Satellite Operations Engineer

Vantor • Longmont, CO

15h • Onsite

About The Position

Vantor is hiring a Satellite Operations Engineer for its Longmont, Colorado office. This is an onsite position requiring 24/7 rotational shift work on a five-week rotating schedule. The role supports the health and safe operation of spacecraft across the Vantor constellation. Candidates must be U.S. citizens and hold an active U.S. Government Secret security clearance; employment in cleared roles is contingent on verification of clearance status.

The engineer coordinates pre-contact checks with Mission Control Systems Ground Control Engineers, verifies spacecraft tasking and planning, commands spacecraft and assesses their state of health during contact, and analyzes telemetry while spacecraft are out of contact. The role investigates limit violations and anomalous conditions, escalating issues as appropriate; maintains operational compliance as systems change; follows procedures and checklists and reports deficiencies; generates availability reports; executes approved ground-limit changes; and maintains proficiency across spacecraft subsystems.

The minimum education requirement is an associate degree in engineering, computer science, or a related field, with two additional years of experience accepted in place of the degree. Applicants must have at least two years of experience in an operational environment. Strong communication, a calm disposition under stress, and a troubleshooting-oriented, curious approach are preferred.

The Colorado base salary range is $74,000–$98,000–$107,800 annually as listed in the posting. Compensation depends on factors including experience, qualifications, skills, location, and market conditions. The position is incentive eligible, with the plan and target determined based on the role and contributions. Vantor describes its total rewards package as including a 401(k) with company match, mental health resources, student loan repayment assistance, adoption reimbursement, and pet insurance.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship.
• Current, active U.S. Government Secret security clearance.
• Associate degree in engineering, computer science, or a related field, or two additional years of experience in place of the degree.
• At least two years of experience in an operational environment.
• Availability for 24/7 rotational shift work on a five-week rotating schedule.

Nice To Haves

• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Calm disposition in stressful situations.
• Enjoys troubleshooting and takes a problem-solving, curious approach.

Responsibilities

• Perform pre-contact verifications with Mission Control Systems Ground Control Engineers to help ensure successful communication between the ground system and spacecraft.
• Ensure spacecraft tasking and planning produce error-free output and reduce the risk of spacecraft faults.
• Perform in-contact spacecraft commanding and state-of-health assessments to maintain spacecraft health and safety.
• Analyze out-of-contact spacecraft telemetry trends to support continued spacecraft health and safety when spacecraft are not visible to a ground station.
• Investigate spacecraft limit violations and escalate violations not covered in spacecraft documentation to a Flight Operations Manager or Spacecraft Engineering.
• Recognize anomalous spacecraft conditions and escalate them to the Flight Operations Manager or Mission Director.
• Maintain awareness and understanding of system changes to ensure operational compliance.
• Follow procedures and checklists, and report checklist deficiencies to the Operations Efficiency and Transition team.
• Generate spacecraft availability reports for the Spacecraft Engineering team.
• Execute ground-limit changes reflecting the spacecraft’s current operating state and long-term telemetry trends at the direction of a Flight Operations Manager or Spacecraft Engineering.
• Maintain proficiency across all spacecraft subsystems in the Vantor constellation.

Benefits

• Competitive total rewards package.
• 401(k) with company match.
• Mental health resources.
• Student loan repayment assistance.
• Adoption reimbursement.
• Pet insurance.
• Incentive eligibility, with plan and target based on the role and breadth of contributions.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree