Manager, Mission Design & Analysis Engineering (Clearance Required)

About The Role

The Manager, Mission Design & Analysis Engineering (Clearance Required) leads a team of mission design and analysis engineers responsible for defining mission parameters and deriving driving mission requirements for novel spacecraft developments. This role provides technical leadership and people management for engineers who model, simulate, and analyze system and system-of-systems performance parameters. The Manager ensures mission design activities are properly integrated with broader systems engineering processes, requirements management, and verification & validation efforts. They translate mission design functional plans into operational plans, manage resources and budgets, and collaborate across organizational boundaries to ensure mission design constraints are properly incorporated into spacecraft and ground system designs.

• Provides direct supervision to engineers performing trajectory analysis, mission planning, and performance assessments across various spacecraft projects.
• Integrates mission design and analysis activities with broader systems engineering processes, including requirements management, interface control, and verification & validation, while supporting system-level trade studies and alternatives analysis that impact mission design parameters.
• Translates top-level mission requirements into specific trajectory, orbit, and performance requirements for subsystems, and collaborates with hardware and software engineering teams to ensure mission design constraints are properly incorporated into spacecraft and ground system designs.
• Identifies, assesses, and mitigates technical risks related to mission design and trajectory analysis that could impact overall system performance, while establishing and tracking mission-related technical performance measures that align with systems engineering management plans.
• Develops and implements mission design processes that optimize spacecraft trajectories, propellant usage, and mission timelines while meeting science or operational objectives, and supports digital engineering initiatives that connect mission design tools and data with broader systems engineering digital environments.
• Maintains financial acumen by managing budgets for mission design projects, analysis tool investments, and computational resources, while effectively communicating complex mission concepts to diverse stakeholders including systems engineering, operations, and science teams.
• Builds and maintains collaborative relationships across organizational boundaries, supports organizational changes within mission design teams including implementation of new analysis methodologies and simulation tools, and upholds company values while holding teams accountable to both values and technical standards.

  About You

  We are seeking individuals who are passionate about innovating beyond boundaries and relentlessly pursuing solutions that protect, preserve, and empower to join us in this critical mission. We value team members who align with our values, mission, and goals while also meeting the minimum qualifications below.

  • Requires Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Astronautical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Physics, or related field (or equivalent work experience in lieu of degree).
  • Typically 8+ years of relevant work experience in mission design and analysis.
  • Minimum of 3 years of experience in a managerial or leadership role.
  • Comprehensive knowledge of orbital mechanics, trajectory design, mission analysis techniques, and space mission concepts.
  • Experience with mission design and analysis tools (e.g., STK, GMAT, Free Flyer, Cameo EA, SysML, Matlab, Python) for trajectory optimization, orbit determination, and mission performance analysis.
  • Demonstrated ability to integrate mission design activities with broader systems engineering processes.
  • Knowledge of systems engineering standards (e.g., NASA/SP-2016-6105, INCOSE SE Handbook) and mission design alignment with these frameworks.
  • Proven experience translating mission requirements into operational plans and procedures.
  • Strong leadership and people management skills.
  • Excellent communication and presentation skills with ability to effectively communicate technical concepts to diverse stakeholders.
  • Financial acumen with experience managing budgets and resources.
  • An active Top Secret U.S. Security Clearance is required.

  Compensation

  Pay Range: $157,512.00 - $216,579.00

  Your actual base compensation will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related knowledge and skills, education, experience, internal equity and market competitiveness.