Mission Manager, Space Lasers (Starshield)

Job Title

Mission Manager, Space Lasers (Starshield)

Role Summary

Own design, testing, integration, and on-orbit operations for the Starshield Mini Space Laser program. Work with engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and program teams to deliver high-data-rate laser communication systems for government customers.

Serve as the primary internal and external point of contact for space laser system definition, requirements, verification, and mission success.

Experience Level

Mid-level. Typical candidate has 5+ years of hands-on laboratory or professional experience in laser technology, electrical or mechanical systems, or testing.

Responsibilities

Lead technical and program activities across design, test, and operations for on-orbit laser communications hardware.

• Define system requirements and specifications for high-data-rate laser communications under challenging environmental conditions.
• Lead design, analysis, verification, and validation activities including environmental qualification, performance characterization, reliability testing, and fault injection.
• Represent the laser communications system to government customers, internal program teams, vendors, and reliability groups.
• Participate in cross-disciplinary program-level trades and resolve technical issues affecting mission success.
• Interface with manufacturing and supply chain to ensure producible designs and on-time deliverables.
• Drive risk mitigation, schedule adherence, and product reliability for high-reliability applications.
• Support on-orbit operations and coordinate real-time tasking and data delivery requirements.

Requirements

Must-have skills and constraints required to perform the role; preferred skills listed separately.

• Must-have: Active Top Secret, Top Secret SCI, or DOE Level Q clearance, or ability to obtain and maintain such clearance; must pass DoD-level background checks.
• Must-have: 5+ years of hands-on laboratory or professional experience in laser technology, electrical or mechanical systems, or testing.
• Must-have: Ability to travel up to 25% and to make design decisions with incomplete data in a fast-paced environment.
• Must-have: Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to represent technical systems to customers and stakeholders.
• Nice-to-have: Experience designing, testing, and implementing circuit boards or mechanical components; mixed-signal circuits, processors, FPGAs, Ethernet, SERDES, DRAM interfaces (DDR4), I2C, SPI, op-amps, ADCs/DACs, and power components.
• Nice-to-have: Experience with digital communication systems (spread spectrum, FEC, QPSK, QAM, PCM/FM, PAM) and free-space optical systems, optics testing, and signal integrity techniques.
• Nice-to-have: Hands-on optical design, system integration and test of laser communication systems; infrared system alignment and characterization.
• Nice-to-have: Competence with programming (C++, LabVIEW, Python) and Linux-based scripting and automation.
• Nice-to-have: Experience leading development of commercial communications products and hardware for high-reliability applications.

Education Requirements

Required: Bachelor's degree in an engineering or science discipline. Preferred: Master's degree or PhD in physics, engineering, or another STEM discipline. Additionally, an active Top Secret/Top Secret SCI or DOE Level Q security clearance is required (or the ability to obtain and maintain it).

About the Company

Company: SpaceX

Headquarters: Hawthorne, California, United States

SpaceX is focused on developing space technologies to enable human exploration of Mars and beyond. The company is known for its advancements in rocketry and its Starlink satellite constellation, which delivers high-speed internet globally.