Senior Mission Operations Manager

About the role

We are seeking an exceptional Senior Mission Operations Manager to take end-to-end ownership of Lux Aeterna’s flights getting Delphi-1 to the pad, running it on orbit, and bringing it home. This role spans program execution in the lead-up to launch and mission operations leadership through commissioning, on-orbit, deorbit, reentry, and recovery.

Responsibilities

• Own the Delphi-1 integrated master schedule, critical path, and external partner deliverables.
• Run the program cadence, risk management, and other programmatic processes. Surface issues early and close decisions.
• Translate engineering trades, customer ICDs, and FAA/range submittals into actions with owners and exit criteria; run vendor programs end-to-end and keep budget, headcount, and cost-to-complete visible.
• Author the Concept of Operations, console procedures, flight rules, anomaly playbooks, and mission timeline — partnering with GNC, FSW, GSW, and Avionics.
• Stand up the Mission Operations Center, lead rehearsals, and drive the Flight Readiness and Mission Readiness Reviews.
• Hire, train, and certify the mission operations team (internal or external): console operators, flight directors, payload operators. Define the on-call rotation that supports flight.
• Serve as Mission Manager / Flight Director from pre-launch through on-orbit and own the call to proceed, hold, or abort, and run real-time coordination with KSAT, SpaceX, the range, customers, and recovery partners.
• Lead recovery operations and the post-flight debrief; feed lessons learned into Delphi block upgrades and follow-on missions.

Requirements

• BS in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Systems Engineering, or equivalent technical field (or equivalent practical experience)
• 7+ years in aerospace or other high-stakes hardware programs, with a mix of program/project management and operations experience
• Demonstrated ownership of an integrated master schedule on a flight or comparable hardware program (satellite, launch vehicle, aircraft, missile, or critical infrastructure)
• Direct experience in a mission operations, flight test, or launch environment including console time, procedure authorship, or flight-director-style real-time decision making in aerospace programs.
• Strong technical fluency. Comfortable reading ICDs, requirements, and engineering analyses, and pushing back when the plan and the physics disagree
• Track record of running cross-functional teams without formal authority and getting senior engineers to commit and deliver
• Excellent written communication: procedures, flight rules, status, and exec-level reporting that people actually trust
• High composure under pressure and sound judgment with incomplete information
• Comfort with ambiguity and bias toward action over analysis paralysis
• Ability to operate effectively in fast build-test-iterate environments with high ownership and minimal supervision
• Prior tour as a Flight Director, Mission Manager, Mission Director, or Lead Mission Operator on an orbital or reentry program
• Experience standing up a mission ops organization from zero: hiring, training, certifying operators, building the MOC
• Familiarity with reentry, recovery, or asset-return operations (capsule, glider, booster, or experimental vehicle)
• Working knowledge of FAA Part 450, range safety, and human-spaceflight-adjacent safety standards (SSCMAN 91-710, AFSPCMAN, NASA STD)
• Familiarity with CCSDS, telemetry decom, and ground-segment integration
• Early-stage startup or new-program experience, especially in hardware or deep-tech companies
• Comfort building lightweight systems and processes that scale, without over-engineering them
• Military aviation, test, or operations background welcome in place of or alongside an engineering degree

Qualifications

• BS in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Systems Engineering, or equivalent technical field (or equivalent practical experience)
• 7+ years in aerospace or other high-stakes hardware programs, with a mix of program/project management and operations experience
• Demonstrated ownership of an integrated master schedule on a flight or comparable hardware program (satellite, launch vehicle, aircraft, missile, or critical infrastructure)
• Direct experience in a mission operations, flight test, or launch environment including console time, procedure authorship, or flight-director-style real-time decision making in aerospace programs.
• Strong technical fluency. Comfortable reading ICDs, requirements, and engineering analyses, and pushing back when the plan and the physics disagree
• Track record of running cross-functional teams without formal authority and getting senior engineers to commit and deliver
• Excellent written communication: procedures, flight rules, status, and exec-level reporting that people actually trust
• High composure under pressure and sound judgment with incomplete information
• Comfort with ambiguity and bias toward action over analysis paralysis
• Ability to operate effectively in fast build-test-iterate environments with high ownership and minimal supervision
• Prior tour as a Flight Director, Mission Manager, Mission Director, or Lead Mission Operator on an orbital or reentry program
• Experience standing up a mission ops organization from zero: hiring, training, certifying operators, building the MOC
• Familiarity with reentry, recovery, or asset-return operations (capsule, glider, booster, or experimental vehicle)
• Working knowledge of FAA Part 450, range safety, and human-spaceflight-adjacent safety standards (SSCMAN 91-710, AFSPCMAN, NASA STD)
• Familiarity with CCSDS, telemetry decom, and ground-segment integration
• Early-stage startup or new-program experience, especially in hardware or deep-tech companies
• Comfort building lightweight systems and processes that scale, without over-engineering them
• Military aviation, test, or operations background welcome in place of or alongside an engineering degree

Skills

• Strong technical fluency
• Excellent written communication skills
• High composure under pressure
• Comfort with ambiguity and bias toward action over analysis paralysis
• Ability to operate effectively in fast build-test-iterate environments with high ownership and minimal supervision
• Experience standing up a mission ops organization from zero
• Familiarity with reentry, recovery, or asset-return operations
• Working knowledge of FAA Part 450, range safety, and human-spaceflight-adjacent safety standards
• Familiarity with CCSDS, telemetry decom, and ground-segment integration

Benefits

• World-class team: Work alongside experts from leading aerospace companies and research institutions, building technology that will reshape humanity's access to space
• Real impact: Your work will enable new industries in space manufacturing, research, and logistics while pioneering sustainable space infrastructure
• Speed & autonomy: We maintain parallel hardware development streams and empower engineers to innovate rapidly while upholding rigorous aerospace standards
• Pioneering technology: We're developing the first reusable satellite platform with controlled return capability, fundamentally transforming space from a one-way journey to a two-way highway

Pay

Competitive salary commensurate with experience.

Schedule

Full-time position, onsite 5 days/week by default, flexible when life requires it.