Mission Operations Engineer

Employer description

At Reflect, you will be expected to move fast, have a lot of ownership and, most importantly, be able to effect change. If this excites you, we are interested in hearing about your best work and accomplishments across any domain and from any points in your life.

About the RoleAs a Mission Operations Engineer, you’ll own both the day-to-day operation of our spacecraft and the development of the operational infrastructure that makes it all work. This is a high-ownership role on a small, collaborative mission operations team. You won’t just execute procedures, you’ll write them, improve them, and help define how we operate as a company.

You’ll monitor spacecraft health, investigate anomalies, plan maneuvers, and coordinate ground station passes. You’ll also build and refine the tools, scripts, and processes that keep our future fleet running smoothly. As our constellation grows, you’ll help shape operational strategies, maintain and update mission requirements, and drive continuous improvement across our satellite and ground segment.

Responsibilities

Monitor real-time telemetry and spacecraft subsystem health

Triage and investigate on-orbit anomalies end-to-end and document findings and lessons learned to improve fleet reliability

Perform long-term telemetry trending and performance analysis to detect subsystem degradation, refine alarm limits, and inform operational and design decisions

Plan and execute spacecraft maneuvers, station-keeping, and orbital adjustments

Coordinate ground station passes and scheduling

Support LEOP, bus and payload commissioning, and orbit-raising campaigns for new satellites, executing procedures and contributing to in-orbit test and checkout

Develop, validate, and maintain operational procedures and command sequences

Build automation for telemetry monitoring and alerting, pass scheduling, routine commanding, and anomaly detection and response

Collaborate with spacecraft engineering teams to define CONOPS, fault management, and spacecraft procedures

Support deployment and testing of ground software updates and infrastructure changes

Validate procedures, command sequences, and automation against simulation and hardware-in-the-loop environments prior to on-orbit execution

Define, validate, and maintain onboard FDIR and fault management responses

Plan and execute operational readiness activities, including simulations and dress rehearsals

Participate in 24/7 rotating shift work to meet mission needs

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related STEM field

3+ years of experience in satellite mission operations or a related field

Solid understanding of spacecraft systems and subsystem interactions

Proficiency with mission control software (e.g. OpenC3 COSMOS, Kratos EPOCH, L3Harris InControl, or similar)

Strong programming and scripting skills (Python, C++ preferred)

Familiarity with Linux environments and command-line tools

Experience with DevOps tools and practices (Git, Docker, CI/CD)

Familiarity with RF systems, ground station operations, or link budgets

Experience developing operational requirements or CONOPS documentation

Strong troubleshooting skills, with experience using data analysis to diagnose complex systems

Clear written and verbal communication skills

Sound judgment and composure in real-time, high-pressure operational environments

Experience operating multi-satellite constellations or fleets is a plus

Even if you don’t meet 100% of the above qualifications, we are likely still interested in hearing from you. Hiring exceptional individuals is our #1 priority, and we believe that exceptional people often have highly unusual backgrounds.

We are also interested in carving out unique roles for unconventional people that we are excited about working with.

BenefitsReflect Orbital’s success will hinge on our team, which is why our compensation and benefits plan is designed to reward our employees and support their families as generously as we’re able.

Broad choice of medical/dental/vision coverage, Reflect covers 100% of each base-policy

Access to HSA, FSA, and 401K

Unlimited paid time off

Healthy lunches provided daily

Equal OpportunityReflect Orbital is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Reflect Orbital is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

More about Reflect Orbital:

Learn more about our team here.