Senior Ground System Engineer
KBR · Colorado Springs, CO
$150,000–$225,000from the description
Jul 24, 2026
Colorado Springs, CO
Jul 26, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A SETA advisory role supporting a classified government space program office, focused on ground segment architecture, antenna scheduling systems, satellite command-and-control interfaces, and mission partner onboarding. Day-to-day work involves reviewing requirements and design documentation, tracking technical risks and deficiencies, evaluating operational data flows, and preparing recommendations for program leadership. Suited to a seasoned systems engineer with a decade or more of DoD or intelligence community ground systems experience and an active TS/SCI clearance.
Senior level · 10+ years · Colorado Springs, CO · Bachelor's required · TS/SCI clearance · Full-time
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $131,571 (middle half $103,691–$168,322). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (8)
The compensation range ($150,000–$225,000/year) is explicitly stated as applicable to Colorado only; actual pay may differ in other locations.
The posting does not specify a city beyond 'On-site'; Colorado Springs is the most likely location given the Space Rapid Capabilities Office (SpRCO) mission, but the CBSA is inferred — the role could also be in the Denver metro area.
SOC classification is a judgement call: this is a SETA (Systems Engineering Technical Assistance) advisory role focused on ground system architecture, requirements, and integration analysis — closer to 15-1211 Computer Systems Analysts than to a hands-on software developer (15-1252). 15-1299 is noted as an alternative given the space/defense specialization.
Many of the 'required' skills (e.g., ground antenna networks, satellite scheduling, RF spectrum, C2 systems) are domain knowledge areas rather than discrete named tools; they are included because the JD explicitly gates on them in the Required Qualifications section.
SAP/SCI experience (5+ years) and ACAT I/II acquisition experience appear under the Desired section and are marked as preferred accordingly.
A Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, or related technical discipline is hard-required; an ABET-accredited or PE license is noted as preferred 'where contractually required,' not universally required.
Ignored 8 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): Systems Engineering, Ground Systems Engineering, Space Mission Operations, Software Architecture, Configuration Management, Risk Management, Test Planning, ACAT I/II Acquisition Programs.
Requires a TS/SCI clearance — the cleared population is a small fraction of this occupation, so the real candidate pool is materially smaller than the estimate below, which does not model clearance.
Read the full posting
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