Lead Systems Engineer Visa Sponsorship Jobs in Colorado
Lead systems engineer roles in Colorado sit at the center of the state's defense, aerospace, and technology sectors, with major employers like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Ball Aerospace in the Denver metro and Colorado Springs. International candidates pursuing sponsorship will find active H-1B visa and green card filing histories at both large contractors and fast-growing tech firms along the Front Range.
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INTRODUCTION
Moog is a performance culture that empowers people to achieve great things. Our people enjoy solving interesting technical challenges in a culture where everyone trusts each other to do the right thing. For you, working with us can mean deeper job satisfaction, better rewards, and a great quality of life inside and outside of work.
JOB TITLE:
Senior Lead Systems Engineer
REPORTING TO:
Engineer Sr., Systems
WORK SCHEDULE:
Hybrid – Arvada, CO
ABOUT THE JOB
Moog is a world-class provider of spacecraft propulsion systems, avionics, flight software, and structures. Our depth of expertise in these subsystems positions us uniquely to develop a high-value vertically integrated space vehicle solution to our customers. We invite top performers to apply to become a part of our lean and agile team.
The Arvada, CO location is nestled near the foothills of the front range, just west of Denver. The office is a 10-minute drive from downtown Golden and Arvada and is an easy commute from most of the Denver Metro area. Colorado offers year-round outdoor activities and is a melting pot of cultures.
Moog’s Space and Defense Group is seeking an experienced Senior Lead Systems Engineer to join our Space Vehicles team in Arvada, CO. This includes all phases from conceptual design to development, integration, test, and delivery. Typical space vehicle applications include spacecraft buses, a “smart upper stage”, an in-space transfer vehicle, and a hosted payload platform. The selected candidate will be responsible for technical authority on a spacecraft bus program, and working side-by-side with other engineers in a team environment. You will report to the Systems Engineering Manager and will have a 9/80 hybrid work schedule, which provides every other Friday off!
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
To be considered for the Senior Lead Systems Engineer role, here’s what you’ll typically need to bring with you:
- Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, systems engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- 7+ years of relevant aerospace engineering experience, including spacecraft or similarly complex mission-critical systems.
- Experience leading spacecraft payload, bus or space vehicle-level systems engineering across multiple lifecycle phases.
- Strong understanding of spacecraft architectures, subsystem interactions, requirements management, interface control, technical budgets, and verification.
- Experience leading multidisciplinary trade studies, integration activities, technical risk management, design reviews, system testing, and anomaly resolution.
- Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and make sound technical decisions while balancing performance, risk, cost, and schedule.
- Experience with requirements management, configuration management, analysis, modeling, or engineering collaboration tools.
- Experience leading technical teams, design reviews, supplier oversight, trade studies, and anomaly investigations.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting technical information to multidisciplinary teams, leadership, customers, and suppliers.
- Ability to support occasional travel and off-shift testing and support when required.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
It would be great if you also had:
- Master’s degree or doctorate in aerospace, systems engineering, or a related discipline.
- 12+ years of spacecraft engineering experience, including service as a lead systems engineer, spacecraft bus lead, or chief engineer.
- Experience taking a spacecraft through design, integration, environmental testing, launch, commissioning, or on-orbit operations.
- Technical depth in one or more spacecraft subsystems, such as GN&C, electrical power, avionics, flight software, propulsion, thermal, structures, or communications.
- Experience with model-based systems engineering (MBSE)/SysML.
- Familiarity with NASA, Department of Defense, Space Force, ECSS, AIAA, or commercial spacecraft standards and mission-assurance practices.
- Experience with reliability and safety analyses, fault management, redundancy, radiation effects, and single-point-failure assessments.
- Experience managing suppliers, launch vehicle interfaces, payload integration, and ground or mission-operations interfaces.
- Experience supporting business development, capture, proposals, customer presentations, technical volumes, and basis-of-estimate development.
Responsibilities
As the Senior Lead Systems Engineer, you will:
- Serve as the technical lead and systems engineering authority for the spacecraft bus throughout the program lifecycle.
- Lead spacecraft architecture, requirements development and allocation, design trades, technical baselines, and system-level decision-making.
- Direct cross-functional integration of bus subsystems, including structures, thermal, power, avionics, flight software, GN&C, propulsion, communications, and harnessing.
- Define and manage interfaces among the spacecraft bus, payload, launch vehicle, ground segment, mission operations, customers, and suppliers.
- Lead technical gate reviews, maintain system requirements, verification plans, interface documentation, technical budgets, performance margins, and configuration baselines.
- Responsible for oversight of customer deliverables with author role for fault management, reliability, survivability, compliance matrix and bus user’s guide.
- Coordinate risk management, issue resolution, anomaly investigations, and design or test corrective actions.
- Develop and oversee the spacecraft assembly, integration, verification, and validation strategy, including environmental and end-to-end testing.
- Work with engineering leads to ensure the design complies with mission, customer, safety, reliability, quality, regulatory, and mission-assurance requirements.
- Coordinate technical execution with program leadership, customers, suppliers, payload teams, launch providers, manufacturing, and test organizations.
- Mentor engineers and subsystem leads while clearly communicating technical status, risks, decisions, and recommendations.
- Support new-business pursuits by developing mission concepts, spacecraft architectures, technical solutions, compliance assessments, risk evaluations, cost and schedule inputs, proposal content, statements of work, and customer presentations.
- Participate in customer engagements, capture activities, proposal reviews, and technical interchange meetings to communicate solution value and feasibility.
- Improve systems engineering processes, tools, standards, and lessons learned.
HOW WE CARE FOR YOU
- Financial Rewards: great compensation package, annual profit sharing, matching 401k and the ability to participate in Employee Stock Purchase Plan, Flexible Spending and Health Savings Accounts.
- Work/Life Balance: Flexible paid time off, holidays and parental leave program, relocation assistance.
- Health & Welfare: Comprehensive insurance coverage including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, Employee Assistance Plan (“EAP”) and other supplemental benefit coverages.
- Professional Skills Development: Tuition Assistance, mentorship and coaching opportunities, leadership development and other personal growth programs.
- Collaborative and Welcoming Workplace: Inclusive culture rooted in our values, enhanced by Employee Resource Groups, and team-building activities.
- Schedule: Monday – Friday, on a 9/80 schedule.
SALARY RANGE TRANSPARENCY
Arvada, CO $145,000.00–$210,000.00 Annually
SALARY RANGE DISCLAIMER
The base salary range represents the low and high end of the Moog salary range for this position in the given work location. Actual salaries will vary depending on factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance. The range(s) listed is just one component of Moog's total compensation package for employees. Other rewards may include annual bonuses, employee stock purchase plan, an open paid time off policy, and many region-specific benefits.
This position requires access to U.S. export-controlled information.
Moog offers an inclusive workplace, and, as such, affirms the right of every person to participate in all aspects of employment based on merit without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic. If you are interested in applying for employment and need special assistance or an accommodation to apply for a posted position, contact our Human Resources department via phone at 844-367-5787.
No unsolicited agency submittals please. Agency partners must be invited to participate in a search by our Talent Acquisition Team and have signed terms in place prior to any submittal. Absent compliance with these pre-conditions resumes submitted directly to any Moog Inc. employee or affiliate will not qualify for fee payment, and therefore become the property of Moog Inc.
Lead Systems Engineer Job Roles in Colorado
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Search Lead Systems Engineer Jobs in ColoradoLead Systems Engineer Jobs in Colorado: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for lead systems engineers in Colorado?
Defense and aerospace contractors are the most active sponsors in Colorado, including Lockheed Martin in Littleton, Raytheon Technologies in Aurora, and Ball Aerospace in Boulder. Enterprise technology firms along the Denver Tech Center corridor, such as Arrow Electronics and DXC Technology, also carry documented H-1B and employer-sponsored green card filing histories for senior engineering roles. Federal contractor status tends to correlate with more structured sponsorship programs.
What visa types realistically apply to lead systems engineer roles in Colorado?
Lead systems engineer is a specialty occupation requiring a directly related bachelor's degree, so H-1B is the primary work visa path. Canadian and Mexican citizens may qualify under TN visa status as engineers under the USMCA profession list. EB-2 and EB-3 employment-based green cards are available for permanent sponsorship. Chileans and Singaporeans can explore H-1B1 visa, and Australians may qualify for E-3 visa, both of which share the specialty occupation requirement. J-1 visa is available through designated exchange sponsor organizations.
How to find lead systems engineer visa sponsorship jobs in Colorado?
Migrate Mate lists Colorado employers with verified sponsorship filing histories for lead systems engineer roles, so you can focus on companies that have actually sponsored similar positions rather than guessing from general job postings. The Front Range concentration of defense primes, aerospace firms, and enterprise tech companies means Colorado-specific searches on Migrate Mate will surface a distinct set of active sponsors not necessarily visible through broad national searches.
Which cities in Colorado have the most lead systems engineer sponsorship jobs?
The Denver metro, including Englewood, Littleton, Aurora, and Centennial, holds the greatest concentration of sponsored lead systems engineer positions, driven by defense contractors headquartered along the C-470 and I-25 corridors. Boulder is a secondary hub with aerospace, semiconductor, and research-oriented employers. Colorado Springs supports a substantial number of roles tied to U.S. Space Command, NORAD, and their contractor ecosystem, making it particularly active for systems engineers with security clearance eligibility.
Are there state-specific factors that affect visa sponsorship for lead systems engineers in Colorado?
Colorado's heavy presence of federal defense contracts means many lead systems engineer openings require or prefer U.S. security clearances, which international workers on nonimmigrant visas generally cannot hold. This narrows the sponsoring employer pool to commercial aerospace, enterprise IT, and civilian government contractor divisions. The University of Colorado system also feeds a consistent pipeline of graduate engineering talent, which some employers draw from when evaluating OPT and STEM OPT candidates before committing to H-1B sponsorship.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored lead systems engineer jobs in Colorado?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.