Systems Engineer, Spacecraft Operations (RPO)

The role

You will own how spacecraft plan, rehearse, and fly close to other objects. This involves designing RPO mission plans, validating procedures against hardware-in-the-loop testbeds, and driving pre-launch campaigns.

What you will do

• Design and own RPO mission plans including relative motion design and delta-V budgets
• Build passive safety into every approach
• Author flight rules and procedures that govern close approach
• Own mission operations plans and procedures for spacecraft programs across all phases
• Drive the pre-launch campaign from the ops side
• Work with AI&T to validate procedures and command sequences on flatsats and hardware-in-the-loop testbeds
• Feed operational constraints back into GNC, flight software, ground software, and comms design
• Create and analyze metrics used to debug and monitor vehicle and campaign performance
• Triage anomalies and root cause failures
• Train operators and mission crews on Anduril spacecraft and RPO execution

Required qualifications

• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance
• Strong engineering background from industry or school, ideally in Aerospace Engineering, Astrodynamics, Computer Science, or another engineering field
• 4+ years of professional spacecraft operations, mission planning, or flight dynamics experience
• Direct RPO experience on a flown or near-flight mission
• Experience taking a spacecraft through pre-launch operational readiness
• Ability to quickly understand and navigate complex systems and detailed requirements
• Capable of solving complex technical problems with little oversight
• Clear written communication, including procedures, flight rules, and training material

Nice to have

• Experience on on-orbit servicing, inspection, docking, or refueling missions
• Experience with autonomous or onboard relative navigation, including vision-based or optical relative nav
• Flight dynamics depth: orbit determination, maneuver calibration, and maneuver reconstruction
• Experience with conjunction assessment and space traffic coordination
• Experience operating government, DoD, or IC spacecraft
• Experience with STK/Astrogator, ODTK, MATLAB, or Simulink
• Experience with Python and Linux systems
• Experience with testing and validation on flatsats and hardware-in-the-loop testbeds
• Exposure to ground station operations and providers
• A desire to work on critical software in the space domain

Benefits

• Comprehensive, competitive benefits package available at little to no cost to employees

Before you apply

• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance
• By submitting your application, you consent to Anduril Industries using a third-party service provider to conduct pre-employment risk, integrity, and due diligence screening

About the company

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. Their family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system.