Senior Configuration Management Analyst

The Office of Space Weather Observations (SWO) under NESDIS is responsible for advancing space weather observational capabilities to meet NOAA programmatic needs. NOAA’s Space Weather Next (SWX) program maintains and extends space weather observations from various vantage points, selected to most efficiently provide comprehensive knowledge of the Sun and the near-Earth space environment needed to protect our technological infrastructure. 

 The Space Weather Ground Services (SWGS) is responsible for comprehensive ground services for all SWX projects, ensuring successful implementation and operation of observing assets and ensuring the continuity of space weather measurements made by SWFO-L1 and the GOES-R series satellites. 

 The SWGS Mission Operations Services (MOS) program must provide a complete satellite command and control solution to support the L1 Series with two new independently launched observatories. 

Overview:  

We are seeking a Lead Configuration & Data Manager to serve as the primary authority for Configuration Management (CM) and Data Management (DM) across a new satellite ground system development program supporting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 

This senior leadership role will establish and govern CM/DM processes and lead a team responsible for maintaining the technical integrity, traceability, and control of all program artifacts throughout the full system lifecycle—from system architecture and design through integration, accreditation, delivery, and operational sustainment. 

The selected candidate will work closely with program leadership, engineering teams, and customer stakeholders to ensure disciplined configuration control, accurate documentation, and compliance with contractual and program requirements. 

 Responsibilities:  

Program Leadership & Governance: 

• Serve as the program lead and subject matter expert for Configuration and Data Management, establishing policies, processes, and governance structures at program startup. 

• Lead and mentor a team of configuration and data management specialists responsible for maintaining program baselines and controlled artifacts. 

• Establish and maintain the Configuration Management Plan (CMP) and associated procedures in alignment with contractual and customer requirements. 

• Chair or support Configuration Control Board (CCB) activities, ensuring disciplined review and approval of changes to system baselines. 

• Provide strategic oversight of configuration management across software, hardware, documentation, and operational environments. 

Configuration & Baseline Management: 

• Establish and maintain configuration baselines including functional, allocated, and product baselines across the system lifecycle. 

• Ensure all program documentation, software, and system configurations are properly versioned, controlled, and archived. 

• Develop and maintain document and drawing hierarchies (document trees) and configuration item structures. 

• Monitor and manage changes to operating systems, applications, firmware, configuration settings, COTS products, and Government Furnished Property (GFP). 

• Utilize CM tools such as ECMT, Git, Jira Asset Management, and related systems to manage configuration data and traceability. 

Documentation & Deliverables: 

• Oversee the development, control, and delivery of Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL) items and other contractual documentation. 

• Ensure all program documentation remains accurate, current, and aligned with approved configuration baselines. 

• Maintain configuration-controlled documentation including reports, release notes, technical artifacts, and delivery media. 

Audits, Compliance & Change Management: 

• Plan and support configuration audits (Functional Configuration Audits, Physical Configuration Audits, and internal reviews). 

• Ensure compliance with program CM procedures and contractual requirements by managing Technical Reports (TRs), Change Control Requests (CCRs), Discrepancy Reports (DRs), and related artifacts. 

• Document baseline deviations and track corrective actions as required by program processes. 

Release Engineering & Automation: 

• Perform configuration management and release engineering activities to ensure software releases are properly documented, tested, and aligned with standard system configurations. 

• Design and implement build and release procedures supporting software development and system integration. 

• Develop and maintain automation tools, scripts, and databases that improve CM visibility, traceability, and operational efficiency. 

 **This position is contingent on contract award.** 

#SWOMOS

• Bachelor’s degree with 8 years of relevant experience, or Master’s degree with 6+ years of experience, or Ph.D. with 3+ years of experience. 

• 4 years of relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a bachelor’s degree. 

• Demonstrated experience leading or supporting configuration management functions on complex software or systems engineering programs. 

• Experience with industry-standard configuration management tools such as ClearCase, DOORS, Git, or the Atlassian tool suite (JIRA, Confluence, Crucible). 

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). 

• Strong understanding of configuration control processes, version management, and technical documentation governance. 

• Experience working in Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) environments or similar Agile methodologies and leading Program Increment (PI) planning activities. 

• Experience with Earned Value Management System (EVMS).   
• U.S. Citizenship required with the ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust clearance. 

Desired Qualifications: 

• Experience supporting NOAA, NASA, or national space mission programs, particularly ground systems. 

• Prior experience establishing CM processes for new programs or large system deployments. 

• Experience working within distributed or hybrid development environments. 

• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build productive relationships with engineering teams, program leadership, and external stakeholders. 

• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail. 

• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills. 

• Demonstrated success leading process improvements and cross-functional initiatives. 

• Active Public Trust clearance