In an era of dynamic change in space, Aerospace is addressing a generation of complex challenges. We operate the only federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) committed exclusively to the space enterprise. Our technical experts span every discipline of space-related science and engineering. Join our team and thrive in a career that matters to the world and you personally.

Responsibilities

Do you want to lead an advanced and interdisciplinary science team that does cutting-edge research of space radiation, the ionosphere, and the Earth's atmosphere? Do you want to challenge the traditional methods of space and atmospheric research and applications? We face tremendous opportunities with advanced technology and new customers that depend on different approaches and new ways of thinking - are you willing to take on the challenge?

Aerospace wants a leader for the Space Sciences Department (SSD) with proven leadership and technical success. This is a critical director position that is both inward and outward focused: develop the staffing and innovative technologies to take SSD into the future space enterprise and engage with current and new SSD customers to find the white spaces where we can thrive and solve hard customer problems. Success will result in an energetic team that supports multiple customers with instrumentation, modeling, and data processing innovations, sustained national and international research collaborations, and continual development of staff and technologies, often in anticipation of customer need.

About the Division and the Space Sciences Department

The Physical Sciences Laboratory at The Aerospace Corporation provides foundational science research for application to support across National Security Space (NSS), NASA/Civil programs, industry, and academia. PSL research supports corporate and customer innovation leveraging scientific depth and advancement across an array of technology focus areas including materials, propulsion, photonics, microelectronics, space environment sensor development, and others.

At Aerospace, SSD leads the development and operation of space, ionosphere, and atmosphere science instruments, physical system modeling, tool development, internal research and development, and applications of science for our civil and national customers. The team consists of experienced scientists and technical support staff with a proven track record for collaboration with national and international science and applications communities. A large fraction of business comes from SSD-led grants and contracts with NASA and other civil organizations.

SSD works where our customers work: in the air and in space. The department uses laboratories, high-performance computing, and collaborations to research the fundamentals of science and pursue the state of the art for solutions to hard problems.

Key Functions

• Develop and lead the execution of a department strategy to grow staff expertise and increase customer utility
• Provide technical, customer, personnel, and organizational leadership skills
• Ensure a healthy staff and culture of innovation by consistent engagement with staff on their project status, their business needs, and their professional career goals
• Obtain deep awareness of customer needs, develop insight into white spaces for research and applications, and assemble project teams to execute on opportunities
• Lead studies of innovative tools and technologies from other mission areas for application to space, ionosphere, and atmosphere sensing and research; build teams to execute on study results
• Mentor staff for technical, programmatic, and corporate leadership
• Work with laboratory senior leadership on effective communication of department status, development of strategies, and growth in value and impact
• Evaluate staff performance and provide frequent, effective feedback
• Understand and implement corporate processes for staff recognition, reward, and promotion

• Advanced degree in physics, chemistry, or related technical discipline from an accredited institution
• 12 or more years of progressively responsible professional engineering/scientific experience
• Experience with space, ionosphere, and atmosphere sensor technologies, data processing, and related applied research
• Proven record of leading successful NASA and other customer grants and project proposals
• Ability to technically engage with customers and collaborators on space and atmospheric environment issues and impacts
• Ability to develop, maintain, and enable staff for new collaborations with external partners
• Experience with project leadership and demonstrated ability to initiate and lead team efforts
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to influence a technical organization
• Strong written and oral communications skills
• Ability to travel to customer and contractor facilities to support relevant reviews and testing
• This position requires a Secret security clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain SCI access, which is issued by the US government. U.S citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance

• Ph.D or equivalent degree in physics, chemistry, electrical engineering, or material science from an accredited institution
• Experience working in a dynamic environment with multiple research focus areas
• Established record of support to US national security programs within Aerospace or externally
• Experience developing and leading interdisciplinary teams and building consensus on complex problems
• Experience leading a diverse organization of scientists and engineers
• Specific experience with space, ionosphere, or atmosphere research technologies including sensor development and data exploitation techniques
• Current TS/SCI security clearance, which is issued by the US government. U.S citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance