Senior Vehicle & Mission Operations Engineer at K2 Space in Los Angeles, CA
- Company: K2 Space
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
- Posted: Sep 18, 2026
- Type: Full-time
- Salary: $130,000 - $180,000 + equity
- Experience: 5+ years
Overview
From day one, you’ll be hands-on with our integrated satellite-level test campaign, diving deep into the K2 bus and laying the foundation for what comes next. Within your first few months, you’ll help define how we operate our first mission—shaping the tools, systems, and philosophy behind Mission O…
Job description
- From day one, you’ll be hands-on with our integrated satellite-level test campaign, diving deep into the K2 bus and laying the foundation for what comes next. Within your first few months, you’ll help define how we operate our first mission—shaping the tools, systems, and philosophy behind Mission Operations. As we move toward launch, you’ll be at the heart of it all.
- Over the following year, your impact will grow: evolving our playbook from that first mission, scaling it to support multi-satellite operations, and ultimately pioneering the systems needed for full constellation control. The path to operating dozens—or hundreds—of satellites will be yours to help chart. The success of our constellations will depend on the foundations you help build.
Responsibilities
- Define and operationalize our Mission Operations concept for the first satellite mission, including procedures, tools, and real-time support systems
- Develop telemetry monitoring strategies, fault response frameworks, and command plans for pre-launch, LEOP, and nominal operations
- Collaborate closely with systems, software, and hardware teams to ensure operational readiness across all spacecraft subsystems
- Drive the roadmap for mission operations tooling, ground segment workflows, and long-term constellation management
- Serve as a key operator during on-orbit operations, responsible for real-time decision-making and coordination
- Operate spacecraft (interpret telemetry, send commands) during system tests at the factory, test facilities, launch sites, and during pre-launch operations
- Interface with customers to scope testing performed on their payloads, based on expected functions and failure modes of interest
- Assess risks associated with different integration and test approaches, justify test reductions and optimize vehicle build/test flows for at-rate production
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in electrical, aerospace, mechanical, computer, or other relevant engineering discipline
- 1+ years of operating satellites on-orbit
- 5+ years of experience in an operations/integration/automation engineering role
- Experience testing and troubleshooting spacecraft and their related components and systems, including subsystem checkouts and system acceptance testing
- Familiarity with mission operations concepts such as LEOP, telemetry, commanding, fault protection, and anomaly resolution
- Experience building or contributing to custom tooling for telemetry, analysis, data pipelines, or operational dashboards
- Background in designing or scaling operational architectures for fleets or constellations
- Experience with scripting or automation tools (e.g. Python, Rust)
- Excellent conflict resolution and negotiation skills
- Hands-on experience with HITL or Flatsat software verification testbeds
- Experience working with GAaaS providers.
- Experience with Linux systems
- Experience managing contractual interfaces (e.g. customer, launch vehicle)
Skills
Required
- Spacecraft testing and troubleshooting
- Conflict resolution and negotiation
Preferred
- GAaaS providers
- Linux systems
- Managing contractual interfaces
Benefits
- Base salary range for this role is $130,000 - $180,000 + equity in the company
- Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level
- Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks
About K2 Space
K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by over $1 billion in total funding from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, ICONIQ, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, and T. Rowe Price — and with over $1 billion 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. 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. With multiple launches in 2027 and plans to scale to 100 satellites a year, we're Building Bigger — helping develop the solar system and build toward a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a high-growth Series D-funded company, we'd love for you to apply.