Principal Spacecraft Systems Engineer II - Mission SE

Job Description

Job Description

Please Note:  To conform with the United States Government Space Technology Export Regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., conditional resident, asylee or refugee (protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

 

At  CesiumAstro , we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands-on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking individuals to join our team.

We are actively seeking a passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking Principal Spacecraft Systems Engineer II (Mission SE Lead)  to join our team in support of our satellite systems projects. If you enjoy working in a startup environment and enjoy leading teams through the complexity and accomplishments of full life-cycle mission development and sustainment, we would like to hear from you.   

 

In this position, you will be responsible for leading and mentoring a team of Systems Engineers SE, in defining end-to-end mission capabilities, requirements, interfaces, and test campaigns for our satellite projects, including all relevant segments: space, ground, operations, and launch.  You will work within a leadership triad of yourself as Mission SE lead, program management, and responsible engineering (RE: design definition and implementation) leadership to ensure that CesiumAstro missions result in exemplary performance within cost and schedule objectives. 

 

This position works collaboratively with several functional organizations at CesiumAstro to ensure the technical success of each program. The Principal Systems Engineer II (Mission SE Lead)is the expert contributor to mission definition and verification, using best practices such as technical performance measures, decision analyses, system budgets, requirements elicitation and definition, verification and validation (V&V) planning, test practices, change management practices, risk management and mitigation, as well as your general technical knowledge and experience to provide guidance, plans, and expectations to the design teams who implement the requirements and CONOPS and deliver capability that is ready for assembly, integration, and test (AI&T) and ultimately launch and mission operations. 

 

The Principal Systems Engineer II (Mission SE Lead) is detail-oriented and ensures that the essential mission definitions and plans are well-documented and executed accordingly, effectively and confidently driving teams through the mission life-cycle tasks. You collaborate with the PM and the RE on a daily basis to maintain alignment across program technical, schedule, and cost performance, proposing actions, adjustments, and remedies to keep the project(s) on-track. This leader will engage regularly with customers as well as other key stakeholders for CesiumAstro business objectives. A successful candidate can lead a highly technical, multidisciplined team through complex mission definition, planning, and performance. 

JOB REQUIREMENTS AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum of 12 years of engineering experience, including a minimum of 8 years of satellite mission systems/design experience.
• Bachelor of Science (BS) or Master of Science (MS) degree in a relevant engineering field (Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, etc.) from an accredited university or institution.
• Experience leading cross functional teams.
• Experience developing and managing CONOPS, interfaces, technical performance measures, requirements compliance matrices, V&V plans, and system test plans.
• Experience structuring and evaluating decisions (conducting trade studies).
• Experience reporting progress and plans to stakeholders.
• Experience integrating multi-project interdependencies.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Sense of urgency, with the ability to work well under pressure.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE

• Experience with RF communications missions/payloads.
• Experience working with government/military customers.
• Proposal writing.
• System architecture definition.

CesiumAstro considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills.  Full-time employment offers include company stock options and a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life, disability and retirement plans.  

 

CesiumAstro is an Equal Opportunity employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

 

Please note: CesiumAstro does not accept unsolicited resumes from contract agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited resumes submitted to our website or to CesiumAstro team members will be considered property of CesiumAstro, and we will not be obligated to pay any referral fees.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.