Ground Systems Engineer – Health & Safety

We are seeking a Ground Systems Engineer - Health & Safety to join our team. This role supports the design and procurement of ground-based software, hardware, and procedures required to operate a constellation of dozens of Earth Observation spacecraft in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO). 

This role generates requirements and high-level design for multiple critical components of ground software and oversees their development, integration, and testing. The Ground Systems Engineer works with internal stakeholders, customers, and external software and hardware vendors, both domestic and international. 

Responsibilities

• Act as the technical lead for ground segment components pertaining to space vehicle health & safety, such as Mission Control/Management and Flight Dynamics software. 
• Generate requirements for the EOI ground segment hardware and software through the development of user-focused system workflows. 
• Develop solutions and documentation for complex technical problems, such as encryption key management, which informs the ground segment's architecture and operation. 
• Perform technical evaluations during the ground segment software procurement process.  
• Oversee the development, integration, and testing of ground segment software using Agile processes. 
• Review Interface Control Documents (ICDs), attend design reviews, and review system-level test events to maintain compatibility within the ground segment. 
• Communicate ground segment status and issues effectively with developers, managers, and end-users. 
• Oversee delivery of ground segment components using Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipelines for build and deployment. 
• Ensure ground segment compatibility with EOI segments and third-party entities through collaboration with space segment, system integration, ground antenna network, and other SMEs. 

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Physics, or equivalent combination of technical education and related work experience.
• 5+ years working with space mission ground systems as a developer, engineer, or power user. Experience with Earth Observation and/or LEO missions is a plus. 
• Knowledge of ground segment architectures, particularly Mission Control/Management and Flight Dynamics software components. 
• Experience working with users of ground segments, such as spacecraft operators and flight dynamics experts. 
• Expertise with collaborative project development tools such as Atlassian Confluence and Jira. 
• Experience with a variety of analysis tools, such as STK and Excel, and scripting languages, such as Python or Ruby. 
• Technical writing aptitude and the ability to present to both technical and non-technical audiences. 
• Experience with agile software development and CI/CD concepts. 

Compensation

• The anticipated compensation for this position is $125,000-$160,000/yr, depending on previous experience.