Mission Operations Engineer I

Astranis builds advanced satellites for high orbits, expanding humanity’s reach into the solar system. Today, Astranis satellites provide dedicated, secure networks to highly-sophisticated customers across the globe— large enterprises, sovereign governments, and the US military. With five satellites on orbit and many more set to launch soon, the company is servicing a backlog of more than $1 billion of commercial contracts.

Astranis is the preferred satellite communications partner for buyers with stringent requirements for uptime, data security, network visibility, and customization. Astranis has raised over $750 million from some of the world’s best investors, from Andreessen Horowitz to Blackrock and Fidelity, and employs a team of 450 engineers and entrepreneurs. Astranis designs, builds, and operates its satellites out of its 153,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Northern California, USA.

Mission Operations Engineer I

As a Mission Operations Engineer you will sit at the intersection of deep spacecraft expertise and hands-on mission operations, working closely with hardware and software engineers to figure out how our satellites should be flown, and building the procedures, tools, and autonomy that allow us to do it safely and reliably, at scale. 

You'll be part of a team that serves as the connective tissue between our front-line satellite operators and our deep subsystem engineering teams: close enough to the mission to act decisively, and systems-broad enough to see the second-order effects across the spacecraft system and fleet as a whole.

You will get a chance to work with some incredibly smart and experienced people. No prior space experience is needed, you just need to enjoy getting your hands dirty with real systems, and be energized by technically demanding, high-stakes problems.

This role will contribute to both commercial and US Government programs. 

Role

• Own and develop satellite operations procedures,  including commissioning, nominal operations, and contingency procedures, working closely with subsystem engineers
• Serve as a first-level technical escalation point above our satellite operators, leading the engineering response to anomalies and driving them to closure
• Participate in rotating on-call engineering support for our 24/7 mission operations center
• Support the development of on-board and ground-based autonomy
• Work with our ground software team as the user and requirements owner for tools that will help us operate our fleet of satellites
• Contribute to launch and commissioning campaigns for future missions, including ConOps development, rehearsal planning, and serving in on-console roles during the highest-stakes operations we execute
• Develop tools and processes to enable the Mission Operations team to maintain a high level of service uptime for our customer

Requirements

• 0-2 years of total experience not including internships
• Experience scripting in any language - Python preferred
• Experience doing telemetry analysis and anomaly investigation
• Exposure to satellite or complex systems operations concepts
• Basic understanding of satellite subsystems (hardware and software)
• Highly motivated, self-starting, and able work autonomously
• A passion for working in a fast-paced environment with hands-on development and testing
• Strong cross-functional communicator: this role bridges operators, subsystem engineers, and software teams
• Don't meet them all? Not a problem. Please apply even if you do not meet all these criteria.

Bonus

• Experience building operational software tools
• Experience with software development tools such as Git and Jira
• Experience with FDIR concepts, ConOps development, and/or software testing
• Experience operating GEO satellites

What we offer: 

All our positions offer a compensation package that includes equity and robust benefits.

Base pay is just one component of Astranis’s total rewards package. Your compensation also includes a significant equity package via incentive stock options, high-quality company-subsidized healthcare, disability and life insurance, 401(k) retirement planning, flexible PTO, and free on-site catered meals.

Astranis pay ranges are informed and defined through professional-grade salary surveys and compensation data sources. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, and the level and scope of the position.

Base Salary

$115,000—$140,000 USD

U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required

(To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States, or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3))

Our mission and our products are meant to connect the world and everyone in it, regardless of gender, race, creed, or any other distinction. We believe in a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we encourage all people to join our team and bring their unique perspective to help make us stronger.