Systems Engineer Lead – LDN – Satellite Ground Station

Intuitive Machines LLC•Houston, TX

About The Position

Intuitive Machines is an innovative and cutting-edge space company making cislunar space accessible to both public and private customers. We believe our mission is to further research, communications, and exploration beyond low lunar orbit. With multiple NASA lunar missions in the making and additional private missions on our manifest, we pride ourselves in supporting NASA, our customers and the nation in paving the way to return humans to the surface of the moon. Our world-class team includes experts in all spacecraft subsystems design, development, and test, on-orbit operations, and safety. About the Role: We are seeking an experienced Systems Engineering Lead to support the Lunar Data Network (LDN) Program. This individual will work in close partnership with the Program Managers, serving as a technical leader in defining, integrating, and validating system-level requirements across the Ground Segment of LDN. The Ground Satellite SEI will support the design, integration, testing, and operations of mission-critical satellite communication infrastructure. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in RF systems, network architecture, and ground segment operations, with the ability to work across multidisciplinary teams to ensure reliable satellite-to-ground connectivity.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, or Systems Engineering; Master’s preferred.
Minimum of 10–15 years of experience in systems engineering, data network development, spacecraft development, satellite development, and/or ground systems development, with leadership experience on large, multi-disciplinary programs.
Strong foundation in requirements analysis, system architecture, integration, and V&V.
Experience with data network systems, including avionics, autonomy, sensors, or monitoring and control systems.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills; able to work effectively across internal teams and with partner companies.
Demonstrated ability to lead system integration on complex aerospace programs.
Familiarity with NASA standards and spaceflight development processes strongly preferred.
Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance, if required.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience supporting lunar, or exploration vehicle programs.
Experience with TT&C (Telemetry, Tracking, and Command) systems.
Familiarity with virtualization, cloud-based ground station solutions, and automation tools.
Experience with cross-company collaboration on NASA or large aerospace contracts.
Background in leading multi-partner reviews, technical baseline management, and interface control.
Experience mentoring or developing early-career systems engineers.

Responsibilities

Partner with the Systems Engineering Manager to lead system-level engineering activities across the LDN Ground Segment.
Provide technical leadership in the integration of spacecraft subsystems, including avionics, energy management, sensors, controls, software, and communications.
Conduct requirements analysis and flow-down, ensuring alignment with customer needs, mission objectives, and NASA standards.
Develop and maintain the system architecture, interface definitions, and integration plans.
Lead verification and validation (V&V) planning and execution for system requirements and performance.
Identify and manage technical risks, develop mitigation strategies, and drive issues to closure.
Collaborate closely with Intuitive Machines’ internal teams and external partners to ensure subsystem interoperability.
Generate and maintain technical documentation, including requirements, interface control documents, and test procedures.
Represent systems engineering in design reviews, milestone reviews, technical interchange meetings. The Ground Segment SE will be the primary technical interface to our NASA SE&I customers.
Mentor junior systems engineers and support continuous improvement of systems engineering processes.