Lead Mission Director

Lunar Outpost • Arvada, CO

1d • $187,000 - $235,000

About The Position

Lunar Outpost is seeking an experienced individual to lead Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) mission operations as Lead LTV Mission Director in support of NASA’s Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon. The Lead LTV Mission Director is responsible for planning, preparation and execution of LTV missions and controlling all the activities of a multi-discipline, integrated team. The LTV Mission Director role is critical to the success of LTV missions. It requires leadership, extensive expertise in mission operations, and ability to manage risk in a high stress, real-time environment.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree with a major in Engineering, Physical Science, Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, or other fields of physical science.
• At least 15 years of experience in spaceflight mission operations.
• Technical leadership with knowledge of spacecraft design and operations.
• Demonstrated leadership involving the integration of preflight design/planning, development of integrated procedures/rules, preflight training, and real time mission execution.
• Ability to work and lead in a collaborative environment with multi-disciplinary engineering and mission operations teams.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, leadership, teamwork, technical, and administrative skills are mandatory.
• Must be a U.S Person.

Nice To Haves

• Experience as a certified Mission Director on a crewed and/or uncrewed spaceflight mission operations program
• Experience performing duties such as leading design or technical operations, including aspects related to hardware, software, flight control, flight design, orbital mechanics, launch services, or ground support systems
• Experience building coalitions and working with organizations and stakeholders
• Ability to rapidly work with minimal supervision on projects involving both small and large teams
• Ability to decompose a large, complicated problem into manageable pieces, understand such problems from different points of view, and explain issues and solutions to other engineers
• Prior human spaceflight experience, preferably in leadership positions (flight/mission director, flight/increment lead for a given discipline, etc.)
• Strong technical writing skills, including technical review and operations product development experience
• Experience in testing across multiple spacecraft systems

Responsibilities

• Make real-time mission execution decisions during the LTV ops portions of Artemis missions to manage vehicle and ground resources to ensure crew and vehicle safety and mission success in coordination with the NASA FOD Artemis Mission Director and other NASA personnel.
• Lead a flight operations team and make decisions regarding the safety and success of human spaceflight missions with significant value levels of space hardware assets. Manage risk in building a mission and resolving issues pre-flight and real-time.
• Lead cross-functional coordination as the primary Mission Operations POC between Systems Engineering, AI&T, and the Program Office to ensure seamless coordination and communication.
• Develop and evaluate mission objectives according to programmatic guidelines and constraints.
• Develop and execute Flight Plans according to programmatic mission requirements.
• Develop and enforce Flight Rules to ensure crew and vehicle safety.
• Lead development of Lunar Outpost mission plans through coordination with NASA Flight Operations Directorate (FOD) personnel, Lunar Outpost LTV IPTs, technical discipline experts, the NASA Astronaut Office, safety organizations, and other mission-specific stakeholders.
• Determine and implement a course of action for contingency situations in the areas of crew and vehicle systems and ground systems to resolve malfunctions and restore the mission to a normal operational state.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health coverage: Medical, dental, and vision benefits, with 70% of premiums covered by the employer
• Paid time off: Three (3) weeks per year of vacation
• Retirement plan: Up to 4% employer match on 401(k) contributions
• Paid holidays: 11 company-recognized holidays
• Parental leave
• Educational reimbursement opportunities to support company objectives, continued learning, and career development

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior