Senior Mission Engineer

ispace, inc. is looking for senior mission engineer to join our growing team

As a Senior Mission Engineer, you will serve as one of the technical and programmatic leaders responsible for delivering successful lunar and deep-space missions. Working within the Mission Management organization, you will integrate engineering, program execution, and mission objectives to ensure the spacecraft is delivered within technical, cost, schedule, and mission performance constraints.

Mission Engineers are responsible for making mission-level technical and programmatic recommendations by coordinating multidisciplinary engineering teams throughout the complete spacecraft lifecycle - from mission concept through launch and mission operations.

Unlike traditional subsystem or systems engineering roles, Mission Engineers maintain a mission-wide perspective and balance competing technical, schedule, cost, and risk considerations to achieve overall mission success.

If you are;

• Systems thinker who naturally considers mission success above subsystem optimization.
• Strong technical leadership with the ability to influence without direct authority.
• Excellent judgment when balancing technical performance, cost, schedule, and mission risk.
• Ability to make timely, data-driven decisions under uncertainty.
• Comfortable operating in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment with evolving mission priorities.
• Passion for advancing lunar exploration and enabling successful space missions.

Join our team on our journey to the moon!

Key responsibilities

• ## Mission Leadership Serve as the mission-level engineering focal point throughout the spacecraft development lifecycle.
• Lead multidisciplinary engineering teams to deliver spacecraft systems that satisfy mission objectives within approved cost and schedule constraints.
• Drive mission-level technical and programmatic decision-making by balancing mission performance, technical risk, cost, schedule, and implementation feasibility.
• Support Mission Manager and EVP Mission Management Group in execution of mission objectives and program milestones.

Mission Requirements Management

• Own and maintain mission requirements throughout the complete development lifecycle.
• Ensure requirements are properly allocated, verified, validated, and traced across spacecraft subsystems.
• Lead mission architecture development, Concept of Operations (ConOps), mission scenarios, and operational concepts.
• Coordinate mission-level trade studies and establish overall mission success criteria.

Technical Leadership

• Lead spacecraft system integration activities across all engineering disciplines including: Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC)
• Communications
• Propulsion
• Thermal
• Structures & Mechanisms
• Electrical Power System
• Avionics/CDH
• Software
• Payloads
• Chair cross-functional technical discussions and facilitate engineering decisions.
• Resolve multidisciplinary technical conflicts by considering mission-level impacts rather than individual subsystem optimization.
• Lead mission-level risk identification, mitigation planning, and technical decision reviews.

Program Execution

• Monitor mission cost, schedule, technical performance, and development progress throughout the project lifecycle.
• Evaluate engineering changes for technical impact, schedule impact, cost impact, and mission risk.
• Support planning and execution of major project reviews including SRR, PDR, CDR, IRR, TRR, FRR, and Mission Readiness Reviews.
• Coordinate engineering activities with suppliers, international partners, customers, and launch providers.
• Support spacecraft Assembly, Integration & Test (AIT), launch campaign, LEOP, commissioning, and anomaly resolution activities.

Continuous Improvement

• Improve mission engineering processes, tools, and methodologies.
• Develop analytical tools and dashboards for mission performance, technical margins, cost tracking, and schedule assessment.

Required skills

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
• Minimum 7 years of experience leading the design, development, verification, or operation of at least one spacecraft subsystem, such as: GNC
• Communications
• Propulsion
• Thermal
• Structures & Mechanisms
• Avionics/CDH
• Electrical Power System
• Flight Software
• Payload Engineering
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary technical activities beyond a single subsystem.
• Strong understanding of the complete spacecraft development lifecycle.
• Experience participating in major engineering design reviews.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred skills

• 10+ years of experience in Mission Engineering, Spacecraft Systems Engineering, Technical Program Leadership, or Chief Engineering roles.
• Experience leading mission-level technical decisions involving multiple engineering disciplines.
• Experience managing or influencing project cost, schedule, technical performance, and risk.
• Experience developing mission architectures, ConOps, and mission requirements.
• Experience with spacecraft integration, environmental testing, launch campaigns, and mission operations.
• Familiarity with ECSS, NASA, ISO 15288, or INCOSE systems engineering practices.
• Experience with MBSE methodologies and digital engineering tools.
• Experience working with international development teams and commercial suppliers.
• Experience with lunar, planetary, or deep-space exploration missions is highly desirable.

We will prioritize candidates currently in Japan with valid working visa.

For overseas candidates, please note that you choose to proceed, this role requires relocation to Japan upon acceptance of the position. Compensation will be provided in JPY and aligned with local market benchmarks in Japan, based on the role’s level, scope, and prevailing industry standards.