purchase Plan, Flexible Spending and Health Savings Accounts.

• Work/Life Balance: Flexible paid time off, holidays and parental leave program, relocation assistance.

• Health & Welfare: Comprehensive insurance coverage including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, Employee Assistance Plan (“EAP”) and other supplemental benefit coverages.

• Professional Skills Development: Tuition Assistance, mentorship and coaching opportunities, leadership development and other personal growth programs.

• Collaborative and Welcoming Workplace: Inclusive culture rooted in our values, enhanced by Employee Resource Groups, and team-building activities.

• Schedule: Monday – Friday, on a 9/80 schedule.

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Salary Range Transparency:

Salary Range Disclaimer

The base salary range represents the low and high end of the Moog salary range for this position in the given work location. Actual salaries will vary depending on factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance. The range(s) listed is just one component of Moog's total compensation package for employees. Other rewards may include annual bonuses, employee stock purchase plan, an open paid time off policy, and many region-specific benefits. 

This position requires access to U.S. export-controlled information.

Moog offers an inclusive workplace, and, as such, affirms the right of every person to participate in all aspects of employment based on merit without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic. If you are interested in applying for employment and need special assistance or an accommodation to apply for a posted position, contact our Human Resources department via phone at 844-367-5787.

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