Senior Spacecraft Operations Engineer II/Principal (Aerospace)

Location: Onsite at hirify.global headquarters in Long Beach, California, United States

Base pay range: $173,000–$231,000 USD annually

Company

hirify.global is an end-to-end aerospace company developing rockets, spacecraft, payloads, and critical space systems for commercial, scientific, and national security missions.

What you will do

• Serve as the technical lead for mission operations, setting operational strategy and prioritizing mission operations work.
• Advocate for spacecraft and ground-system operability, safety, autonomy, and efficiency during program design.
• Own mission operations requirements and lead validation and verification for spacecraft missions and system capabilities.
• Define automation strategies and develop flight software sequences, FDIR and telemetry configurations, ground software, scripting, and data-analysis tools.
• Lead integration, testing, maintenance, CI, version control, and release practices for mission operations tooling.
• Author operational specifications, CONOPS, contingency procedures, and readiness documentation; support AIT testing and represent mission operations in design reviews and milestone gates.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in software, computer, electrical, aerospace, mechanical, or another technical engineering discipline.
• 8+ years of relevant experience for Senior Engineer II or 12+ years for Principal, covering spacecraft operations, mission design, satellite subsystems, ground systems, or spacecraft command and control.
• 3+ years leading engineering teams through spacecraft missions or related aerospace projects.
• Experience as a Mission Lead, Mission Director, Flight Director, or Senior Spacecraft Operations Engineer, including on-console or operator-in-the-loop operations.
• Strong knowledge of spacecraft subsystems, including ADCS, EPS, communications, C&DH, TCS, propulsion, and FDIR, plus orbital mechanics and rigid body dynamics.
• Active U.S. Government Secret Security Clearance and eligibility to work in the United States under ITAR regulations are required. At minimum, eligibility generally requires U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent residence, refugee or asylee status, or applicable government authorizations.

Nice to have

• Master’s or PhD in engineering.
• Experience with satellite system design, satellite ground systems, SIL, HIL, flatsat, HITL, or digital-twin testing.
• Experience with Git, CI/CD, cloud infrastructure, Agile practices, and Jira.
• Active TS/SCI U.S. Government Security Clearance.

Culture & Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage, including a company-sponsored HSA option.
• Three weeks of paid vacation, sick leave, paid holidays, parental leave, disability insurance, and life insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match, equity opportunities, and an employee stock purchase program.
• Onsite gym, subsidized EV charging, food and drinks, and employee discounts.
• Work involves collaboration across U.S. and New Zealand engineering teams and may include production-area exposure to moderate noise, dust, and fumes.