Manager, Mission Design & Analysis Engineering; Clearance Required

Position: Manager, Mission Design & Analysis Engineering (Clearance Required)
Sierra Space Careers:

At Sierra Space, we build the missions and systems that keep our world secure in the domain above Earth.

Sierra Space team members share a spirit of innovation and collaboration and a belief that we can deliver on the boldest missions in space today. Together with our customers, we aim to safeguard our nation, sustain human presence in space, and secure the freedom of operations in low Earth orbit and beyond.

Our success is measured by the trust of those who rely on what we build and deliver, and our technologies keep the United States and its allies mission-ready throughout space.

We are mission-driven, and together, we are an extraordinary team.

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.

The Manager, Mission Design & Analysis Engineering is responsible for leading and managing multiple mission design sections or teams, providing direct supervision to engineers performing trajectory analysis, mission planning, and performance assessments across various spacecraft projects. This leader 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.

The role involves translating top-level mission requirements into specific trajectory, orbit, and performance requirements for subsystems, and collaborating with hardware and software engineering teams to ensure mission design constraints are properly incorporated into spacecraft and ground system designs. The Manager is responsible for identifying, assessing, and mitigating 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.

This position 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. The Manager exercises 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.

The role requires building and maintaining collaborative relationships across organizational boundaries, supporting organizational changes within mission design teams including implementation of new analysis methodologies and simulation tools, and upholding company values while holding teams accountable to both values and technical standards.

About You

Our mission is driven by an unyielding commitment to advancing space-based technology in service of our customers and safeguarding national security. We seek 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're looking for team members who align with our values, mission and goals - while also meeting the minimum qualifications below. The preferred qualifications are a bonus, not a requirement.

Minimum Qualifications:

* 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…