Mission Engineer - Satellite Operations & Ground‑Segment

Basic Qualifications

• Experience with mission planning and execution domain
• Knowledge of spacecraft subsystems (AOCS, power, thermal, communications) and their interaction with mission-level software
• Strong background in software development and/or software architecture
• Proficiency with orbital mechanics theory, maneuver planning, and astrodynamics tools (e.g. STK, GMAT, Orekit, MATLAB/Simulink, or Python astrodynamics libraries)
• Effective oral and written communication skills
• Ability to work effectively in a rapid-paced, team environment
• US Citizen with Top Secret clearance

Job Description

Within the Charlie Portfolio of Space Security, we are seeking a highly motivated Mission Engineer with experience in orbital dynamics theory and mission planning satellite applications to join our dynamic team.

In this role, you will work across the full mission lifecycle—from early concept development through on-orbit operations—collaborating with development teams, contractors, customers, and subject-matter experts to deliver mission success.

The selected candidate will be responsible for designing, analyzing, and validating mission concepts, supporting the development of ground-system applications, and collaborating across multidisciplinary teams to ensure successful mission execution from concept through operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, analyze, and validate mission concepts across multiple spacecraft programs
• Develop and support ground-system tools for orbit determination, maneuver planning, and mission analysis
• Create software applications to compute orbit maneuvers, burn plans, attitude quaternions, and other spacecraft data products to achieve on-orbit objectives
• Apply advanced astrodynamics and orbital mechanics theory to mission planning across varied orbit regimes
• Collaborate with software developers, systems engineers, contractors, and operators in an Agile development environment
• Support the Chief Mission Architect in guiding technical direction and ensuring mission execution success
• Gather and translate strategic objectives and operational concepts from customers and end-users into actionable mission solutions

Desired Skills

• Familiarity with Conductor or MPET applications
• Experience with operator workflow and use cases for mission planning scenarios
• Mission-engineering experience on spacecraft or satellite programs, including trajectory design and orbit analysis
• Experience working in an Agile development environment
• Experience developing software tools for planning satellite activities across multiple mission types and orbital regimes

Other Important Information

By applying to this job, you are expressing interest in this position and could be considered for other career opportunities where similar skills and requirements have been identified as a match.

Should this match be identified you may be contacted for this and future openings.

Ability to work remotely

Onsite

Full-time: The work associated with this position will be performed onsite at a designated Lockheed Martin facility.