Spacecraft Mission Operations Engineer II & III

Acara Solutions seeks highly qualified candidates to work ON-SITE with our client in Leander, TX (Austin region).

Here's what you'd do:

• Derive and maintain operational requirements for missions and author portions of Interface Control Documents (ICDs).
• Lead the integration and validation of specific ground-segment tools, data pipelines, and remote interfaces needed for sustained orbital operations.
• Plan and execute Ground Readiness Tests (GRTs) and end-to-end mission simulations for assigned subsystems or mission capabilities.
• Own the operational framework for one or more spacecraft subsystems and author mission-critical procedures and automation scripts.
• Lead cross-functional Working Groups with subsystem engineers to mature procedures across commissioning, routine operations, maneuvers, and contingency scenarios.
• Define operational capabilities and develop internal tools to improve efficiency, reliability, and situational awareness for long-duration missions.
• Design subsystem-focused "Day-in-the-Life" (DITL) simulation scenarios that stress long-term operational behaviors and fault responses.
• Collaborate with simulator and flight software teams to ensure realistic and operationally relevant simulation fidelity.
• Mentor junior engineers and help ensure operator readiness for nominal and off-nominal scenarios.
• Staff critical console roles during commissioning, maneuvers, and anomaly resolution events.
• Lead real-time operations for assigned subsystems, providing clear technical status to mission leadership.
• Architect the operational ConOps for missions, owning the operational interpretation of spacecraft design.
• Own and approve Interface Control Documents (ICDs) and ground system architectures supporting long-duration and multi-role missions.
• Lead system-level validation and verification campaigns from early integration through sustained operations readiness.
• Define the operational standards for missions, including procedure structure, automation philosophy, and command authority models.
• Chair cross-functional Working Groups, resolving complex technical tradeoffs between spacecraft design and operational risk.
• Build and maintain the long-term roadmap for operations product development as the mission evolves.
• Set the strategy for internal operations software and tooling, ensuring scalability and reliability across years of operations.
• Architect the DITL and mission rehearsal campaign, defining training objectives appropriate for long-duration, anomaly-driven operations.
• Define requirements for simulator fidelity, integration, and validation; approve test plans and readiness criteria.
• Lead team training and certification, assessing readiness, and maintaining high operational standards across mission phases.
• Serve in senior console or leadership roles during critical operations, anomalies, and maneuver campaigns.
• Provide authoritative direction to the operations team and mission leadership during high-impact events.
• Contribute to the technical foundation of the mission, including the derivation of requirements and the authoring of sections within Interface Control Documents (ICDs).
• Lead the integration of specific ground segment tools and remote interfaces, ensuring they are validated and flight-ready.
• Execute rigorous system validation campaigns, creating Ground Readiness Test plans and leading end-to-end mission simulations for specific subsystems.
• Build the operational framework for specific subsystems (GNC, Thermal) by authoring mission-critical procedures and complex automation scripts.
• Lead specific cross-functional Working Groups, driving technical discussions with subsystem designers to refine procedures for all flight phases.
• Define capabilities and develop internal tools to enable workflows.
• Design specific "Day-in-the-Life" (DITL) simulation scenarios to stress-test procedures and prepare the team for lunar maneuvers.
• Collaborate with simulator engineers to ensure high-fidelity integration of ground simulators into the operations environment.
• Mentor junior engineers during team training, ensuring flight controllers are proficient in anomaly response for your assigned subsystem.
• Maintain the operational discipline and command authority required to staff critical console roles, where you will be expected to execute the mission plan, manage high-pressure anomalies, and lead the team through long-duration shifts and rehearsals.
• Architect the technical foundation of the mission, defining the Concept of Operations (ConOps) and owning Interface Control Documents (ICDs).
• Lead the implementation of the entire ground segment infrastructure, towards final approval for Mission Control Center readiness and data distribution architectures.
• Direct rigorous system validation and verification campaigns, defining the criteria for Site Acceptance Testing to Mission Scenario Testing.
• Define the operational framework for various mission scenarios and vehicles, setting the standards for procedure development, automation scripts, and flight workflows.
• Chair cross-functional Working Groups, resolving complex technical conflicts between subsystem teams to finalize the operational baseline.
• Architect mission operations plans and the roadmap for ops products development.
• Drive the development strategy for software tools, ensuring a seamless and risk-free transition from system design to live operations2E
• Architect parts of the campaign of "Day-in-the-Life" (DITL) simulations and mission rehearsals, defining the training objectives for high-stakes lunar maneuvers.
• Collaborate with technical teams to define the requirements for ground simulator integration and validation, write the test plans, and execute them.
• Lead the team training process, assessing readiness and managing the training activities to ensure proficiency in nominal and off-nominal execution.
• Maintain the operational discipline and command authority required to staff critical console roles, where you will be expected to execute the mission plan, manage high-pressure anomalies, and lead the team through long-duration shifts and rehearsals.

Here's what you'll get:

Pay: 100k-115k / Year (Level II); $125k - $150k / Year (level III). Possible level IV.

Hours: 40 hrs/Week.

Length: Direct Hire (Open to contractors or contract to hire)

About Acara Solutions

Acara is a premier recruiting and workforce solutions provider-we help companies attract and retain top talent. With a legacy of experience across industries worldwide, we partner with clients, listen to their needs, and customise visionary talent solutions that drive the business outcomes they seek. We leverage decades of experience to deliver comprehensive staffing solutions, including contingent staffing, direct placement, executive search, and workforce services, worldwide.