Engineer II, Ground System Operator

About the role

As a Ground System Operator II you will participate in monitoring and controlling ground systems at one of the SDA Operations Centers. You will work 12-hour shifts with a team in a 24/7, multi-satellite operations environment.

Responsibilities

• Perform real-time monitoring of the ground system in support of the SDA mission
• Analyze operational data and execute first level troubleshooting to resolve issues
• Support data-driven investigations and troubleshooting of software and system logs
• Monitor spacecraft fleet-level health and status
• Work collaboratively with the team to detect and recover from issues within the Iridium ground system applications, and for a global network of remote teleport antennas and Wide Area Network (WAN)
• Assist in validating fixes and confirming system stability following recovery actions
• Support real-time anomaly investigation and resolution and follow established Fault Escalation policies and procedures
• Participate in deeper technical analysis of anomalies and contribute operational insight to factory teams
• Support process improvement initiatives by properly documenting all events through an anomaly and issue reporting process
• Create accurate, timely, and descriptive event logging for all ground system outages or system events
• Participate in testing and evaluating new software releases, patches, and configuration changes prior to operational rollout
• Execute operational test cases and provide structured feedback to developers and system engineers
• Assist with rollout activities for new tools, capabilities, or ground system applications, including integration checks and post-deployment monitoring
• Help develop and refine updated procedures, troubleshooting documentation, and operational best practices for newly introduced capabilities

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or related field OR equivalent relevant experience in a network operations or spacecraft operations environment in lieu of degree
• 2+ years of related engineering experience
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to clearly present information and ideas to others
• Confidence and ability to easily build meaningful relationships with your manager and members of your team
• Ability to prioritize tasks, be self-aware enough to identify and correct mistakes, and not be afraid to ask for help when needed
• Active in seeking out ways to improve yourself and gain new knowledge, and enthusiastic in sharing knowledge with others
• Active/current Secret Security Clearance (A U.S. Security Clearance that has been active in the past 24 months is considered active)
• U.S. citizenship

Qualifications

• Interest or experience in technical troubleshooting, software testing, or scripting to support evolving operational tools is beneficial

Skills

• Proficiency in the LINUX operating system, as well as standard PC usage and applications
• Familiarity with software development and programming skills
• Exposure to system test environments, automation tools, or telemetry analysis techniques is a plus

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage
• 401(k) retirement plan options
• Paid time off and paid holidays
• Paid parental leave
• Other discounts and perks

Pay

Base Pay Range: $75,000 – $95,000 USD. Actual compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors and this range represents an estimate of compensation at the time of posting. Base salary is only one part of our compensation package for this role; you may also be eligible for company stock and annual bonus.

Schedule

Work 12-hour shifts. Under Iridium’s Hybrid Work Policy, employees are expected to work at least four days per week (approximately 80%) in an Iridium office to support collaboration, relationship-building, and professional growth.