Systems Engineer, Spacecraft Operations (RPO)

Anduril • Columbia, WA

4d

About The Position

Rendezvous and proximity operations are where spacecraft operations stop being a checklist and start being a craft. You own that craft at Anduril. As a Spacecraft Operations Systems Engineer for RPO, you own how our spacecraft plan, rehearse, and fly close to other objects. You'll do this work well before launch. RPO campaigns are won in AI&T, on the flatsat, and in the rehearsals, not just on-console. You'll validate procedures against hardware-in-the-loop testbeds, build and run day-in-the-life and contingency sims, and push ops constraints back into the GNC, flight software, and ground software designs while those designs can still change. This role is directly tied to ongoing programs within Anduril's Space Business Line. We work with mission partners and customers to deploy reliable and robust capabilities on operationally-relevant fielding timelines to meet complex challenges across the DoD and IC.

Requirements

• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance
• Strong engineering background from industry or school, ideally in Aerospace Engineering, Astrodynamics, Computer Science, or another engineering field
• 4+ years of professional spacecraft operations, mission planning, or flight dynamics experience
• Direct RPO experience on a flown or near-flight mission, on either the planning or execution side: relative orbit design, proximity operations trajectory planning, maneuver planning and reconstruction, or close-approach execution on console
• Experience taking a spacecraft through pre-launch operational readiness: AI&T support, procedure validation, mission rehearsals, day-in-the-life testing, and operational readiness reviews
• Ability to quickly understand and navigate complex systems and detailed requirements
• Capable of solving complex technical problems with little oversight
• Clear written communication, including procedures, flight rules, and training material

Nice To Haves

• Experience on on-orbit servicing, inspection, docking, or refueling missions
• Experience with autonomous or onboard relative navigation, including vision-based or optical relative nav
• Flight dynamics depth: orbit determination, maneuver calibration, and maneuver reconstruction
• Experience with conjunction assessment and space traffic coordination
• Experience operating government, DoD, or IC spacecraft
• Experience with STK/Astrogator, ODTK, MATLAB, or Simulink
• Experience with Python and Linux systems
• Experience with testing and validation on flatsats and hardware-in-the-loop testbeds
• Exposure to ground station operations and providers
• A desire to work on critical software in the space domain

Responsibilities

• Design and own RPO mission plans: relative motion design, approach and hold-point sequencing, delta-V budgets, and the timeline that ties them to comm passes, lighting, and ground contact
• Build passive safety into every approach, so that a missed burn, a dropped pass, or an off- nominal state doesn't put the vehicle on a collision trajectory
• Author the flight rules and procedures that govern close approach: keep-out volume enforcement, go/no-go gates, abort and breakout criteria, custody handoffs, and conjunction screening against both the target and third parties
• Own the mission operations plans and procedures for spacecraft programs across all phases, including LEOP, commissioning, on-orbit checkout, and operations
• Drive the pre-launch campaign from the ops side: write and run day-in-the-life and mission rehearsals, inject the failures, and turn every finding into a procedure change or a design change
• Work with AI&T as the operations voice, validating procedures and command sequences on flatsats and hardware-in-the-loop testbeds before they touch flight hardware
• Feed operational constraints back into GNC, flight software, ground software, and comms design
• Create and analyze the metrics used to debug and monitor vehicle and campaign performance
• Triage anomalies, root cause failures, and coordinate next steps under time pressure
• Train operators and mission crews on Anduril spacecraft and on RPO execution specifically
• Support demanding schedules during ground testing, launch windows, and on-orbit operations
• Work with other teams and government agencies to obtain required licenses (FCC, NOAA) and comply with regulations for operating spacecraft, including proximity operations coordination

Benefits

• Highly competitive equity grants
• Top-tier benefits for full-time employees
• Comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees)

What This Job Offers

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