Senior Mission Operations Engineer - Ground Segment

Vast is looking for a Senior Mission Operations Engineer to become a foundational member of the Ground Segment group within the  Mission Operations team and support planning and execution of Vast missions.

This will be a full-time, exempt position located in our Long Beach location.

Responsibilities: 

• Take extreme ownership of large impact initiatives working with engineers across disciplines to support the development of spacecraft operations & ground operations procedures, flight rules, products & processes, culminating in the safe & successful operations of a newly launched spacecraft
• Provide technical and operational leadership as the operations expert in planning for and execution of pre-flight testing and checkouts of ground systems to ensure spacecraft and ground systems are ready for flight
• Assist with leading the operations of Vast’s crewed and uncrewed missions for vehicle commissioning, on-orbit operations, anomaly resolution and final deorbit of the spacecraft
• Perform deep-dive analysis of vehicle & ground system telemetry and deliver informed summaries as well as recommendations to mission stakeholders for further review & analysis
• Formulate and lead the execution of workflows facilitating improvements to processes & systems with a focus on advancing Vast’s Mission Operations while maintaining Vast’s commitment to excellence
• Strategize plans for and lead efforts to iteratively improve the Mission Systems, Mission Operations Software and other ground processes and collaborate with the Mission Systems Engineering & Ground Software Engineering teams to implement them
• Work closely with Mission Management to ensure customer requirements are translated to a Concept of Operations that balances all needs
• Mentor & coach junior Mission Operations Engineers, offering guidance and recommendations to ongoing workflows

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, software engineering, or other engineering discipline
• 5+ years of experience in the operation of complex systems
• Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally with other engineering disciplines
• Demonstrated ability to to critically think in high stress environments and rapidly evolving situations
• Ability to disseminate critical engineering & technical information effectively and clearly
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Strong demonstrated technical leadership ability
• Willing to support 24/7 operations during mission critical phases

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Experience in human spaceflight mission operations
• Master’s degree in a technical field
• 3+ years working in a spacecraft design, build, and test environment
• Technical knowledge in spacecraft systems engineering (avionics, propulsion, attitude control, communications, orbital mechanics, life support systems, thermal and power control systems)
• Technical knowledge in Space-to-Ground Communication Systems (RF, Ground Stations, Modems, Antenna Systems)
• Experience building from scratch a system, process and team to perform complex operations of an aerospace system (launch vehicle, satellite, crew capsule)
• Software Engineering Skills (C++, Golang, Javascript, React, Software Architecture, Databases, Cloud)
• Matlab or Python/Octave Proficiency

Proficient at using the command line and scripting languages

• Strong Technical Writing skills
• Strong mentorship and leadership skills

Additional Requirements:

• Ability to travel up to 20% of the time
• Willingness to work overtime, or weekends to support critical mission milestones

Pay Range: 

• Senior Mission Operations Engineer: $137,000 - 195,000
• Staff Mission Operations Engineer: $162,000 - $230,000