Mission Operations – Ground Segment Manager

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Oversee the comprehensive architecture of the ground segment, which encompasses SCC, FDS, mission planning, mission database, data archiving, networks, and security.

• Construct and prepare the Mission Control Center, including its facilities, consoles, servers, networks, redundancy, and backup control capabilities.

• Establish connections with commercial and government ground station providers globally.

• Manage space link security, focusing on encryption, authentication, and key management.

• Design reusable ground tools for a fleet of spacecraft and concurrent missions.

• Make decisions regarding procurement, including make/buy assessments for ground software.

• Oversee the procurement of SCC and FDS, managing supplier contracts, technical evaluations, and supplier development.

• Translate customer requirements into supplier specifications and contractual agreements.

• Adjust and configure acquired ground products for specific spacecraft missions.

• Lead in-house development of ground software as the technical representative.

• Take responsibility for verification, documentation, configuration control, quality assurance, acceptance testing, licensing, and sustainment.

• Deliver SCC and FDS to clients, ensuring installation, commissioning, site acceptance, documentation, and formal acceptance.

• Educate and certify customer operations teams while facilitating the transition to routine operations.

• Coordinate export-control authorizations for software and technical data transfers.

• Lead design and acceptance reviews for customer ground segments.

• Develop operational concepts, procedures, flight rules, and contingency plans.

• Plan and organize LEOP, electric orbit raising, and in-orbit test operations.

• Lead investigations into anomalies, recovery efforts, reporting, and implementing corrective changes.

• Recruit, train, and supervise flight operations and ground systems teams.

• Manage operations support through subcontractors.

⛳️ Requirements

• A B.S. or M.S. degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.

• A minimum of 10 years of experience in satellite ground segment and/or mission operations.

• Proven experience in owning a ground segment architecture, including the satellite control center (SCC) and flight dynamics system (FDS).

• Experience in procuring and managing ground software suppliers throughout development, acceptance, and sustainment phases.

• Demonstrated experience delivering a ground system to an external customer as a contractual obligation.

• Familiarity with managing relationships between customer and supplier contracts.

• Practical experience in adapting a commercial SCC or FDS product for a specific spacecraft.

• Experience directing in-house software development as the technical customer.

• Experience in establishing a mission control center or significant ground system from the ground up.

• Experience in executing or supporting LEOP and in-orbit tests.

• Experience integrating with commercial or government ground station networks on a global scale.

• Experience in building and training an operations team.

• Supervisory experience in hiring, setting objectives, and developing engineers.

• Capability to lead customer-facing design reviews and maintain technical authority.

• Practical knowledge of command and telemetry link security and key management.

• Strongly preferred: experience with GEO communications satellites, electric orbit raising, multi-spacecraft or multi-mission operations, spacecraft handover, CCSDS, and ECSS standards.

• Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or possess refugee/asylee status; temporary work visas are not accepted.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.

• Opportunities for professional development and advancement.

• Collaborative and innovative work environment.

• Access to cutting-edge technology and tools.