Engineer II, Ground System Operator

Iridium Satellite, LLC•Grand Forks, ND

16h•$76,000 - $95,000•Onsite

About The Position

Iridium is hiring a Ground System Operator II for a Space Development Agency (SDA) project. The role participates in monitoring and controlling ground systems at an SDA Operations Center, working with a team in a 24/7, multi-satellite operations environment on 12-hour shifts. The position requires an active/current Secret Security Clearance; a U.S. security clearance active within the past 24 months is considered active. The operator monitors ground-system and spacecraft fleet health, analyzes operational data, troubleshoots software and system issues, and supports anomaly investigation and resolution. The role also helps validate fixes, documents events, participates in testing software and configuration changes, supports deployment of new tools and capabilities, and contributes to operational procedures and best practices. This position works exclusively onsite in a classified operations center; remote work is not available. It is largely sedentary, involving extended periods sitting and working at a computer, with occasional standing, walking within the office, and climbing stairs for in-person meetings.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience in a network operations or spacecraft operations environment in lieu of a degree.
At least 2 years of related engineering experience.
Active/current Secret Security Clearance; a U.S. security clearance active within the past 24 months is considered active.
U.S. citizenship.
Ability to work 12-hour shifts.
Strong communication skills and ability to clearly present information and ideas.
Ability to build meaningful relationships with a manager and teammates.
Ability to prioritize tasks, recognize and correct mistakes, and ask for help when needed.
Willingness to seek opportunities to improve, gain knowledge, and share knowledge with others.

Nice To Haves

Interest or experience in technical troubleshooting, software testing, or scripting to support evolving operational tools.
Proficiency with the Linux operating system and standard PC usage and applications.
Familiarity with software development and programming.
Exposure to system test environments, automation tools, or telemetry analysis techniques.

Responsibilities

Perform real-time monitoring of the ground system in support of the SDA mission.
Analyze operational data and perform first-level troubleshooting to resolve issues.
Support data-driven investigations and troubleshooting using software and system logs.
Monitor spacecraft fleet-level health and status.
Work with the team to detect and recover from issues involving Iridium ground-system applications, remote teleport antennas, and the Wide Area Network (WAN).
Assist in validating fixes and confirming system stability after recovery actions.
Support real-time anomaly investigation and resolution, following established Fault Escalation policies and procedures.
Participate in deeper technical analysis of anomalies and provide operational insight to factory teams.
Support process improvement initiatives by documenting events through the anomaly and issue reporting process.
Create accurate, timely, descriptive event logs for ground-system outages and events.
Participate in testing and evaluating software releases, patches, and configuration changes before operational rollout.
Execute operational test cases and provide structured feedback to developers and system engineers.
Assist with rollout activities for new tools, capabilities, and ground-system applications, including integration checks and post-deployment monitoring.
Help develop and refine procedures, troubleshooting documentation, and operational best practices for newly introduced capabilities.