Advanced Mission Concepts Engineer (Staff)

Impulse Space•Redondo Beach, CA

11d•$175,000 - $205,000•Onsite

About The Position

As an Staff Advanced Mission Concepts Engineer at Impulse, you will bridge the gap between high-level customer ambitions and the hard-engineering reality of our orbital transfer vehicles. You will own the physics-based feasibility of our future missions, ensuring we don't just "bid" missions, but architect them for success. You will sit within the Mission Management team, partnering with Business Development and Engineering to shape mission concepts, define system-level requirements, and ensure every solution is physically executable. This role includes direct customer engagement and occasional travel.

Requirements

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

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or PhD in Aerospace Engineering or Systems Engineering
Active TS/SCI security clearance or willingness to obtain one
Experience in customer‑facing roles, specifically in a technical advisory or sales engineering capacity
Hands‑on experience assembling spacecraft, supervising spacecraft build, or integrating payloads
Experience operating spacecraft in orbit
Broad familiarity with the space industry and mission architectures
Proven ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced startup environment
Experience with CAD tools and their integration into mission-level fit checks

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 rigor