Senior Mission Engineer

Antares•Los Angeles, CA

13d•$112,000 - $150,000•Onsite

About The Position

This role involves leading programs for commercial, defense, and real-world microreactor missions, both on Earth and in space. The Senior Mission Engineer will be the primary point of contact for various stakeholders, driving the development and deployment of Antares systems to meet mission needs. This position operates at the intersection of systems engineering and business development, connecting technical product development with operational execution to support contract acquisition and execution. Key responsibilities include managing project costs, schedules, and deliverables, translating user feedback into internal requirements, and contributing to internal product development for deployment logistics, facility interfaces, transportation, commissioning, and decommissioning of nuclear systems. Success requires a generalist mindset, cross-disciplinary problem-solving, and a focus on customer value. The ideal candidate has experience with DoD/DOE, understands government procurement, is comfortable with complex aerospace/defense systems, and can communicate effectively across engineering disciplines.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline (mechanical, aerospace, nuclear, systems, etc.), physics, or applied science.
5+ years of experience in complex, safety-critical or defense/aerospace programs with accountability for cost/schedule/technical performance and formal review gates.
Strong engineering and physics fundamentals, particularly in thermodynamics, energy systems, aerospace, and engineering economics.
Demonstrated proficiency in systems-level thinking and high technical rigor across disciplines.
Systems engineering proficiency and agile best practices in deep technology.
Demonstrated cross-disciplinary systems thinking for complex technical systems.
Strong foundations in thermodynamics/thermofluids, energy systems, and engineering economics.
Experience developing or integrating hardware in energy, automotive, nuclear, or aerospace.
Strong communication and technical writing skills.
Pragmatic, business-minded decision-making that links technical choices to commercial outcomes.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or PhD in an engineering field.
Proficiency in Python for numerical/multiphysics work.
Familiarity with modern toolchains (Git and CI/CD).
Experience in transportation logistics.
Experience with government sponsors (DoD, DOE, NASA, USAF/USSF).
Track record of winning proposals and contracts or high impact / ROI contributions.
Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills.
Enthusiasm for problem-solving.
Desire to optimize modern nuclear design and operation.
PMP or other relevant professional project management certification.
Excellent negotiation, conflict resolution, and leadership skills.
Leadership experience on a project or research team.
Experience working in a start-up environment.
Ability to obtain a Top Secret or Top Secret SCI clearance is preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead delivery for customer-facing programs, owning cost/schedule/quality, contractual compliance, and milestone execution.
Drive engineering collaboration across disciplines and internal/external reviews to align stakeholders and ensure mission success.
Establish closed-loop requirements management connecting customer feedback to engineering design inputs and maintaining alignment with user requirements.
Ideate and propose new development programs to DoD and DOE sponsors.
Support proposal development and contract acquisition by drafting technical content, interface requirements, operational use case descriptions, and system performance justifications.
Perform market/use-case analysis and CONOPS research.
Develop internal technical roadmaps to ensure product readiness for specific deployments and customer mission needs.
Lead and contribute to system architecture and interface specifications for strategic energy applications.
Ensure engineering decisions incorporate business considerations and cost-benefit tradeoffs across design, integration, and delivery.
Own product integration into operational end-user environments.