Chief Engineer, Mission Operations & Assurance

Apex Space, Inc.; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity stake

Healthcare coverage

PTO 15–20 days

401(k) plan

Parental leave

Office lunch provided

Job summary

Apex Space, Inc. seeks a Mission Operations & Mission Assurance Chief Engineer to lead on‑orbit anomaly investigations across our satellite constellation.

You will direct RCCA activities, coordinate with Operations, Systems Engineering, Reliability, and Flight Software to drive timely resolutions and continuous reliability improvements. The ideal candidate brings deep spacecraft systems knowledge, hands‑on mission operations experience, and proven ability to manage structured failure

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, or a closely related technical discipline
• 10+ years of relevant engineering experience in spacecraft development, satellite systems engineering, mission operations, reliability engineering, or mission assurance
• 5+ years of experience supporting spacecraft mission operations, complex aerospace system troubleshooting, failure investigations, or anomaly resolution
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary technical investigations, failure review boards, or structured RCCA activities involving complex hardware/software systems
• Strong systems‑level understanding of spacecraft architectures, subsystem interfaces, failure modes, and operational dependencies
• Experience analyzing engineering telemetry, test data, event logs, and other technical evidence to reconstruct failures and develop defensible root‑cause conclusions
• Working knowledge of structured reliability and failure investigation methodologies, including FMEA/FMECA
• Demonstrated ability to assess technical risks, develop mitigation strategies, and communicate recommendations under schedule pressure or operational uncertainty
• Experience coordinating engineering activities across multiple technical disciplines and influencing stakeholders without direct reporting authority
• Strong technical writing and communication skills, including experience presenting complex investigation findings and risk assessments to senior engineering leadership and customers
• Ability to support critical mission operations and time‑sensitive anomaly response outside normal business hours when required.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary engineering focal point for on‑orbit spacecraft anomalies, performance degradation, subsystem failures, and mission-threatening events
• Direct anomaly triage, fault isolation, technical troubleshooting, and recovery planning in coordination with Mission Operations and subsystem engineering teams
• Lead Root Cause and Corrective Action (RCCA) investigations to identify failure mechanisms, determine root causes, assess mission impacts, and develop corrective and preventive actions
• Apply systematic problem‑solving methodologies, including Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), and statistical reliability assessments
• Following RCCA, evaluate anomaly implications across the broader satellite fleet, including common‑cause failures, systemic design deficiencies, and latent reliability risks
• Provide technical recommendations for spacecraft recovery, operational workarounds, fault‑management changes, and continued mission operations
• Evaluate the adequacy of verification and validation activities associated with corrective actions and mission‑critical changes
• Ensure clear traceability between on-orbit anomalies, root cause findings, corrective actions, verification evidence, and final technical disposition
• Establish and maintain structured investigation processes, including evidence collection, failure reconstruction, causal analysis, root cause verification, and corrective action closure. This includes: (1) how to analyze spacecraft telemetry, command histories, event logs, flight software behavior, and operational trends to identify anomalous conditions and reconstruct failure sequences, (2) establish anomaly severity classifications, escalation criteria, investigation priorities, and technical response expectations
• Establish and track key mission assurance indicators, including anomaly recurrence rates, investigation closure performance, fleet failure trends, and corrective action effectiveness
• Develop and communicate technical investigation findings, risk assessments, and closure recommendations to engineering leadership and executive stakeholders
• Translate on‑orbit failure data into actionable design improvements, updated requirements, qualification testing, screening strategies, and operational safeguards
• Provide independent technical reviews and assessments of future products to ensure high likelihood of mission assurance, including at design and pre-ship reviews

Skills

Spacecraft systems

Anomaly investigations

RCCA leadership

Root cause analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical writing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering or related field

Tools

FTA (Fault Tree Analysis)

FMEA/FMECA

Telemetry data analysis

Job description

Apex Space, Inc. seeks a Mission Operations & Mission Assurance Chief Engineer to lead on‑orbit anomaly investigations across our satellite constellation.

You will direct RCCA activities, coordinate with Operations, Systems Engineering, Reliability, and Flight Software to drive timely resolutions and continuous reliability improvements. The ideal candidate brings deep spacecraft systems knowledge, hands‑on mission operations experience, and proven ability to manage structured failure