Senior Project System Engineer
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Job Location:
Chantilly, VA - USA
Monthly Salary:
Not Disclosed
Posted on:
4 hours ago
Vacancies:
1 Vacancy
Job Summary
WE ARE THE NRO
For sixty years the NRO has developed acquired launched and operated the satellites that are the foundation for Americas advantage and strength in space. Using a diversified architecture of spacecraft NRO collects and delivers the best space-based intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance content on the planet.
Learn more at .
Basic Eligibility For A Position With The NRO
Where You Will Work
This is a senior project systems engineering leadership position in the Signals Intelligence Systems Acquisition Directorate (SIGINT) Space Systems Program Office (SSPO) Systems Engineering and Integration (SE&I) Division. This position leads and manages the work of a large government and contractor team conducting space systems engineering and integration activities to include but not limited to major design reviews requirement management and verification risk identification and mitigation technical analysis supporting design trades segment-level Concept of Operations development advanced studies pre-acquisition and acquisition activities system activation and calibration ground segment integration and interface management with external segments. Guides technical aspects of contract actions proposal evaluation specification changes technical tradeoffs corrective actions workarounds and the evaluation of contractors performance. Collaborates with industry and external government team members to resolve space segment system engineering issues.
The NRO Cadre is collecting resumes for consideration against current and future opportunities for senior level (GGS-14) non-supervisory Technical occupational series 0801. For more information on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) occupational series click here.
Your resume may be considered for other positions which your skills and experience may be a good match.
This is a full-time position that is open from May 1 2026 to May 31 2026. Resumes must be submitted by 11:59 PM EST on May 31 2026.
Who May Apply
What You Will Be Doing
What You Need
Desired:
Qualifying experience may have been acquired in any public or private sector job but will clearly demonstrate past experience in the application of the particular competencies/knowledge skills and abilitiesnecessary to successfully perform and is typically in or directly related to theduties of the position as described above.Experience must be reflected in your resume.
Applicants submitting a resume that exceeds the two-page limit per OPM Memorandum Merit Hiring Plan dated May 29 2025 not be eligible for consideration. For more information regarding resume writing see Guidance for Applicants on 2-Page Resume and visit theResume Help Center.
Other Information
Location
Chantilly VA. 20151
Telework is not available and you must be able to work at the specified location(s).
Salary
This position meets the qualifications for Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) Targeted Local Market Supplement (TLMS) STEM pay for NRO Cadre employees and candidates as authorized by the office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Securitys (OUSD(I&S)). Cadre employees and candidates are eligible to receive STEM pay if they are currently serving in a STEM designated position. Should a Cadre employee or candidate earning STEM pay change positions within the organization they must be assigned to another STEM qualifying position in order to continue to remain eligible for STEM pay. Otherwise Cadre employees and Candidates Generally would be transitioned to the DCIPS GG Pay Scale. For more information on STEM pay visit salary range for the Washington DC area: GGS-14 ($148275-$197200)
**This position is a senior level DCIPS position. The NRO is accepting applications from U.S. Citizens and current federal government employees for this position. To qualify for the position federal government employees MUST currently be at the GGS 14 grade level and may ONLY apply for a lateral reassignment at their current grade level and step.Federal applicants who exceed the advertised grade may voluntarily request acceptance at the lower grade per IAW DoWI 1400.25 Volume 2006.
Hiring Incentives
The NRO may offer hiring incentives and other entitlements at managements discretion.
Trial Period
All new DCIPS employees will be required to serve a 2-year trial period.
Veterans Preference
DoW Components with DCIPS positions apply Veterans Preference to preference eligible candidates as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 USC in accordance with the procedures provided in DoW Instruction 1400.25 Vol 2005 DCIPS Employment and Placement. If you are a veteran claiming veterans preference as defined by section 2108 of Title 5 USC you must submit documents verifying your eligibility upon request.
Equal Employment Opportunity Policy
The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race color religion sex (including pregnancy and gender identity) national origin political affiliation sexual orientation marital status disability genetic information age membership in an employee organization retaliation parental status military service or other non-merit factor.
Reasonable Accommodation Policy
Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process should follow the instructions in the job opportunity announcement. For any part of the remaining hiring process applicants should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
A reasonable accommodation is any change to a job the work environment or the way things are usually done that enables an individual with a disability to apply for a job perform job duties or receive equal access to job benefits.
Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodations when:
You can request a reasonable accommodation at any time during the application or hiring process or while on the job. Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. Please send your request to emailprotected.
Privacy Act Notice
Privacy Act Notice (PL 93-579): We use this information to determine qualifications for employment. This is authorized under Title 5 U.S.C. 3302 and 3361.
Read more about the Privacy Act of 1974
For sixty years the NRO has developed acquired launched and operated the satellites that are the foundation for Americas advantage and strength in space. Using a diversified architecture of spacecraft NRO collects and delivers the best space-based intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance content on the planet.
Learn more at .
Basic Eligibility For A Position With The NRO
- You must be a U.S. Citizen
- You must be able to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI security clearance
- You will be subject to pre-employment and periodic drug testing
- You will be subject to pre-employment and periodic polygraph examinations
Where You Will Work
This is a senior project systems engineering leadership position in the Signals Intelligence Systems Acquisition Directorate (SIGINT) Space Systems Program Office (SSPO) Systems Engineering and Integration (SE&I) Division. This position leads and manages the work of a large government and contractor team conducting space systems engineering and integration activities to include but not limited to major design reviews requirement management and verification risk identification and mitigation technical analysis supporting design trades segment-level Concept of Operations development advanced studies pre-acquisition and acquisition activities system activation and calibration ground segment integration and interface management with external segments. Guides technical aspects of contract actions proposal evaluation specification changes technical tradeoffs corrective actions workarounds and the evaluation of contractors performance. Collaborates with industry and external government team members to resolve space segment system engineering issues.
The NRO Cadre is collecting resumes for consideration against current and future opportunities for senior level (GGS-14) non-supervisory Technical occupational series 0801. For more information on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) occupational series click here.
Your resume may be considered for other positions which your skills and experience may be a good match.
This is a full-time position that is open from May 1 2026 to May 31 2026. Resumes must be submitted by 11:59 PM EST on May 31 2026.
Who May Apply
- This position is open to the public.
- Federal government employees MUST currently be at the grade level or higher as indicated in this announcement. This is NOT a promotion opportunity for current Federal government employees. If selected for the position Federal government employees will transition laterally at their current grade level and step.
- Federal applicants who exceed the advertised grade may voluntarily request acceptance at the lower grade per IAW DoWI 1400.25 Volume 2006.
- The NRO is only accepting external applicants for this job announcement. Current NRO Cadre employees should apply internally.
- This position may not qualify for the appointment of a reemployed federal annuitant IAW DoWI 1400.25 Volume 300.
What You Will Be Doing
- Participate in and/or leads a variety of technical work groups.
- Responsible to brief senior staff on a regular basis on program achievements and issue resolution.
- Supports lifecycle readiness risk management and configuration management processes for all SPO programs. Assesses program readiness ahead of milestone events and recommends approval/disapproval to decision authorities.
- Coordinates test planning/support for segment and Enterprise-level tests. Oversees segment-level test execution and verification process.
- Lead evaluation of change requests and waivers from the prime development contractor.
- Manages requirements and verification baselines.
- Lead evaluation of configuration items requirements databases interfaces verification methodology and verification of specification and associated interface requirements.
- Advise on issues and risks to balance lifecycle cost schedule and technical performance.
What You Need
- Bachelor of Science technical degree (engineering mathematics computer science or physical science).
- Expertise in advanced multidisciplinary engineering or related engineering/technical discipline concepts principles practices standards methods techniques materials and equipment sufficient to apply experimental theories principles and concepts to project development execution and advisory services.
- Knowledge of and ability to apply analytic diagnostic and qualitative techniques sufficient to produce authoritative analytical products and the ability to employ new methodological approaches to analyze information.
- System Engineering experience through requirement definition verification and validation.
- Demonstrated strong interpersonal organizational communication and management skills to conceptualize and effectively lead complex analytic projects with limited supervision.
- Proven critical thinking reasoning and problem resolution skills as demonstrated by experience in preparing analytical assessments and other written products with emphasis on clear organization.
- Minimum of three years of relative experience outlined in this section.
Desired:
- Advanced technical degree (engineering mathematics computer science or physical science).
- Knowledge of DoD and Intelligence Community (IC) organizations missions relevant policies and processes.
- Technical knowledge of SIGINT systems.
- Prior experience in space flight hardware and/or ground hardware & software development with associated integration and test.
- Prior experience with Major System Acquisitions and system engineering milestones.
- Certifications Required: Current CISM or CISSP certification or willing to obtain within 6 months of being appointed to the position per IAW Cyber Workforce Requirements outlined in DoD 8500.01.
- Understanding of cybersecurity networking concepts and protocols and network security methodologies security management principles and practices.
Qualifying experience may have been acquired in any public or private sector job but will clearly demonstrate past experience in the application of the particular competencies/knowledge skills and abilitiesnecessary to successfully perform and is typically in or directly related to theduties of the position as described above.Experience must be reflected in your resume.
Applicants submitting a resume that exceeds the two-page limit per OPM Memorandum Merit Hiring Plan dated May 29 2025 not be eligible for consideration. For more information regarding resume writing see Guidance for Applicants on 2-Page Resume and visit theResume Help Center.
Other Information
- Overtime Statement: MAY be required to work other than normal duty hours which may include evenings weekends and/or holidays.
- Travel Statement: MAY be required to travel in military or commercial aircraft to perform temporary duty assignments.
- Financial Disclosure: MAY be required to file an OGE Form 450 Confidential Financial Disclosure Report upon appointment and will be required to file annually.
- Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) coded positions:If selected for a DAWIA coded position the incumbent must meet appropriate certification requirements IAW the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) no later than 24 months after accepting this position. Individual shall maintain at a minimum 80 continuous Learning Points every 24 months via the services acquisition management system. DAWIA requirements may be located at the Defense Acquisition University website.
- Geographic Mobility Agreement: MAY be subject to directed reassignment as required to address mission effectiveness and/or career development.
- Information Assurance (IA): Must achieve the appropriate IA certification within six months of assignment.
- Emergency Essential: Certain positions MAY be deemed emergency essential and incumbents must be willing to meet all position requirements.
Location
Chantilly VA. 20151
Telework is not available and you must be able to work at the specified location(s).
Salary
This position meets the qualifications for Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) Targeted Local Market Supplement (TLMS) STEM pay for NRO Cadre employees and candidates as authorized by the office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Securitys (OUSD(I&S)). Cadre employees and candidates are eligible to receive STEM pay if they are currently serving in a STEM designated position. Should a Cadre employee or candidate earning STEM pay change positions within the organization they must be assigned to another STEM qualifying position in order to continue to remain eligible for STEM pay. Otherwise Cadre employees and Candidates Generally would be transitioned to the DCIPS GG Pay Scale. For more information on STEM pay visit salary range for the Washington DC area: GGS-14 ($148275-$197200)
**This position is a senior level DCIPS position. The NRO is accepting applications from U.S. Citizens and current federal government employees for this position. To qualify for the position federal government employees MUST currently be at the GGS 14 grade level and may ONLY apply for a lateral reassignment at their current grade level and step.Federal applicants who exceed the advertised grade may voluntarily request acceptance at the lower grade per IAW DoWI 1400.25 Volume 2006.
Hiring Incentives
The NRO may offer hiring incentives and other entitlements at managements discretion.
Trial Period
All new DCIPS employees will be required to serve a 2-year trial period.
Veterans Preference
DoW Components with DCIPS positions apply Veterans Preference to preference eligible candidates as defined by Section 2108 of Title 5 USC in accordance with the procedures provided in DoW Instruction 1400.25 Vol 2005 DCIPS Employment and Placement. If you are a veteran claiming veterans preference as defined by section 2108 of Title 5 USC you must submit documents verifying your eligibility upon request.
Equal Employment Opportunity Policy
The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race color religion sex (including pregnancy and gender identity) national origin political affiliation sexual orientation marital status disability genetic information age membership in an employee organization retaliation parental status military service or other non-merit factor.
Reasonable Accommodation Policy
Federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process should follow the instructions in the job opportunity announcement. For any part of the remaining hiring process applicants should contact the hiring agency directly. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
A reasonable accommodation is any change to a job the work environment or the way things are usually done that enables an individual with a disability to apply for a job perform job duties or receive equal access to job benefits.
Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 federal agencies must provide reasonable accommodations when:
- An applicant with a disability needs an accommodation to have an equal opportunity to apply for a job.
- An employee with a disability needs an accommodation to perform the essential job duties or to gain access to the workplace.
- An employee with a disability needs an accommodation to receive equal access to benefits such as details training and office-sponsored events.
You can request a reasonable accommodation at any time during the application or hiring process or while on the job. Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. Please send your request to emailprotected.
Privacy Act Notice
Privacy Act Notice (PL 93-579): We use this information to determine qualifications for employment. This is authorized under Title 5 U.S.C. 3302 and 3361.
Read more about the Privacy Act of 1974
Required Experience:
Senior IC
About Company
The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) helps the US practice the first rule of warfare: Know thine enemy. Called the "nation's eyes and ears in space," the Department of Defense agency designs, builds, and operates US reconnaissance satellites for the Central Intelligence Agency and ... View more
