Mission Operations Engineer II - Ground Segment
Long Beach · USD 110,000-195,000 · 1+ years experience · Full-time · Onsite · Posted Oct 13, 2026
At a glance
- Experience
- 1+ years experience
- Employment
- Full-time
- Workplace
- Onsite
- Location
- Long Beach
- Salary
- USD 110,000-195,000 · Base salary
About the role
- Vast is looking for a Mission Operations Engineer II - Ground Segment, reporting to the Lead Mission Operations Engineer, Mission Systems, to support planning and execution of Vast missions.
- Mission Operations Engineers are responsible for the planning and successful execution of spacecraft missions.
- The Mission Operations Engineer - Ground Segment is responsible for designing systems as well as authoring procedures to operate both the spacecraft and supporting ground systems.
Responsibilities
- Take extreme ownership of large impact initiatives working with engineers across disciplines to support the development of spacecraft operations & ground operations procedures, flight rules, products & processes, culminating in the safe & successful operations of a newly launched spacecraft
- Provide technical and operational leadership as the operations expert in planning for and execution of pre-flight testing and checkouts of ground systems to ensure spacecraft and ground systems are ready for flight
- Assist with performing the operations of Vast’s crewed and uncrewed missions for vehicle commissioning, on-orbit operations, anomaly resolution and final deorbit of the spacecraft
- Perform deep-dive analysis of vehicle & ground system telemetry and deliver informed summaries as well as recommendations to mission stakeholders for further review & analysis
- Formulate and lead the execution of workflows facilitating improvements to processes & systems with a focus on advancing Vast’s Mission Operations while maintaining Vast’s commitment to excellence
- Help strategize plans for and contribute to efforts to iteratively improve the Mission Systems, Mission Operations Software and other ground processes and collaborate with the Mission Systems Engineering & Ground Software Engineering teams to implement them
- Work closely with Mission Management to ensure customer requirements are translated to a Concept of Operations that balances all needs
- Assist and support peer Mission Operations Engineers, offering helpful input or specific items for consideration as informed by anecdotal experiences and operational best practices
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, software engineering, or other engineering discipline
- 3+ years of experience in the operation of complex systems
- Demonstrated ability to work cross-functionally with other engineering disciplines
- Demonstrated ability to to critically think in high stress environments and rapidly evolving situations
- Ability to disseminate critical engineering & technical information effectively and clearly
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Willing to support 24/7 operations during operationally intense mission phases
Preferred qualifications
- Experience in human spaceflight mission operations
- Master’s of science degree in a technical field
- 1+ years working in a spacecraft design, build, and test environment
- Technical knowledge in spacecraft systems engineering (avionics, propulsion, attitude control, communications, orbital mechanics, life support systems, thermal and power control systems)
- Technical knowledge in Space-to-Ground Communication Systems (RF, Ground Stations, Modems, Antenna Systems)
- Experience building or designing from scratch a system, process and team to perform complex operations of an aerospace system (launch vehicle, satellite, crew capsule)
- Software Engineering Skills (C++, Golang, Javascript, React, Software Architecture, Databases, Cloud)
- Matlab or Python/Octave Proficiency
Benefits
- Company equity
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents
- Generous paid time off
- Up to 20+ days of vacation for exempt staff and up to 10+ days of vacation for non-exempt staff with the ability to cash-out unused vacation annually
- Paid parental leave
- Short and long-term disability insurance
- Life insurance
- Access to a 401(k) retirement plan
- ClassPass credits
- Personalized mental healthcare through Spring Health
Workplace
- Ability to travel up to 20% of the time
Skills
- C++
- Golang
- JavaScript
- React
- Matlab
- Python
- Octave
