Mission Design Lead (Aerospace)

Location: Kent, Washington; onsite role. Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual eligible to access ITAR-controlled technology, and must be authorized to work in the U.S.

Base salary ranges: Level 4: $151,305–$252,105; Level 5: $176,505–$327,810; Level 6: $262,185–$393,435.

Company

hirify.global is developing Nova, a fully and rapidly reusable launch vehicle, and new spacecraft, on-orbit mobility, downmass, satellite, platform, and in-space manufacturing products.

What you will do

• Design, optimize, and compare trajectories and mission profiles across LEO, MEO, GEO, cislunar, and lunar regimes.
• Map vehicle capability to mission capability through delta-v budgets, propellant and timeline trades, propulsion analysis, and mission-class definitions.
• Provide trajectory-derived inputs for thermal, radiation, aerothermal, eclipse, power, ground-contact, and communication analyses.
• Build and maintain trajectory and mission-analysis tools using custom code and industry packages such as GMAT, Copernicus, FreeFlyer, STK, or POST2.
• Define GNC and flight-dynamics requirements and verify that in-house or partner-provided flight systems meet them.
• Own flight-safety, conjunction-assessment, and regulatory analysis, and help grow the mission design team.

Requirements

• Master’s or PhD in aerospace engineering, astrodynamics, applied mathematics, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of mission design or flight-dynamics experience, including at least one spacecraft mission led as mission design or flight-dynamics lead.
• Deep command of orbital mechanics and trajectory optimization across multiple regimes from LEO through cislunar, including low-thrust and multi-burn problems.
• Ability to write custom tools in Python, MATLAB, C++, or similar, plus experience with at least one industry mission-design package.
• Working knowledge of how trajectory choices affect thermal, power, radiation, and aerothermal environments, as well as GNC and navigation fundamentals.
• Ability to make rapid, well-reasoned trades with incomplete information.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to lead and to follow.
• U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent residence, or protected-individual status is required for ITAR access, along with U.S. work authorization.

Nice to have

• Mission design for GEO, cislunar, or lunar missions, including transfer, capture, landing, refueling, or servicing logistics.
• Aerobraking, aerocapture, or entry, descent, and landing trajectory design.
• Electric and multi-mode propulsion trajectory design.
• Rendezvous and proximity-operations mission design.
• GNC architecture or flight-software experience.
• Experience building or leading a flight-dynamics or mission-design group.
• Familiarity with national-security space mission planning.

Culture & Benefits

• Mission-driven, collaborative environment with ownership of work.
• Equity through stock options for regular, full-time employees.
• Subsidized medical, dental, and vision insurance, plus company-paid life and disability insurance.
• 401(k) plan with employer match, four weeks of paid time off, holidays, and paid family/parental leave.
• Onsite gym or monthly wellness stipend, depending on location, and dog-friendly offices.

Hiring process

• Employment is contingent on satisfactory reference and background checks.
• U.S. employment eligibility must be verified through Form I-9 and E-Verify.
• Ongoing employment may depend on continued authorization to access export-controlled materials.