Lead Systems Engineer — Flight-Grade Spacecraft Architect

Pillar Space; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 185,000 - 275,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Dental & Vision

401(k)

Equity

PTO & Sick Time

Job summary

Pillar Space is seeking a Lead Systems Engineer to own the spacecraft baseline from requirements to flight operations. You will define architecture, interfaces, margins, and lead a growing systems team in a stealth space hardware startup.

The role requires leading trade studies, verifying flight readiness, and coordinating with subsystems, launch partners, and customers. You will shape the technical roadmap and standards for a high-performance, flight-ready vehicle.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in systems or subsystem engineering for spacecraft or high-reliability systems.
• Experience leading technical workstreams, mentoring engineers, or building engineering teams.
• Proven ability to own a complex system's baseline from concept through flight readiness.
• Experience writing and verifying requirements with traceability.
• Strong fundamentals across spacecraft disciplines with depth in at least one area.

Responsibilities

• Own vehicle and mission architecture from concept to flight operations.
• Define mission phases, orbits, operating modes, and ground interactions.
• Derive and flow down requirements with traceability to verification.
• Lead system-level trade studies with quantitative criteria and decisions.
• Define operating modes, fault management concepts, and verification strategy.
• Lead reliability analyses and risk management activities.
• Collaborate with subsystems, launch providers, ground segment, and customers.
• Shaped technical roadmap, schedules, and resource plans for future missions.

Skills

Systems engineering

Leadership

Requirements management

Trade studies

Written & verbal communication

Flight hardware fundamentals

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Physics

Tools

STK

GMAT

Python

MATLAB

Job description

Pillar Space is seeking a Lead Systems Engineer to own the spacecraft baseline from requirements to flight operations. You will define architecture, interfaces, margins, and lead a growing systems team in a stealth space hardware startup.

The role requires leading trade studies, verifying flight readiness, and coordinating with subsystems, launch partners, and customers. You will shape the technical roadmap and standards for a high-performance, flight-ready vehicle.