Systems Engineer, Virtual Missions

Loft Orbital's mission is to to simplify access to space, streamlining the process to develop and deploy mission tasking to our space infrastructure.

As a Systems Engineer for our Virtual Missions, you will be responsible for ensuring our current and future customer missions fall within the capabilities of that infrastructure. To do this you will need to assess and refine customer mission operational plans, develop and maintain system operations budgets, and make decisions on what actions are safe to take with the satellite.

This requires an understanding of the capabilities and constraints of the different subsystems involved such as the satellite bus, ground segment, and Loft's Hub and Cockpit products. You'll leverage your knowledge and experience in space operations to make decisions on which actions are safe to take with the satellite, and in some cases help execute those actions.

*Research shows that while men apply to jobs where they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other marginalized people tend to only apply when they meet 100% of the qualifications. At Loft, we value respectful debate and people who aren't afraid to challenge assumptions.  We strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don't 'check all the boxes.

About This Role:

• Work with Business Development to assess and validate technical and programmatic feasibility of new customer missions
• Develop and maintain system models and budgets to efficiently and accurately forecast capacity for new customer missions
• Work collaboratively within Loft to develop customer missions and Concept of Operations
• Support on-orbit operations with technical solutions to novel problems

Must Haves:

• Hands-on experience with satellite operations, including both bus and payload operations
• Solid understanding of satellite system and constellation architectures
• Ability to bring extreme clarity to ambiguous problems and communicate information efficiently
• Ability to make sound technical and programmatic decisions with incomplete information in high-impact situations
• Experience developing and maintaining spacecraft system (power, communication, compute, etc...) budgets
• Ability to work independently while representing a larger technical team

Nice to Haves:

• Experience with satellite constellation operations and management
• Experience evaluating technical contracts and requirements documents
• Track record of managing multiple projects in parallel
• Experience with international projects and customers

Some of Our Awesome Benefits:

• 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance option for employees and dependents
• Flexible Spending (FSA) and Health Savings (HSA) Accounts offered with an employer contribution to the HSA
• 100% employer paid Life, AD&D, Short-Term, and Long-Term Disability insurance
• Flexible Time Off policy for vacation and sick leave, and 12 paid holidays
• 401(k) plan and equity options
• Daily catered lunches and snacks
• International exposure to our team in France
• Fully paid parental leave; 14 weeks for primary caregiver and 10 weeks for secondary caregiver
• Carrot Fertility provides comprehensive, inclusive fertility healthcare and family-forming benefits with financial support
• Off-sites and many social events and celebrations
• Relocation assistance when applicable

$100,000 - $160,000 a year

State law requires us to tell you the base compensation range for this role, which is $100,000 - $160,000 per year, determined by your location, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities.  The salary range for this role is intentionally wide as we evaluate individuals based on their unique experience and abilities to fit our needs. Most importantly, we are excited to meet you, and see if you are a great fit for our team. What we can't quantify for you are the exciting challenges, supportive team, and amazing culture we enjoy.

Loft Orbital builds "shareable" satellites, providing a fast & simple path to orbit for organizations that require access to space. Powered by our hardware & software products, we operate satellites, fly customer payloads onboard, and handle entire missions from end to end - significantly reducing the lead-time and risk of a traditional space mission.

Our standard interface enables us to fly multiple customer payloads on the same satellite, with capabilities such as earth imagery, weather & climate /science data collection, IoT connectivity, in-orbit demonstrations, and national security missions. Our customers trust us to manage their space infrastructure, so they can focus on what matters most to them: operating their mission and collecting their data.

At Loft, you'll be given the autonomy and ownership to solve significant challenges, but with a close-knit and supportive team at your back. We believe that diversity and community are the foundation of an open culture. We are committed to hiring the best people regardless of background and make their time at Loft the most fulfilling period of their career.

We value kind, supportive and team-oriented collaborators. It is also crucial for us that you are a problem solver and a great communicator. As our team is international, you will need strong English skills to better collaborate, easily communicate complex ideas and convey important messages.

With 3 satellites on-orbit and a wave of exciting missions launching soon, we are scaling up quickly across our offices in San Francisco, CA | Golden, CO | and Toulouse, France.