Principal Engineer - Spacecraft Systems

Rocket Lab; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a dynamic team at a leading satellite company as a Principal Spacecraft Systems Engineer. You will lead the efforts in designing and developing complex space missions, collaborating with various engineering teams while ensuring proper requirements management and mission success.

Qualifications

• Experienced in leading multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Expertise in space systems and mission operations.
• Proficient in requirement management and validation.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and development of optimal architectures for space missions.
• Manage requirements and ensure maturity for project success.
• Collaborate with teams on integration and testing activities.

Skills

Systems Engineering

Mission Operations

Technical Reviews

Requirement Management

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering or related field

Job description

Be more than just an employee number! Join Terran Orbital, a leader in innovation, manufacturing, and operations in the satellite industry. We are a pioneer in the miniaturization of space technologies and the delivery of responsive space solutions. We are a unique, fast-growing, and trusted team focused on quickly and economically designing, building, launching, and operating state-of-the-art satellites for advanced mission constellations.

Terran Orbital is seeking an experienced Principal Spacecraft Systems Engineer to join our growing team. Reporting to the Systems Engineering Manager, the Principal Spacecraft Systems Engineer will lead, work closely with, and be an integral part of a multidisciplinary team leading the cradle-to-grave technical definition of our products and missions. You will architect key elements of mission operations, system functional behavior and performance, and detailed design for all subsystems that support innovative, high-capability small satellites. Your work will synthesize and integrate subsystems, including space propulsion subsystems, high data rate radios, encrypted communication devices, radar systems, phased array antennas, and other satellite payloads, to name a few.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Leading and working closely with hardware, software, mechanical, mission operations, and other systems engineers to design and develop optimal architectures and detailed solutions to complex space domain missions
• Leading concept of operations development, architecture definition, mission operations baselines, and mission operations procedures
• Collaborate with Program and Product management to implement and manage schedules, knowledge management, configurations, and change management documents
• Participating and leading the technical discussions with customers and suppliers to ensure mission success
• Lead and take responsibility for technical reviews to ensure appropriate milestone maturity meets internal and external expectations
• Managing requirements to ensure maturity, feasibility, proper flow-down and traceability, requirements verification, and requirements validation
• Perform mission, system, and vehicle level trade studies to balance risk, cost, and performance
• Supporting assembly, integration, and test activities including build procedures, test plans/procedures, and other verification and validations execution activities
• Develop systems engineering artifacts that support requirements and architecture development; modeling and simulation; cybersecurity; network operations; interoperability; verification and validation testing; and enterprise deployment and capability monitoring
• Participating in team discussions involving vehicle architecture and design for future projects
• Establish standard operating procedures that support mission assurance, risk mitigation, and contingency plans to assure required mission “up time” for all ground activities
• Collaborate with engineering teams to define interfaces; integrate mission applications and data storage; and verify Terran Orbital enterprise capabilities
• Implement life cycle systems engineering best practices