Mission Architect for National Security Space Missions

K2 Space; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 115,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Medical/dental/vision coverage

Life insurance

Paid parental leave

Job summary

K2 Space is seeking a Mission Engineer for National Security Programs to serve as the primary technical interface between K2 Space, customers, and partners as we develop mission architectures for payload capabilities on our satellite bus.

You will define and architect missions across mechanical, software, power, and avionics disciplines, ensure alignment with our tech offerings, and participate in TEMs, study reviews, and technical negotiations with customers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline.
• 2+ years of aerospace or space industry experience.
• Strong understanding of spacecraft subsystems, space system architectures, and mission modeling and simulation.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Define, mature, and negotiate mission concepts. Support initial payload integration studies, mission analysis, system architecture trades, system integration designs, and concept of operations development.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation for system architecture, payload interface designs, spacecraft design capabilities and requirements, and concepts of operations to ensure customer requirements and architectures align with K2 Space’s technology offerings.
• Serve as the primary technical interface for early customer engagement. Lead technical discussions, represent K2 Space in TEMs and study reviews, ensure customer requirements are understood, and ensure the customer understands the extent of K2 Space’s capabilities.
• Coordinate cross‑functional early study efforts. Work closely with vehicle engineering, avionics, software, propulsion, thermal, and AI&T teams to ensure solutions are practical and executable.

Skills

Communication skills

Systems engineering

Space systems knowledge

Requirements negotiation

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Master’s degree (nice to have)

Job description

K2 Space is seeking a Mission Engineer for National Security Programs to serve as the primary technical interface between K2 Space, customers, and partners as we develop mission architectures for payload capabilities on our satellite bus.

You will define and architect missions across mechanical, software, power, and avionics disciplines, ensure alignment with our tech offerings, and participate in TEMs, study reviews, and technical negotiations with customers.