Skip to main content

Senior Mission Operations Engineer

AstranisAerospace EngineeringOperations
Pay
$150K–$195K
per year
Work mode
On-site
Full Time
Location
San Francisco, CA
Experience
8+ yrs
Senior

San Francisco, CA at a glance

Rent
#2 of 51
$2,680/mo+46% vs US avg
Weather
#17 of 51
295 mild days0 hot · 0 cold
Income tax
#1 of 51
13.3% top rateCalifornia

What you need

  • 8+ yrs satellite operations experience
  • Scripting experience (Python preferred)
  • Telemetry analysis and anomaly investigation
  • Designing and executing satellite operations
  • Basic understanding of satellite subsystems

What you'll do

  • Design and develop satellite operations system and team
  • Support satellite engineers with procedures and commissioning
  • Investigate anomalies and resolve with team
  • Automate manual processes using scripting
  • Command activities during launch and commissioning

Astranis builds advanced satellites for high orbits, expanding humanity’s reach into the solar system. Today Astranis satellites provide dedicated, secure networks to highly-sophisticated customers across the globe – large enterprises, sovereign governments, and the US military. 

With five satellites on orbit and many more set to launch soon, the company is servicing a backlog of more than $1 billion of commercial contracts. Astranis is the preferred satellite communications partner for buyers with stringent requirements for uptime, data security, network visibility, and customization.

Astranis has raised over $1.2 billion from some of the world’s best investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Baillie Gifford, Blackrock, Fidelity, Franklin Templeton, and Snowpoint, and employs a team of 500 engineers and entrepreneurs. Astranis designs, builds, and operates its satellites out of its 153,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Northern California, USA.

Senior Mission Operations Engineer

As a Senior Mission Operations Engineer, you will be working closely with hardware engineers to figure out how their hardware should be operated, and writing procedures we will use to safely and reliably operate the satellite. You must have experience with satellite operations engineering, and a deep understanding of at least one spacecraft subsystem.

Role

  • Play a large role in the design and development of our satellite operations system and team
  • Support satellite engineers to design, create, test, and execute satellite operations procedures, including commissioning procedures and nominal operations procedures
  • Investigate anomalies and work with the mission operations and engineering team to safely resolve them
  • Automate manual processes using scripting and software tools
  • Work with our ground software team as the user and requirements owner for tools that will help us operate our fleet of satellites
  • Responsible for commanding activities during the launch and commissioning of our first production satellite
  • Develop tools and processes to enable the Mission Operations team to maintain a high level of service uptime for our customer
  • Support in recruiting, interviewing, and hiring additional teammates to our rapidly-growing team

Requirements

  • 8+ years of experience working in satellite operations
  • Experience scripting in any language - Python preferred
  • Experience doing telemetry analysis and anomaly investigation
  • Experience designing and executing satellite operations
  • Basic understanding of satellite subsystems (hardware and software)
  • Highly motivated, self-starting, committed, and able to perform duties without supervision
  • A passion for working in a fast-paced environment and hands-on development and testing
  • Don't meet them all? Not a problem. Please apply even if you do not meet all these criteria.

Bonus

  • Experience building operational software tools and user-friendly UIs
  • Experience with software development tools such as Git and Phabricator
  • Experience operating GEO satellites
What we offer: 
 
All our positions offer a compensation package that includes equity and robust benefits.
 

Base pay is just one component of Astranis’s total rewards package. Your compensation also includes a significant equity package via incentive stock options, high-quality company-subsidized healthcare, disability and life insurance, 401(k) retirement planning, flexible PTO, and free on-site catered meals.

Astranis pay ranges are informed and defined through professional-grade salary surveys and compensation data sources. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, and the level and scope of the position.
Base Salary
$150,000—$195,000 USD
U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required
(To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States, or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3))
 
Our mission and products are built for everyone, regardless of gender, race, creed, or background. We believe in a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we invite all people to join our team and bring their unique perspectives to make us stronger.

Astranis SMS Terms of Service

  1. Recruiting Updates: By opting in, you agree to receive SMS updates, interview coordination, and recruiting communications from Astranis Space Technologies Corp.

  2. Opt-Out: You can cancel this service at any time by replying STOP. We will send one final text confirming your unsubscription.

  3. Opt-In Again: To resume receiving messages, reply START or YES.

  4. Support & Rates: For assistance, reply HELP or contact us at [email protected]. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies; carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.

  5. Privacy: For details on how we protect your data, view our Privacy Policy.

Optimize your resume for this job

Get a match score and the keywords you're missing

Optimize resume

About Astranis

Astranis is a space startup that builds small and low-cost telecommunications satellites to provide internet access in remote regions.

Company profileWebsite More Aerospace Engineering jobs

See full Aerospace Engineering compensation at Astranis

Real salary data from H1B filings, public bands, and verified community submissions.

Similar Aerospace Engineering roles

Voyager Space
Senior Systems Engineer
Pittsburgh, PA$175K - $195K Contract
Aerospace Engineering
2 months ago
Planet Labs
Senior Spacecraft Systems Engineer
San Francisco, CA$163K - $203K Contract
Aerospace Engineering
5 months ago
Planet Labs
Senior Space Systems Engineer, Mission Optimization
Berlin, Germany€87K - €108K Contract
Space StationAerospace Engineering
1 week ago
All Aerospace Engineering jobs
Browse more jobs
Senior Mission Operations Engineer
$150K–$195K · Astranis
Apply

Career Guides

Careers at GoSats: Teams, Pay and How to Get Hired

GoSats, an eight‑person fintech, hires by exception, focusing on ownership density. The article details its leadership, engineering‑heavy structure, salary bands for roles like Head of Revenue and VP Growth, a three‑stage interview process, and what makes a candidate stand out.

Working at Dispatch: Culture, Pace and Who Thrives

Dispatch, a San Francisco aerospace startup founded by two ex‑Astranis engineers, pays $100k–$170k for engineers and $30/hr for interns across six engineering disciplines. It covers flat hierarchy, founder‑led decisions, cost discipline, rapid hardware testing, hiring bar, and lack of public reviews

Farcast’s three antenna roles face a seven-day, no-recruiter screen

Farcast is hiring three flat-panel antenna roles as it moves from prototype to volume production of SWaP-C phased-array terminals. Its founder-run screening process tests autonomy, technical depth, and fit for a production ramp backed by Telesat, Gogo, and Lockheed Martin.

View all articles →