Flight Director

Xona Space Systems • Burlingame, CA

1d • $173,000 - $200,000

About The Position

Xona is seeking a Flight Director to lead real-time operations of its Low Earth Orbit satellite constellation. As part of the Mission Operations team, the Flight Director has final on-console authority for spacecraft commanding, from launch and early orbit through routine operations. The role oversees spacecraft operators performing hands-on operations, reviews and approves the procedures they use, and coordinates with spacecraft engineering, flight software, guidance, navigation and control, and ground station providers.

Requirements

• Demonstrated anomaly response experience, including making decisions under time pressure with incomplete data.
• Strong working knowledge of spacecraft subsystems, including TT&C, power, thermal, ADCS/GNC, propulsion, and FSW.
• Experience working with ground station providers and planning contact schedules.
• Excellent verbal communication on console, with the ability to give clear and concise direction.
• Strong written skills and judgment to review procedures and flight rules and write post-event reports.
• Experience leading or overseeing a team of spacecraft operators.
• For U.S. roles, must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States (Green Card holder), or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), to comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations.
• For U.K. roles, must satisfy Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks and be eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance (SC).
• For Canada roles, must obtain and hold reliability status security clearance and pass security assessment for the Canadian Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and ITAR.

Responsibilities

• Direct real-time operations and make go/no-go decisions for commanding and critical events.
• Lead launch and early orbit phase (LEOP), commissioning, orbit raising, and software update campaigns.
• Lead anomaly response by triaging issues, safing spacecraft, coordinating engineering, and driving root cause to closure.
• Review and approve flight rules, operating and test procedures, contingency plans, and escalation paths prepared by the team.
• Oversee operator training and certification, and ensure rehearsals and simulations, such as DITL testing, are conducted on the Flatsat before critical events.
• Coordinate activities across spacecraft engineering, FSW, GNC, and ground station providers.
• Review and approve mission plans and command products before they are uplinked.
• Oversee spacecraft operators performing hands-on console operations and the on-call rotation, and serve as their escalation point.
• Report constellation health, operational risk, and post-event findings to engineering and leadership.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed