Senior Mission Operations Engineer

About the Role

As a Senior Mission Operations Engineer, you'll own the day-to-day operation of our spacecraft and 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, and you'll lead these activities during LEOP, commissioning, and other critical phases. You'll also build the automation and processes that keep a growing fleet running smoothly, and mentor newer operators as the team grows.

Responsibilities

• Lead shifts for real-time operations, including telemetry monitoring, command decisions, and anomaly response
• Lead on-orbit anomaly investigations to root cause 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 lead spacecraft maneuvers, station-keeping, and orbital adjustments
• Lead LEOP, bus and payload commissioning, and orbit-raising campaigns for new satellites
• Develop, validate, and maintain operational procedures, flight rules, 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 onboard FDIR responses
• Plan and lead operational readiness activities, including simulations and dress rehearsals
• Mentor and train operations engineers
• 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
• 5+ years of experience in satellite mission operations or a related field
• Solid understanding of spacecraft systems and subsystem interactions
• Experience working on-orbit anomalies to root cause
• Proficiency with mission control software (e.g. OpenC3 COSMOS, 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
• Clear written and verbal communication skills
• Sound judgment and composure in real-time, high-pressure operational environments
• LEOP or commissioning experience on a flown mission is a plus
• Experience operating multi-satellite constellations or fleets is a plus

Benefits

Reflect 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.