General Manager - NASA Programs Division (NPD)

Houston, TX; El Segundo, CA; Chantilly, VA
Full-time
$268,000.00 - $402,000.00
Posted Nov 9, 2026

Skills

Agile
Communication
Leadership
Operations
Procurement
Systems Engineering

Job description

The Aerospace Corporation is the trusted partner to the nation’s space programs, solving the hardest problems and providing unmatched technical expertise. As the operator of a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), we are broadly engaged across all aspects of space— delivering innovative solutions that span satellite, launch, ground, and cyber systems for defense, civil and commercial customers. When you join our team, you’ll be part of a special collection of problem solvers, thought leaders, and innovators. Join us and take your place in space.

As the nation's trusted partner in space, The Aerospace Corporation plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of national security space, space exploration, and technological advancement. As an independent, nonprofit corporation operating the largest and only Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) dedicated to the space enterprise, Aerospace (~$1.4B in revenue and ~5,000 employees) provides unparalleled technical expertise, innovative problem-solving and objective analysis to a diverse range of defense, civil, commercial and international customers.

With deep technical disciplinary continuity, state-of-the-art facilities and a legacy of success for over 60 years, Aerospace is uniquely positioned to address national security priorities, mitigate emerging threats, and harness commercial-sector breakthroughs to leverage space in transformative ways for the public good. Whether accelerating next generation satellite capabilities, optimizing launch readiness, or solving complex systems engineering challenges, Aerospace is at the forefront of safeguarding and advancing our national space capabilities.

Building on The Aerospace Corporation's reputation as a trusted partner dedicated to mission success, the Civil Systems Group (CSG) combines deep technical expertise with cutting edge innovation to help our customers solve complex systems engineering and integration challenges. CSG is organized by core customer-facing lines of business to manage programs and deliver solutions to our key civil, commercial and international partners (i.e., National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), The Aerospace Corporation UK Ltd (Aerospace UK)).

We are seeking a strategic General Manager , with a strong mix of technical expertise, business acumen, and customer focus, to lead and integrate the NASA Programs Division (NPD). This position will report to the Senior Vice President of the Civil Systems Group (SVP, CSG). NPD provides independent, objective systems engineering and integration expertise to support NASA human exploration and spaceflight, civil space science, technology development and operational missions. The portfolio encompasses low Earth orbit, deep space, and planetary exploration missions, as well as the development and operation of next-generation space and ground systems. The General Manager will possess a proven ability to develop strategies, lead and inspire a distributed team, and deliver high impact results to a diverse customer set, while making resource allocation investments for our future. Do you want to do work that makes a positive difference for the nation by leading an elite team? This is the opportunity!

This position requires full-time onsite presence (5 days/week) in Houston, TX; El Segundo, CA; or Chantilly, VA— this is a proactive leadership role requiring regular visibility with the team, government customers, and cross-site collaboration.

What You'll Be Doing

•Overall leadership and management of NASA Programs Division. Develop division vision, strategy, and objectives consistent with corporate goals and initiatives, the CSG strategic plan, and NASA customer expectations. Provide direction and planning for achieving both strategic and tactical goals.

•Establish trusted relationships with key NASA leaders across human spaceflight, exploration, science, and mission operations organizations. Establish and maintain Aerospace’s positive reputation with new and existing customers as a problem solver and thought leader that works at the enterprise level. Anticipate evolving customer needs and develop an agile, high-quality technical workforce.

•Lead and support cross-corporation and cross-organizational teams to deliver systems engineering and integration, technical assessments, and analyses of national significance across NASA programs. Partner with Aerospace technical organizations to apply enterprise capabilities to customers’ most challenging problems.

•Maintain division focus on mission success from cradle to grave across the portfolio, track and communicate the risk posture, and facilitate enterprise teams as appropriate to provide viable solutions to mitigate mission risk and promote mission viability and strategic alignment to national policy.

•Provide strategic leadership and support to NASA in program planning, acquisition strategies, requirements development, architecture alternatives, technical and programmatic assessments, and investment portfolio decisions.

•Position Aerospace in the highest value functions across the NASA portfolio, translate customer technical operating plans into technical priorities, manage budget constraints, and plan and execute staffing and resource allocation as required.

•Provide leadership for team members, setting expectations and direction, mentoring, providing critical feedback, succession planning, and coaching aimed at developing an agile management team and technical staff.

What You Need to Be Successful

Minimum Requirements:

•Bachelor's degree in science, engineering, business or other relevant degree.

•Substantial relevant experience (typically 15 years) with program management of highly complex and technical multi-disciplinary systems and teams.

•Proven financial, business and technical leadership and management experience, with multi-million-dollar budgets.

•Strong understanding of both federal and commercial acquisition processes, especially federal procurement cycles, contracting mechanisms.

•Ability to deliver strategic plans aligned with corporate and customer priorities and positioning for sustainable performance and growth, demonstrating agility in a fast-paced environment.

•History of establishing and sustaining trusted relationships with government customers.

•Excellent communication skills - clear, concise, persuasive; builds consensus; organize complex materials and concepts in clear and logical manner.

•Ability to travel up to 30% to other customer and Aerospace locations.

•This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI security clearance, which is issued by the U.S. government. U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.

How You Can Stand Out

It would be impressive if you have one or more of these:

•Experience running a profit and loss (P&L) center.

•Advanced graduate technical and/or business degree.

•In-depth management experience with budgets, staff development, planning, and customer accounts.

•Established professional relationships with NASA leaders across human exploration, spaceflight, science, and civil space operations.

•Experience leading human spaceflight programs, launch campaigns, extravehicular activity support, deep space or planetary exploration missions, or complex mission operations.

•Familiarity with Aerospace’s Engineering & Technology Group (ETG) matrix and associated expertise, skills, tools, analytical capabilities, computing resources and laboratory facilities.

We offer a competitive compensation package where you’ll be rewarded based on your performance and recognized for the value you bring to our business. The grade-based pay range for this job is listed below. Individual salaries within that range are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge and skills.

(Min - Max)

$268,000.00 - $402,000.00

Pay Basis: Annual

Leadership Competencies

Our leadership philosophy is simple: every employee, regardless of level and role, can demonstrate leadership. At Aerospace, our commitment is our people. To cultivate our talent and ensure that we have a strong pipeline of future leaders, we want individuals who:

•Operate Strategically

•Lead Change

•Engage with Impact

•Foster Innovation

•Deliver Results

Ways We Reward Our Employees

During your interview process, our team will provide details of our industry-leading benefits.

Benefits vary and are applicable based on Job Type. A few highlights include:

•Comprehensive health care and wellness plans

•Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation

•Standard and alternate work schedules, including telework options

•401(k) Plan — Employees receive a total company-paid benefit of 8%, 10%, or 12% of eligible compensation based on years of service and matching contributions; employees are immediately eligible and vested in the plan upon hire

•Flexible spending accounts

•Variable pay program for exceptional contributions

•Relocation assistance

•Professional growth and development programs to help advance your career

•Education assistance programs

•An inclusive work environment built on teamwork, flexibility, and respect

We are all unique, from various backgrounds and all walks of life, yet one thing bonds all of us to each other—the belief that we can make a difference. This core belief empowers us to do our best work at The Aerospace Corporation.

Equal Opportunity Commitment

The Aerospace Corporation is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, color, religion, genetic information, marital status, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, physical disability, medical condition, mental disability, or disability status and any other characteristic protected by state or federal law. If you’re an individual with a disability or a disabled veteran who needs assistance using our online job search and application tools or need reasonable accommodation to complete the job application process, please contact us by phone at 310.336.5432 or by email at peoplemangmnt.mailbox aero.org . You can also review Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal .