Vehicle & Mission Operations Engineer

About the company

K2 Space is a manufacturer of large, high-power satellites.

About this role

<div class="content-intro"><p class="p1">K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit.&nbsp;Backed by <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciapark/2025/12/11/this-startup-is-building-huge-satellites-for-an-underused-interstellar-sweet-spot/?ctpv=searchpage">$450M</a> from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, Redpoint Ventures, T. Rowe Price, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, and others <span class="s1">– </span>with an additional $500M in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers – we’re mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="p1">The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today’s and tomorrow’s massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits.<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="p1">With multiple launches planned through 2026 and 2027, we're Building Bigger to develop the solar system and become a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization.&nbsp;<span class="TextRun SCXW79998266 BCX0" lang="EN-US" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW79998266 BCX0">If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW79998266 BCX0">you're</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW79998266 BCX0"> excited about contributing to the success of a groundbreaking Series C</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW79998266 BCX0"> space startup, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW79998266 BCX0">we’d</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW79998266 BCX0"> love for you to apply.</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW79998266 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"335559738":240,"335559739":240}">&nbsp;</span></p></div><p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">The Role</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":240,"335559739":240}">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span data-contrast="auto">From your very first day, you’ll be hands-on with real spacecraft – leading integrated test campaigns, mastering the satellite bus, and working with world-class RE teams to validate system health. You’ll then carry that experience into Mission Operations, where you’ll command vehicles from the moment they leave the pad through the earliest moments in orbit. As we scale our fleet, you’ll become an architect of on-orbit operations: designing the playbooks, tools, and systems needed to fly dozens, then hundreds, of satellites. This role is your chance to directly shape how we operate an entire space constellation. </span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335551550":1,"335551620":1,"335559685":0,"335559737":0,"335559738":240,"335559739":240,"335559740":276}">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Responsibilities</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":240,"335559739":240}">&nbsp;</span></p> <ul> <li data-leveltext="●" data-font="" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"●","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Author test procedures (manual and automated) used to confirm spacecraft hardware and software flight worthiness</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":240}">&nbsp;</span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="●" data-font="" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"●","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Lead high-visibility integration campaigns for development and flight hardware</span><span data-ccp-props="{}">&nbsp;</span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="●" data-font="" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"●","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Operate spacecraft (interpret telemetry, send commands) during system tests at the factory, test facilities, launch sites, and during pre-launch operations</span><span data-ccp-props="{}">&nbsp;</span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="●" data-font="Arial" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"●","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="none">Serve as a key operator during on-orbit operations, responsible for real-time decision-making and coordination</span><span data-ccp-props="{}">&nbsp;</span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="●" data-font="Arial" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"●","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="5" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="none">Interface with customers to scope testing performed on their payloads, based on expected functions and failure modes of interest</span><span data-ccp-props="{}">&nbsp;</span></li> </ul> <ul> <li data-leveltext="●" data-font="" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"●","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="6" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Identify and elevate off-nominal conditions during test, and drive issues to resolution by engaging with the wider engineering team</span><s