Senior Mission Operations Engineer

Location

Irvine, CA

Full time

On‑site

Mission Engineering

• $130K – $190K

Base salary will vary depending on job‑related knowledge, education, skills, experience, business needs, and market demand. Salary is just one component of our comprehensive compensation package. Full‑time employees also receive company equity, as well as access to a full suite of compelling benefits and perks.

The Senior Mission Operations Engineer will be responsible for leading the development, integration, and execution of mission operations across the spacecraft lifecycle. This role serves as a primary operational integrator between engineering, ground software, and flight teams, ensuring that operational constraints, procedures, risk mitigations, and readiness activities are thoroughly defined, validated, and aligned with mission objectives. It involves driving cross‑team coordination, supporting real‑time operations, shaping operational architecture, and elevating operator capability through mentorship and continuous improvement.

• Provide senior‑level technical and operational expertise across all mission operations activities, serving as a subject‑matter expert during testing, rehearsals, anomalies, and on‑call operations.
• Plan and coordinate cross‑team project and mission execution activities, ensuring alignment between operations, systems engineering, GNC, software, and ground teams.
• Define, evaluate, document, and validate operational constraints across mission phases, drive updates when requirements, risks, or design changes dictate.
• Lead development, improvement, and validation of operational procedures, flight rules, and operator workflows to ensure accurate, consistent, and reliable execution.
• Conduct and contribute to mission risk assessments, supporting identification of hazards, proposing mitigations, and ensuring risks influence design and operational decisions.
• Support tactical operational execution with minimal oversight, including command sequencing, real‑time decision‑making, and interface with cross‑disciplinary technical teams.
• Maintain mission readiness by identifying prep risks early, coordinating closures, validating tools and processes, and ensuring teams are prepared for rehearsals and flight.
• Drive closure of operational gaps such as constraint updates, procedure improvements, workflow issues, and readiness blockers.
• Coordinate interfaces with adjacent teams, ensuring operational implications are captured in system interfaces, requirements, and mission planning products.
• Contribute to operator training, certification processes, onboarding materials, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Mentor Mission Operations Engineers, providing guidance, technical development, and constructive feedback to elevate the broader operations team.

• Senior MOEs consistently understand their highest‑priority tasks and deliver high‑quality operational products on schedule.
• Operational constraints are clearly defined, validated, well‑documented, and understood by both engineering and operations.
• Risk assessments drive actionable mitigations that meaningfully influence design choices, mission planning, and operational decisions.
• Procedures and flight rules are accurate, current, and easy for any certified operator to execute reliably.
• Missions, rehearsals, and on‑call support run smoothly due to strong preparation, robust procedures, and proactive coordination.
• Junior engineers receive meaningful mentorship and demonstrate clear growth in capability and confidence.
• Adjacent teams view Senior MOEs as reliable, thoughtful technical partners who understand both spacecraft design needs and operational realities.
• Operational readiness remains consistently high, with risks surfaced early and mitigated effectively.

• 3+ years' experience in mission operations, spacecraft operations engineering, or related aerospace operations roles.
• Deep understanding of mission operations concepts including constraints, procedures, ground systems, anomalies, and test‑to‑flight workflows.
• Strong cross‑disciplinary…