← All roles

Staff Mission Lead Systems Engineer - EO / IR Systems

Muon Space· Engineering - Systems and GNC
Apply on company site
Hybrid (Northern VA)$177k - $246k + equityFull-timePosted 2w ago

About the role

Staff Mission Lead Systems Engineer role at Muon Space, guiding early mission formulation and, upon selection, leading end-to-end technical delivery of EO/IR and RF space missions for government and commercial customers.

Responsibilities

  • Partner with the Mission Architecture team during study efforts to develop mission concepts, run architecture trade studies, and shape technical baselines for prospective missions and proposal responses.
  • Develop and maintain mission-level system models, including architecture, requirements, interfaces, and behavior models — carrying these artifacts forward from the study phase into implementation as the authoritative technical baseline.
  • Lead the tailoring and implementation of the Muon mission design process for your designated mission, ensuring alignment with program needs, while contributing to process refinement across all missions.
  • Own the translation of customer objectives and stakeholder needs into clear, verifiable, and actionable technical requirements for your designated mission.
  • Serve as the primary technical point of contact for your designated mission, interfacing with customers, partners, and internal stakeholders on all technical matters.
  • Manage requirements traceability, verification, and validation.
  • Define mission CONOPS and manage subsystem budgets (e.g., power, data, mass, pointing/stability).
  • Identify and mitigate internal and external mission risks, communicating impacts effectively.
  • Assess and coordinate design changes across disciplines throughout the program lifecycle.
  • Lead design, test readiness, and flight readiness reviews.
  • Monitor on-orbit spacecraft and data pipelines to ensure mission success and that customer requirements are met.
  • Foster deep collaboration with and provide technical direction to systems, hardware, software, data, ground segment, and operations teams for your designated mission, and support these interactions across other missions.
  • Effectively serve as the Mission Lead Systems Engineer for one mission while contributing general systems engineering expertise and support to other Muon missions, potentially deputizing for other Mission Lead Systems Engineers as needed.
  • Contribute to the continuous improvement of engineering processes, tools, and methodologies to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in mission development and operations.

Qualifications

  • Direct engineering experience with EO/IR and/or RF systems — e.g., EO/IR and/or RF payload/instrument design, link budget analysis, spectrum and regulatory considerations, and mission-level EO/IR and/or RF architecture trades.
  • B.S. or higher degree in an engineering field and 8+ years of experience in complex system, mission architecture, and/or spacecraft design, with a focus on high-rigor development for government and/or demanding commercial customers.
  • Demonstrated experience as a technical lead (e.g., Chief Engineer, Lead Systems Engineer) on at least one complex system design for USG, DoD, IC customers, and/or commercial customers.
  • Experience with major space programs for USG, DoD, IC customers, and/or commercial customers.
  • Experience with USG/IC acquisition programs, standards for space systems development, and mission assurance standards.
  • A strong understanding of USG/IC contracts and their artifacts.
  • Experience supporting proposal development (e.g., RFI/RFP responses) for government contracts.
  • Extensive experience in system modeling, systems analysis, and running simulations.
  • Proven history of system integration and delivery of complex systems.
  • Experience in formal requirements management for a multi-disciplinary project.
  • Demonstrated project management skills and ability to collaborate with other engineering disciplines.
  • Excellent communication, presentation, and coordination skills.
  • Ability to rapidly change roles/responsibilities while working in a fast-paced, rewarding work environment.
  • Active TS/SCI security clearance

Skills

Required:EO/IR and RF systems engineeringTechnical leadershipSystems modeling and requirements managementCommunication and stakeholder managementSecurity clearance

Benefits

  • Equity compensation
  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • 401k retirement plan
  • Short & long term disability and life insurance
  • Three weeks paid vacation
  • 12 paid holidays
  • Unlimited sick time
  • Paid parental leave
Last updated Oct 10, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About Muon Space

The Mission Foundry — designing, building, and operating high-performance satellite constellations for National Security, civil, and commercial customers.

Design, build, and operate mission-optimized satellite constellations with Muon Space.

Mission FoundryMission DesignSpacecraft PlatformsPayloads & Data ProductsOrbital AIConstellation ProductionManaged Orbital Services
Company profileWebsite

More open roles at Muon Space