Operations Engineer

K2 Space•Los Angeles, CA

3d•$90,000 - $140,000

About The Position

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by $450M from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, Redpoint Ventures, T. Rowe Price, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, and others – with an additional $500M in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers – we’re mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space. The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today’s and tomorrow’s massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits. With multiple launches planned through 2026 and 2027, we're Building Bigger to develop the solar system and become a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a groundbreaking Series C space startup, we’d love for you to apply. The Role The Business Operations team ensures programs execute at K2 Space. Our team drives strategic planning, production optimization, and resource alignment across engineering and manufacturing. We hire engineers who can lead cross-functional initiatives, analyze operational problems, and apply operations and data science methods to optimize schedules, resources, and outcomes as the company scales. The ideal candidate is a self-starter, complex problem solver, and drives strategic decision-making.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in an engineering or business discipline
2+ years of experience in a fast-paced production or start up environment
1+ years of experience in using Excel, SQL, or Python/R for analysis or modeling dynamic systems
1+ years of experience using Smartsheet or equivalent scheduling tools, and/or experience tracking critical path
Ability to travel up to 25-50% of the time
Active Top Secret or Top Secret SCI clearance preferred; willing to pursue and maintain a clearance if not already cleared
Ability to work irregular business hours to support proposals or critical project timelines

Nice To Haves

Experience with Inventory, production, and capacity planning, including use of MRP/ERP systems
Power BI and discrete-event simulation or modeling tools
Quantitative analysis: statistics, data analysis, cost–benefit evaluation, and visualization
Industrial, operations, process, or manufacturing engineering in a development-stage production environment
Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement methodologies
Background in management science, operations engineering, or industrial engineering
Effective contributor within multidisciplinary, cross-functional teams
Ability to operate in fast-paced, high-pressure environments
Clear and concise written and verbal communication

Responsibilities

Design analytical tools to evaluate delivery timelines, production capacity, manufacturing processes, and supply chain constraints, to support informed decision-making
Lead the development and execution of production schedules and output targets across programs
Partner closely with engineering and manufacturing teams on a daily basis to ensure alignment with validated milestone plans
Contribute to team efforts to shape and execute strategies that reduce production and launch risks while capturing opportunities to enhance quality, throughput, safety, and cost performance
Create process flow models that simulate production system behavior and align manufacturing output with program requirements
Develop a deep understanding of our engineering, manufacturing, and launch operations to improve production forecasting, identify process improvements, and proactively monitor engineering data inputs
Establish and monitor key performance metrics while identifying decision down-select points and actions required to optimize production v demand
Drive continuous improvement initiatives across systems and operational processes within and between functional organizations
Work collaboratively with partners across supply chain, engineering, and finance to maintain program alignment
Develop analytical models and visual dashboards to support strategic space planning and operational decision-making