Mission Integration Engineer | Satellite Ground Systems

Zachary Piper Solutions is seeking a Mission Integration Engineer to support the design, architecture, and delivery of integrated satellite ground systems for commercial and government customers. This role bridges mission needs, system architecture, and software platform delivery, owning the technical path from early opportunity shaping through verified mission deployment. The ideal candidate combines strong systems engineering expertise with customer‑facing experience and the ability to operate across technical, programmatic, and business domains.

Work Environment:

this is a hybrid role in Denver, CO supporting mission‑critical satellite ground system architecture and integration. Highly collaborative environment working across engineering, product, and customer teams to deliver next‑generation space capabilities. Candidates can also be in Washington, DC or Los Angeles, Ca.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as a technical lead for customer engagements, translating mission requirements into scalable system architectures and solutions.
• Lead solution architecture and technical strategy for satellite ground systems and mission operations platforms.
• Support proposal development, including RFI/RFP responses, technical volumes, architecture descriptions, and solution narratives.
• Define and manage system requirements, interfaces, CONOPS, and architecture artifacts.
• Lead system integration, verification, and validation (V&V) activities across mission threads.
• Develop and maintain systems engineering documentation including ICDs, verification matrices, test plans, and acceptance criteria.
• Coordinate integration efforts across software, product, engineering, and customer stakeholders.
• Identify technical risks, product gaps, and architectural tradeoffs and drive resolution across teams.
• Support design reviews, technical interchange meetings, and customer engagements.
• Provide input to product strategy and roadmap based on mission requirements and recurring capability needs.
• Ensure alignment between platform capabilities, customer mission needs, and delivery timelines.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in systems engineering, mission integration, satellite operations, or related technical roles.
• Experience working with complex systems across software, hardware, and operations environments.
• Strong background in requirements development, system architecture, and technical documentation.
• Experience supporting customer‑facing technical activities such as solution design, integration planning, or technical proposals.
• Familiarity with satellite ground systems, TT&C, or mission operations workflows.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate technical concepts for both technical and non‑technical audiences.

Preferred:

• 8–12+ years of experience for senior‑level candidates.
• Experience supporting government or classified space programs.
• Experience with MBSE, SysML, DoDAF, or tools such as Cameo.
• Experience with verification planning, acceptance testing, and integration workflows.
• Familiarity with cloud‑based ground systems, APIs, automation, or modern software platforms.
• Experience with containerization or cloud environments (AWS, Kubernetes, Docker).
• Ability to script or code for analysis, testing, or prototyping (Python preferred).
• Experience with AI tools for analysis, documentation, or engineering workflows.

Clearance Requirement:

• Active Top Secret clearance required .
• TS/SCI preferred .

Compensation:

• Pay range: $160,000 - $180,000 (Based on years of relevant experience)

Benefits:

• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, 401k, paid time off, federal holidays, and sick leave.