Staff Mission Concepts Engineer - Spacecraft Systems

Impulse Space; Redondo Beach (CA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 205,000; Full time

Job summary

Impulse Space in Redondo Beach seeks a Staff Advanced Mission Concepts Engineer to bridge customer ambitions with orbital vehicle realities. You will own the physics-based feasibility of future missions and define system-level requirements within the Mission Management team, partnering with Business Development and Engineering.

You will translate high-level goals into executable mission concepts, conduct first-principles analyses, and lead trade studies, with occasional travel and direct

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical field.
• 8+ years of aerospace engineering experience with a focus on systems engineering, mission analysis, or advanced concept design.
• Strong ability to translate complex physics and orbital constraints into clear, non-technical trade-offs for executive stakeholders.
• Deep proficiency with mission analysis tools (e.g., STK, GMAT, FreeFlyer) and scripting (Python, MATLAB).
• Functional understanding of spacecraft systems and payload accommodations.

Responsibilities

• Apply first-principles engineering and first-order systems sizing to rapidly iterate on mission concepts and architecture feasibility.
• Define mission architectures, including CONOPS, trajectory requirements, and system-level trade studies.
• Partner with engineering leads to ensure designs are grounded in realistic hardware constraints.
• Act as the technical lead during capture phases, co-authoring concepts with Business Development.
• Conduct iterative feasibility assessments to identify and bound technical risks before mission commitment.
• Serve as the technical interface for customers to translate high-level ambitions into defined, executable mission requirements.
• Lead complex trade studies that balance competing requirements, collaborating with SMEs to validate performance and ensure technical rigo

Skills

Systems engineering

Mission analysis

Advanced concept design

Python

MATLAB

STK

GMAT

FreeFlyer

ConOps

Customer engagement

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace/Technical field

Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering or Systems Engineering

Tools

STK

GMAT

FreeFlyer

Python

MATLAB

CAD tools

Job description

Impulse Space in Redondo Beach seeks a Staff Advanced Mission Concepts Engineer to bridge customer ambitions with orbital vehicle realities. You will own the physics-based feasibility of future missions and define system-level requirements within the Mission Management team, partnering with Business Development and Engineering.

You will translate high-level goals into executable mission concepts, conduct first-principles analyses, and lead trade studies, with occasional travel and direct