Senior/Staff Space Mission Operations… at 11th Hour… · Baltimore

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.

As a Senior/Staff Space Mission Operations Engineer, you will be the primary architect and operator for the "day-in-the-life" of our upcoming astrophysics observatory. You will be a critical owner and stakeholder in the design, implementation, and verification of the Ground Segment, ensuring that the spacecraft, the science instruments, and the ground stations function as a seamless infrastructure. You will transition from a designer/builder during the development phase to the Lead Operator once the mission is on orbit. You will help ensure successful on-orbit Observatory commissioning during LEOPs and routine operations during the science operations phase of the mission.

This role requires strong cross-disciplinary communication skills, excellent technical judgment, and the ability to operate effectively in fast-moving, complex program environments.

Key responsibilities for this role include the following:

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

• Ensure Cybersecurity protocols are implemented for command encryption and secure data archiving.

• 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

• Lead operator training and procedure validation using ground simulators and virtual environments

• Test conductor, Writing test procedures/scripts, data processing, 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.

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.

Required Qualifications

• Education: 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)
• Travel: 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.
• Ability to effectively work in mission-critical environments and make risk-based decisions.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with Astrophysics or Deep Space missions (L2, Cis-Lunar, or Interplanetary).

• Experience with AI/ML workflows

• Prior experience in a "Start-up" environment or a fast-paced "NewSpace" company.

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.