Turion Space is a space infrastructure company that delivers sovereign-grade orbital intelligence and operations via DROID satellites and the Starfire operating system.
We are seeking an exceptional Staff Spacecraft Systems Engineer to serve as a Chief Program Engineer on an upcoming new product line program focused on GEO Space Domain Awareness missions relying on highly maneuverable and agile small satellites. This senior technical leadership role goes beyond individual spacecraft design to encompass full ownership of the satellite architecture and technical baseline for assigned programs. The Staff Spacecraft Systems Engineer ensures that all aspects of the mission, from requirements decomposition and traceability to mission capability verification, are properly defined, progressed, and documented to meet both customer and mission success criteria. Key Responsibilities: Program Chief Engineering Leadership - Serve as Chief Program Engineer for assigned programs, owning end-to-end satellite architecture and ensuring appropriate technical progress throughout the program lifecycle - Drive resolution of complex cross-disciplinary technical issues, making authoritative architectural decisions that balance performance, cost, and schedule - Lead teams through all technical milestones including, SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, and PSR, and post-launch operations - Interact directly with customers and suppliers as the primary technical point of contact to ensure mission success Mission Definition & Technical Baseline - Own and maintain system-level budgets, mass, power, delta-V, pointing, data, and link. ensuring the technical baseline demonstrably meets requirements and intended capability performance - Work alongside mission stakeholders to define and refine mission CONOPS, translating operational needs into rigorous system-level requirements - Lead derivation and maintenance of system requirements, ensuring full traceability from mission-level objectives through system, subsystem, and component requirements - Ensure requirements decomposition is executed correctly and that traceability is maintained throughout the entire technical baseline Requirements Traceability & Compliance - Establish and maintain robust requirements traceability frameworks to satisfy customer compliance documentation expectations - Author and oversee Interface Control Documents (ICDs) and all systems engineering documentation required for program compliance - Define and execute verification and validation plans (test, demonstration, analysis, inspection) at system and subsystem levels - Track system compliance and overall performance against mission needs, proactively identifying and resolving gaps Stakeholder & Team Leadership - Provide top-level technical leadership across the entire spacecraft lifecycle, from proposal and concept through design, manufacturing, test, and operations - Collaborate with and guide multi-disciplinary engineering experts across all subsystems - Work with internal and external stakeholders to ensure mission CONOPS alignment and technical coherence - Mentor senior and mid-level systems engineers, elevating team-wide systems engineering discipline Minimum Qualifications - Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related field - 12+ years of experience in spacecraft systems engineering or spacecraft design, with hands-on experience in satellite design and integration - Demonstrated experience serving as a Chief Program Engineer or lead systems engineer on a complete spacecraft program - Deep expertise in requirements derivation, decomposition, and traceability from mission level through subsystems - Proven ability to own and maintain all system-level budgets (mass, power, delta-V, pointing, link, data) across the full project lifecycle - Experience authoring and managing compliance documentation and requirements traceability artifacts for customers - Strong track record leading teams through formal technical milestones (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, etc.) - Must be able to obtain a Secret and/or TS/SCI clearance Preferred Qualifications - Deep technical experience with GEO Space Domain Awareness or other missions relying on highly maneuverable and agile spacecraft - Experience working with Department of War/Defense or Intelligence Community organizations - 15+ years of experience in spacecraft systems engineering or spacecraft design with full product lifecycle experience: concept, preliminary design, manufacturing, testing, and operations - Experience as Chief Program Engineer or equivalent role with direct customer-facing technical accountability - Experience with Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and applicable software such as Cameo, Capella, Innoslate, or others - Experience with satellite analysis tools such as Python, MATLAB, STK, GMAT, or FreeFlyer - Experience with requirements management tools such as Jama, DOORS, Flow, or others - Familiarity with customer compliance frameworks and formal traceability documentation expectations (e.g., government or DoD programs) - Previous experience in a startup or fast-paced commercial space environment Staff Systems Engineer / Staff Spacecraft Systems Engineer Salary: $190,000 - $260,000 USD Employees may be asked to support alternate shifts, extended shifts, and/or travel during peak work periods. ITAR Requirements: This position may include access to technology and/or software source code that is subject to U.S. export controls. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Benefits: We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package designed to support the well-being and professional growth of our employees. In addition to a competitive base salary and company stock, determined by factors such as job-related know