Mission Operations Planning Engineer at Relative Dynamics Inc. in Greenbelt, MD

Job description

• Relative Dynamics is seeking a Mission Operations Planning Engineer to work on-site at NASA GSFC in Greenbelt, MD. This is a full-time, on-site position and is not eligible for remote work.

Responsibilities

• Lead Mission Operations Working Groups (MOWGs) to define instrument-specific and mission-level activation sequences, resolving dependencies and resource conflicts (power, thermal, data bus, ground contact).
• Work with instrument teams to define post-launch and periodic calibrations, and confirm with the spacecraft team that pointing, timing, power, and data needs can be supported.
• Document activation, calibration, and contingency procedures for validation during ground testing and mission rehearsals; lead pre-launch procedure verification and testing.
• Define the process for developing and validating new or updated procedures after launch.
• Define the flight operations OPSCON (centralized, distributed, or hybrid) and document its staffing, shift, and facility implications.
• Define data flow from the spacecraft vendor to the GSFC SDPF, work with the science team to trace each instrument's data path from Level 0 to Level N, and coordinate with IT Security on networking requirements.
• Act as the integrating point of contact across instrument, spacecraft, flight ops, science, and IT Security teams, and drive working group action items to closure.

Requirements

• Required & Desired Skills
• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field.
• At least 5+ years of experience in Mission Operations Planning or satellite/spaceflight operations.
• Required & Desired Experience
• Demonstrated experience in spacecraft or instrument mission operations planning, commissioning/activation planning, or flight operations for a satellite/space mission.
• Experience developing and verifying flight operations procedures.
• Familiarity with spacecraft-to-ground data flow concepts, including telemetry routing and science data processing levels (Level 0 through higher-level products).
• Strong cross-functional coordination skills; demonstrated ability to lead working groups across engineering, science, and operations stakeholders.
• Experience supporting or interfacing with NASA GSFC programs, SDPF, or similar science data processing environments strongly preferred.

Skills

Required

• Mission Operations Planning
• Satellite/spaceflight operations
• Commissioning/activation planning
• Spacecraft-to-ground data flow concepts
• Telemetry routing
• Cross-functional coordination
• Leading working groups
• Effective communication
• Customer-focused
• Dependable and accountable
• Productive and results-oriented
• Collaborative team player

Benefits

• Grow your career with mobility, continuous learning, tuition reimbursement, and a personal development program in a culture that rewards innovation and impact
• Join a high-performing team that works together on meaningful, mission-driven work and support each other.
• Enjoy comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, life/disability coverage, 401(k) with match, PTO, company holidays, and community engagement opportunities