Spacecraft Contamination Engineer

Associates Systems LLC; Titusville (FL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Kennedy Space Center is seeking an experienced Spacecraft Contamination Control Engineer to support advanced spaceflight programs.

The role focuses on analysis, assessment, and verification of contamination requirements and controls throughout the spacecraft lifecycle, including budgets, mitigation strategies, and test verifications. Senior/ SME level with salary commensurate with experience.

Qualifications

• B.S. degree in Engineering or related discipline with 10+ years of experience or MS with 7+ years.
• 7+ years in spacecraft contamination control or related aerospace field, preferably with flight hardware.
• Experience determining contamination sensitivities and developing requirements.
• Experience evaluating controls across design, manufacturing, integration, test and inspection.
• Familiarity with outgassing, transport/deposition, cleanroom practices, materials, vacuum systems, and cleaning methods.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate contamination sensitivities, requirements, controls, budgets, and mitigation strategies for spacecraft and hardware.
• Analyze molecular and particulate contamination sources, transport, and deposition and their impacts on spacecraft and instruments.
• Review contamination control plans, analyses, verification approaches, and documentation throughout lifecycle phases.
• Develop and refine contamination-related requirements and verification evidence.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to assess interactions and overall spacecraft performance.
• Provide independent technical assessments and risk-based recommendations to leadership.
• Participate in technical reviews with spacecraft developers and partners.

Skills

Contamination control

Molecular contamination

Particulate contamination

Technical communication

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Education

B.S. in Engineering or related field

MS degree (preferred)

Tools

MATLAB

Thermal Desktop

Contamination modeling software

Job description

Spacecraft Contamination Control Engineer

Onsite Kennedy Space Center / Florida - No Hybrid or remote is available.
NASA or AEROSPACE Exp
US Citizens or Perm Residents Only
These are immediate interviews for the right candidates.

Level: Senior Engineer / Subject Matter Expert

Overview
We are looking for an experienced Spacecraft Contamination Control Engineer to support advanced spaceflight programs.
The engineer will provide subject matter expertise in the analysis, assessment, and verification of spacecraft contamination requirements and controls throughout the spacecraft lifecycle. The role includes contamination sensitivity assessments, contamination budgets and mitigation strategies, molecular and particulate transport analysis, and evaluation of contamination controls for flight hardware, payloads, and mission operations.
This position will be filled at the Senior Engineer or Subject Matter Expert level, depending on qualifications, with salary commensurate with experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Evaluate contamination sensitivities, requirements, controls, budgets, and mitigation strategies for spacecraft, payloads, and associated hardware.
• Analyze molecular and particulate contamination sources, transport, and deposition, including potential impacts to spacecraft, payloads, instruments, and docking surfaces.
• Review and assess contamination control plans, analyses, verification approaches, and technical documentation throughout design, manufacturing, integration, testing, transportation, and operations.
• Support the development, review, and refinement of contamination-related requirements and verification approaches, including assessment of proposed compliance methods and verification evidence.
• Evaluate contamination risks associated with materials, hardware processing, cleaning, inspection, storage, transportation, and cleanroom environments.
• Participate in qualification, acceptance, and other testing activities and evaluate test results and demonstrated performance.
• Investigate contamination issues and anomalies, perform or support root-cause analysis, and evaluate proposed corrective actions.
• Apply flight and test experience, lessons learned, and engineering analysis to assess contamination risks, hardware acceptance criteria, and proposed design or process changes.
• Collaborate with thermal, fluids, propulsion, materials, systems engineering, mission design, and other disciplines to evaluate contamination interactions and integrated spacecraft performance.
• Provide independent technical assessments, identify risks and uncertainties, and develop recommendations for engineering and program leadership.
• Participate in technical reviews and engineering activities with spacecraft developers, test organizations, and other technical partners.
• Provide technical guidance and mentoring in spacecraft contamination control methods, analysis, and practices.

Required Qualifications

• B.S. degree in Engineering or related discipline and 10+ years of relevant experience, or M.S. degree and 7+ years of relevant experience.
• 7+ years of experience in spacecraft contamination control or a related aerospace field , preferably involving flight hardware.
• Experience determining contamination sensitivities and evaluating or developing contamination requirements based on instrument, payload, or system performance characteristics.
• Experience evaluating contamination controls across design, manufacturing, integration, test, and inspection activities.
• Experience with molecular and particulate contamination, outgassing, transport/deposition, cleanroom practices, materials, vacuum systems, and hardware cleaning and inspection methods.
• Experience with aerospace contamination control processes for spacecraft, launch systems, or other contamination-sensitive flight hardware.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen and successfully complete a U.S. Government background investigation.
• Strong technical communication and collaboration skills with the ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Engineering or related discipline.
• Experience with spacecraft docking contamination control, ISS, or other contamination-sensitive spaceflight systems.
• Experience applying NASA and industry contamination control standards and practices.
• Experience with contamination testing and characterization, including ASTM E595, E1559, E1216, or E1235.
• Experience with contamination modeling and analysis using tools such as Thermal Desktop, MATLAB, or specialized contamination analysis software.
• Experience with spacecraft or commercial spaceflight hardware through design, integration, qualification, test, or operations.
• Experience evaluating hardware acceptance criteria, verification evidence, technical risks, and corrective actions.