Spacecraft Operations Engineer (Aerospace)

Location: Onsite at the Auckland Production Complex, Auckland, New Zealand. New Zealand roles require eligibility to access equipment and data regulated under U.S. ITAR.

Company

hirify.global is an end-to-end aerospace company developing rockets, spacecraft, and critical satellite subsystems for commercial, government, and defence missions.

What you will do

• Command and operate spacecraft across LEO constellations and deep-space missions, using automation as a core operating principle.
• Develop and test ground and flight software for long-duration missions.
• Build operational scripts and configure telemetry and fault detection, isolation, and recovery systems.
• Lead validation activities using simulation tools, including hardware-in-the-loop and flatsat environments.
• Support spacecraft integration, testing, launch, and on-orbit operations through re-entry.
• Drive continuous improvement across spacecraft systems, operational processes, and performance.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, systems, software, or another engineering discipline.
• At least 3 years of experience in space mission design, satellite subsystems, ground systems, spacecraft operations, or spacecraft command.
• Experience with Linux systems and software development using Python, C++, or other high-level languages.
• Strong understanding of spacecraft systems, including ADCS, power, communications, C&DH, and thermal systems.
• Knowledge of orbital mechanics, the space environment, and spacecraft dynamics.
• For New Zealand office roles, nationality checks and ITAR access eligibility are required; potentially eligible nationalities include Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, European Union, and NATO countries.

Nice to have

• Postgraduate degree in aerospace engineering.
• Experience in spacecraft operations, satellite design, or ground systems.
• Familiarity with Git, CI/CD, cloud tools, and hardware-in-the-loop testing.

Culture & Benefits

• Work on real spacecraft and hardware for commercial, government, and defence missions.
• Collaborate with propulsion, flight software, GNC, and mission design engineers.
• Fast-paced environment with tight deadlines, complex engineering challenges, and multiple priorities.
• Emphasis on teamwork, accountability, continuous innovation, and practical delivery.
• Equal employment opportunity and reasonable accommodation support for the application process.