Chief Engineer, Space Missions & On‑Orbit Ops

Anduril Industries; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 253,000 - 336,000; Full time

Job summary

Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa, CA seeks a Chief Engineer to lead the Space Missions team, overseeing spacecraft buses, payloads, and ground segments for on‑orbit operations.

You will develop technical strategy with Space Missions leadership, drive architecture trades, ensure integration across disciplines, mentor engineers, and guide proposals and demonstrations for government customers.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience architecting, developing and delivering defense satellite systems.
• Deep expertise in Space Domain Awareness (SDA), Space Control, and Rendezvous & Proximity Operations (RPO).
• Experience with high-dV spacecraft architectures and orbital regimes (LEO/GEO/cislunar).
• Proven ability to decompose complex mission requirements into executable engineering roadmaps.
• Experience with space qualification and acceptance testing methodologies (SMC-S-016/MIL-STD-1540).
• Strong communication skills for executive leadership and government customers.
• Eligible to obtain and maintain a US Secret security clearance.
• Experience on US Government/ DoD/ IC space contracts.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership across spacecraft bus subsystems and ground segments.
• Serve as the technical authority, maintaining program integrity and engineering baseline.
• Lead architecture development for Space Control and RPO missions.
• Drive lifecycle from early architecture trades to flight hardware and on-orbit commissioning.
• Leverage partnerships to build new products meeting customer requirements in contested environments.
• Provide technical inputs to proposals and strategy.
• Mentor multi-disciplinary teams through all program phases, including on-orbit operations.
• Perform mission and system trade studies balancing risk, cost, and schedule.

Skills

Satellite systems

Space domain awareness

RPO & space control

GNC/navigation

Technical leadership

US DoD space contracts

Active security clearance

Tools

MIL-STD-1540

Job description

Anduril Industries in Costa Mesa, CA seeks a Chief Engineer to lead the Space Missions team, overseeing spacecraft buses, payloads, and ground segments for on‑orbit operations.

You will develop technical strategy with Space Missions leadership, drive architecture trades, ensure integration across disciplines, mentor engineers, and guide proposals and demonstrations for government customers.