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Apex manufactures satellite buses (spacecraft platforms) at scale, combining software, vertical integration, and hardware design to serve the rapidly growing commercial space industry. The company enables earth observation, communications, and other critical space-based services.
The Staff Mission Integration Engineer is a senior technical role responsible for independently owning complex spacecraft analysis and serving as the primary liaison between customers and internal technical teams. This position requires deep expertise across the full mission lifecycle, from architecture definition through on-orbit operations.
Key responsibilities include:
- Define end-to-end mission architecture for complex spacecraft systems, including spacecraft, launch vehicles, ground systems, and operations aligned with customer requirements
- Lead space vehicle integration and test (I&T) planning and execution, including payload integration, environmental testing, and launch vehicle integration
- Perform mission analysis including orbital mechanics, trajectory planning, and spacecraft deployment strategies
- Lead coupled loads analysis (CLA), thermal analysis, and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) assessments
- Generate and maintain mission-specific technical budgets (power, mass, data, pointing)
- Serve as primary technical liaison between internal teams and customers on strategic programs
- Travel to launch sites to lead payload integration, system checkouts, and launch rehearsals
- Develop technical documentation, integration procedures, and lessons learned
- Lead requirements analysis, verification, and validation to ensure compliance with customer needs and industry standards
- Perform system-level failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) and support reliability engineering
- Lead cross-functional team efforts across electrical, mechanical, and software engineering
- Support proposal development for future missions with technical approaches and feasibility studies
Required qualifications: Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering (or related field); 10+ years experience with complex hardware systems (spacecraft preferred) or technical capture management; U.S. Person status for export-controlled data access; strong understanding of space systems, launch vehicle mechanics, and orbital dynamics; experience with prime contractors or government entities; proficiency in mission analysis tools (Python, MATLAB, STK, FreeFlyer, GMAT); excellent cross-functional collaboration and communication skills.
Preferred: satellite manufacturing or aerospace/defense industry experience; CubeSat or small satellite mission integration; familiarity with flight software and space communications protocols (CCSDS, S-band, X-band).
