How To Become A Ground Systems Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a ground systems engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Anthony Barrese

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a ground systems engineer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $49.64 an hour? That's $103,258 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 21% and produce 284,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a ground systems engineer?

Anthony Barrese

Interim Dean of the School of Systems and Enterprises and Teaching Professor, Stevens Institute of Technology

Pursue opportunities to broaden your experience across systems engineering, development, integration and test, field sales support and professional services positions. Generalist experience becomes invaluable with career advancement. Running a team is much more feasible for leaders who understand the process behind the work their reports deliver.

ScoreGround Systems EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $103,258

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.7

Growth rate 21%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 29.90%

Black or African American 4.48%

Hispanic or Latino 8.23%

Unknown 4.81%

White 52.41%

Gender

female 10.53%

male 89.47%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

4.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.8

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a ground systems engineer

Explore ground systems engineer education requirements

Most common ground systems engineer degrees

Bachelor's

61.9 %

Associate

15.3 %

Master's

11.9 %

Start to develop specific ground systems engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Systems Engineering	16.36%
Software Development	13.17%
DOD	12.64%
NASA	9.05%
Regression	5.54%

Complete relevant ground systems engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New ground systems engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a ground systems engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real ground systems engineer resumes.

Research ground systems engineer duties and responsibilities

Secure remote work capability achieve by implementing Citrix virtual desktop technology for remote access to essential agency functions.
Provide system administration support in UNIX, Linux, IRIX, SOLARIS, and SYBASE databases.
Maintain smooth operation of a UNIX multi-user system for end users.
Support missile defense system grind and flight test and evaluation activities.

Get ground systems engineer experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a ground systems engineer. The most common roles before becoming a ground systems engineer include systems engineer, electrical engineer team lead and electronic system engineer.

Apply for ground systems engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a ground systems engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams