Job ID: 724137BR Date posted: Apr. 21, 2026
Description:Space is a critical domain, connecting our technologies, our security and our humanity. While others view space as a destination, we see it as a realm of possibilities, where we can do more — we can innovate, invest, inspire and integrate our capabilities to transform the future.

At Lockheed Martin Space, we aim to harness the full potential of space to cultivate innovation, reduce costs, and push the boundaries of what technology can achieve. We’re creating future-ready solutions, focusing on resiliency and urgency through our 21st Century Security® vision. We’re erasing boundaries and forming partnerships across industries and around the world. We’re advancing spacecraft and the workforce to fuel the next generation. And we’re reimagining how space can connect us, ensuring security and prosperity.

Join us in shaping a new era in space and find a career that's built for you.

Lockheed Martin is seeking a Chief Engineer for a software ground system on a potential National Security Space program (pending contract award). The role involves leading the technical direction, defining system capabilities, overseeing integration, and ensuring ongoing operation and improvement of space mission ground systems. Candidates should have broad experience in software engineering, development, and operations.

As this software-centric program’s Chief Engineer, your roles and responsibilities will include:
• Delivering end to end mission capability while managing the technical baseline and serving as chair of the Engineering Review Board (ERB) and Requirements to Operations Management Board (ROMB).
• Leads requirements development, decomposition, and verification that requirements/features are complete, consistent, and traceable across all contractual documents and the system architecture.
• Define and lead the team’s execution of processes and procedures for the 24x7 support and sustainment of existing customer ground systems for execution of spacecraft missions ensuring continuous high system availability and long-term maintenance health of the systems
• Leads verification and validation (V&V) planning and execution, including test plan definition, test bed and simulator requirements, and test article development
• Lead/support development of solution approaches for new task orders added to the program.
• Support execution and new business across the NSS/SOA mission segment through shared collaboration, innovation concepts and support to other programs/efforts as requested
• Establishes senior technical program business rhythms (e.g., daily ops status, monthly status brief, quarterly risk review) and ensures engineering best practices and standards are applied
• Acts as the primary technical point of contact for reporting technical status of the program to customers and internal to Lockheed Martin Space, including Enhanced Program Reporting System (EPRS) coordination
• Identify and implement cost, schedule, and/or quality improvement initiatives especially as they are enabled by new digital capabilities being fielded by the enterprise
• During program execution, management and timely resolution of the program top technical issues to include assembling the teams, providing technical guidance, engaging the enterprise, and communicating with the customers.
• Some travel (~15%) will be expected.

This position is contingent upon contract award to Lockheed Martin. Estimated award date is currently October / November 2026. Any job offers extended to chosen candidates will include a contingency clause stating that the offer is dependent on Lockheed Martin securing the contract.
Basic Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering (or related technical field) or equivalent experience/combined education
• Knowledge and experience with ground systems agile software development and sustainment for space systems related tasking, planning, command and control, data delivery, data processing, data exploitation and data visualization, including defining new ground system features and solution designs
• Experience supporting software system cost estimating; awareness of cost account management principles, techniques, and processes
• Demonstrated experience as a technical leader, coordinating across multiple teams
• Demonstrated ability to communicate successfully across all levels of an organization from entry level to executive Vice Presidents
• U.S. citizenship with an Active TS security clearance with the ability to be granted an SCI.
Desired Skills:
• Broad understanding of the U.S. Government’s customer’s ground systems environment; including cybersecurity and deployment requirements and standards
• Demonstrated Experience leading a ground system software development effort, including testing and feature/requirement verification and sell-off activities
• Demonstrated Experience integration of new space missions/platforms into a common satellite operations center
• Demonstrated Experience with Ground Terminal operations and sustainment
• Demonstrated Experience supporting, sustaining and enhancing software developed by another team/contractor
• Experience with the U.S. Space Force’s Satellite Control Network (SCN)
• Experience with delivering software via DevSecOps
• Experience establishing and forming a new project team distributed across multiple locations
• The successful candidate must also have ability to organize, motivate and lead groups of engineering personnel, and demonstrate in-depth technical skills.
Security Clearance Statement: This position requires a government security clearance, you must be a US Citizen for consideration.
Clearance Level: TS/SCI
Other Important Information You Should Know
Expression of Interest: By applying to this job, you are expressing interest in this position and could be considered for other career opportunities where similar skills and requirements have been identified as a match. Should this match be identified you may be contacted for this and future openings.
Ability to Work Remotely: Onsite Full-time: The work associated with this position will be performed onsite at a designated Lockheed Martin facility.
Work Schedules: Lockheed Martin supports a variety of alternate work schedules that provide additional flexibility to our employees. Schedules range from standard 40 hours over a five day work week while others may be condensed. These condensed schedules provide employees with additional time away from the office and are in addition to our Paid Time off benefits.
Schedule for this Position: 9x80 every other Friday off
Lockheed Martin is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified candidates will be considered without regard to legally protected characteristics.
The application window will close in 90 days; applicants are encouraged to apply within 5 - 30 days of the requisition posting date in order to receive optimal consideration.
At Lockheed Martin, we use our passion for purposeful innovation to help keep people safe and solve the world's most complex challenges. Our people are some of the greatest minds in the industry and truly make Lockheed Martin a great place to work.

With our employees as our priority, we provide diverse career opportunities designed to propel, develop, and boost agility. Our flexible schedules, competitive pay, and comprehensive benefits enable our employees to live a healthy, fulfilling life at and outside of work. We place an emphasis on empowering our employees by fostering an inclusive environment built upon integrity and corporate responsibility.

If this sounds like a culture you connect with, you’re invited to apply for this role. Or, if you are unsure whether your experience aligns with the requirements of this position, we encourage you to search on Lockheed Martin Jobs, and apply for roles that align with your qualifications.
Experience Level: Experienced Professional
Business Unit: SPACE
Relocation Available: Possible
Career Area: Systems Engineering: Other
Type: Full-Time
Shift: First