Principal Mission Architect - SSC/Space Force

Role overview

Lead the formulation of space missions, translating customer needs into practical, cost-conscious mission architectures. The role spans mission analysis, top-level requirements and budgets, spacecraft and payload design trade studies, and coordination across engineering and science teams. It also involves guiding a team through mission development and evaluating spacecraft performance and constellation configurations.

Responsibilities - Develop mission concepts that address customer needs and objectives. - Conduct mission-level analyses and manage top-level mission budgets. - Define mission requirements and contribute to spacecraft and payload design. - Use engineering software or code to explore trade-offs and answer system design questions. - Evaluate spacecraft performance and constellation configurations. - Coordinate with engineers and scientists across disciplines to deliver a workable solution.

Requirements - A bachelor’s degree or higher in a related engineering field and 12 years of space mission experience; relevant advanced degrees may count toward the experience requirement. - Experience designing spacecraft and space missions. - Proficiency in at least one of Python, Julia, MATLAB, C, or C++. - Strong communication, presentation, and coordination skills, with sound judgment grounded in available data. - Active TS/SCI clearance. - Ability to travel to the Mountain View facility for meetings, builds, and testing. - Comfort working in a fast-paced environment with changing challenges.

Nice to have - Experience developing, delivering, or sustaining capabilities for core Space Force missions. - Experience supporting science teams, designing constellations, or operating spacecraft or constellations.

Benefits and work setup - The listed salary range is $174,000–$250,000, with potential equity and a benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, retirement, disability, and life coverage, as well as paid vacation, holidays, sick time, and parental leave. - The work requires access to export-controlled information, so eligibility under applicable U.S. export regulations is required.