Senior/Staff Space Mission Operations Engineer

About the role

We are seeking a highly skilled Senior/Staff Space Mission Operations Engineer to lead the design, analysis, integration, and verification of the space mission’s ground segment and operations. In this role, you will collaborate with world-class scientists—including Nobel Prize laureates—as well as engineers and global partners to develop a cutting-edge space observatory to enable groundbreaking astrophysical discoveries.

Responsibilities

• Ground Segment Design & Build-out
  • Lead the architectural design of the Mission Operations Center (MOC) and Systems and interface to the Science Operations Center (SOC).
  • Define and manage Level 3 and 4 requirements for ground operations, including Telemetry, Tracking, and Control (TT&C) systems, data downlink systems, flight dynamics, etc.
  • Oversee the deployment of data network infrastructure, ensuring low-latency, high-availability links between the MOC, SOC, and ground station providers.
  • Support ICD development and maintenance.
  • Work with stakeholders to set up mission operations software for the MOC to SOC interface and monitoring telemetry in real time.
  • Build out tools for key spacecraft component/subsystem modeling, such as battery models, slew models, etc.
• Spacecraft Bus, Payload, and Observatory Integration & Test (I&T)
  • Travel to spacecraft bus and payload provider facilities to participate in Hardware-in-the-Loop (HWIL) testing prior to hardware delivery.
  • Lead End-to-End (ETE) tests to verify that ground commands correctly trigger spacecraft actions and that science data is successfully downlinked.
  • Lead operational testing for Flight Software and Ground Software before deployment to critical systems.
  • Build out tools for key spacecraft component/subsystem modeling, such as battery models, slew models, etc.
• Operational Readiness
  • Own the Flight Operations Manual (FOM).
  • Develop, test, and validate Nominal and Contingency Flight Operations Procedures.
  • Design and execute Operational Readiness Tests (ORTs) and mission rehearsals to certify the flight team for launch.
  • Write test procedures/scripts, data processing, etc.
• Observatory Operations Support
  • Work closely with the Science Operations team as the Spacecraft Engineering Liaison, work hand in hand with both the Science Operations Team and the Spacecraft Operations Team.
  • Lead Mission Operations: on-console activities throughout the lifetime of the mission.
  • Flight Dynamics Support: Assist in orbit determination and maneuver planning operations. Work with orbit conjunction coordination organization.
  • Trend Analysis: Establish a "Long-term Trending" database to monitor spacecraft degradation (e.g., battery capacity, solar array efficiency) over the mission life.
  • Anomaly Resolution: Lead telemetry and spacecraft logs to lead anomaly investigations and resolution.
  • Configuration Management: Manage the version control of flight software loads and ground database parameters.
• Flight Dynamics Support
  • Assist in orbit determination and maneuver planning operations.
  • Work with orbit conjunction coordination organization.
• Trend Analysis
  • Establish a "Long-term Trending" database to monitor spacecraft degradation (e.g., battery capacity, solar array efficiency) over the mission life.
• Anomaly Resolution
  • Lead telemetry and spacecraft logs to lead anomaly investigations and resolution.
• Configuration Management
  • Manage the version control of flight software loads and ground database parameters.

Requirements

• B.S. in Aerospace, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or a related technical field.
• At least 5+ years in spacecraft development and/or operations, ground segment development, and/or spacecraft I&T.
• Experience in operational environments such as space, air, manufacturing, nuclear, etc.
• Proficiency in scripting languages (e.g., Python, Perl) for telemetry processing and automation.
• Experience with mission control software (e.g., MAX Ground, COSMOS, ITOS, or OpenMCT).
• Experience with data visualization tools (e.g. Grafana).
• Ability to travel up to 25–50% during peak integration and testing phases.
• Familiarity with spacecraft systems and the space environment.
• Possess strong team and inter-team cooperation and organization skills.
• Self-motivated with ability to work concurrent, independent tasks.
• Able to effectively work in mission-critical environments and make risk-based decisions.

Qualifications

• Experience with Astrophysics or Deep Space missions (L2, Cis-Lunar, or Interplanetary).
• Prior experience in a "Start-up" environment or a fast-paced "NewSpace" company.

Benefits

This is an exempt position. This role requires access to U.S. export controlled information. Candidates must be a U.S. person (i.e. a citizen of the United States, a permanent resident, or a legal asylee or refugee) OR receive approval from the U.S. Government to work with U.S. export controlled information.