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Apex manufactures satellite buses (spacecraft platforms) at scale for commercial payloads, combining software, vertical integration, and hardware designed for manufacturing. The company enables earth observation, communications, and other critical space-based services.
As Mission Operations & Assurance Chief Engineer, you will serve as the central technical authority for on-orbit spacecraft operations, anomaly investigations, and mission assurance across Apex's satellite constellation. This is a senior technical leadership role requiring deep systems expertise and hands-on operational experience.
Key Responsibilities:
- Serve as primary engineering focal point for on-orbit spacecraft anomalies, performance degradation, subsystem failures, and mission-threatening events
- Direct anomaly triage, fault isolation, troubleshooting, and recovery planning in coordination with Mission Operations and subsystem teams
- Lead Root Cause and Corrective Action (RCCA) investigations using systematic methodologies (Fault Tree Analysis, FMEA, statistical reliability assessments)
- Evaluate anomaly implications across the satellite fleet, including common-cause failures and systemic design deficiencies
- Provide technical recommendations for spacecraft recovery, operational workarounds, and continued mission operations
- Establish and maintain structured investigation processes, including telemetry analysis, command history review, event log analysis, and failure reconstruction
- Establish and track key mission assurance indicators (anomaly recurrence rates, investigation closure performance, fleet failure trends)
- Develop and communicate technical findings, risk assessments, and closure recommendations to engineering leadership and executives
- Translate on-orbit failure data into actionable design improvements, updated requirements, and operational safeguards
- Provide independent technical reviews at design and pre-ship stages to ensure mission assurance
- Support critical mission operations and time-sensitive anomaly response outside normal business hours when required
- Work cross-functionally with Mission Operations, Systems Engineering, Reliability, Flight Software, Avionics, GNC, Propulsion, Power, Thermal, Manufacturing, and Test teams
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, or closely related technical discipline
- 10+ years of relevant engineering experience in spacecraft development, satellite systems engineering, mission operations, reliability engineering, or mission assurance
- 5+ years of experience supporting spacecraft mission operations, complex aerospace system troubleshooting, failure investigations, or anomaly resolution
- Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary technical investigations, failure review boards, or structured RCCA activities involving complex hardware/software systems
- Strong systems-level understanding of spacecraft architectures, subsystem interfaces, failure modes, and operational dependencies
- Experience analyzing engineering telemetry, test data, event logs, and technical evidence to reconstruct failures and develop defensible root cause conclusions
- Working knowledge of structured reliability and failure investigation methodologies, including FMEA/FMECA
- Demonstrated ability to assess technical risks, develop mitigation strategies, and communicate recommendations under schedule pressure or operational uncertainty
- Experience coordinating engineering activities across multiple technical disciplines and influencing stakeholders without direct reporting authority
- Strong technical writing and communication skills, including experience presenting complex investigation findings and risk assessments to senior engineering leadership and customers
- Ability to support critical mission operations and time-sensitive anomaly response outside normal business hours when required
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master's degree or Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field
- 15+ years of experience in spacecraft engineering, mission operations, reliability, or mission assurance, including senior technical leadership responsibilities
- Direct experience leading on-orbit anomaly investigations for operational satellite constellations, including simultaneous investigations affecting multiple spacecraft
- Previous experience as Spacecraft Chief Engineer, Mission Operations Chief Engineer, Mission Assurance Lead, Failure Review Board Chair, or equivalent senior technical authority
- Experience supporting spacecraft operations from initial commissioning through sustained constellation operations and end-of-life disposal
- Deep technical knowledge of multiple spacecraft subsystems (electrical power, avionics, flight software, GNC, propulsion, thermal control, communications)
- Experience investigating complex hardware/software interactions, intermittent failures, radiation-induced anomalies, common-cause failures, and system-level fault protection issues
- Experience implementing design or operational corrective actions across high-volume satellite manufacturing and rapidly evolving spacecraft production configurations
- Experience developing anomaly management processes, fleet health dashboards, reliability metrics, and investigation closure criteria
- Demonstrated ability to challenge technical assumptions, reconcile competing engineering assessments, and drive difficult technical decisions to closure
Note: ITAR compliance required. Applicants must be U.S. Person (citizen, national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee) or able to obtain required export authorizations.
