Remote opportunity at
BlackSkySenior Engineer, Mission Planning
BlackSky operates a space-based intelligence network that sells satellite imagery, automated analytics and ongoing monitoring of places, economic assets and events worldwide. Its customers include allied…
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About This Role
BlackSky operates a space-based intelligence network that sells satellite imagery, automated analytics and ongoing monitoring of places, economic assets and events worldwide. Its customers include allied military and intelligence organizations as well as businesses. This Senior Engineer job joins the Mission Planning Engineering group, a product team that designs and maintains the autonomous operating logic for the company's satellite constellation. The engineer builds, implements and tests operating concepts that let…
Job Description
BlackSky operates a space-based intelligence network that sells satellite imagery, automated analytics and ongoing monitoring of places, economic assets and events worldwide. Its customers include allied military and intelligence organizations as well as businesses. This Senior Engineer job joins the Mission Planning Engineering group, a product team that designs and maintains the autonomous operating logic for the company's satellite constellation.
The engineer builds, implements and tests operating concepts that let the constellation schedule imaging, calibration, propulsion and other activities without people in the loop. Solutions may reuse proven methods or invent new formulations that squeeze the most useful captures out of a set of constraints. The engineer also models satellite communications, power and attitude systems so the planning logic works with ground and control software. Requirements are written and reviewed with engineering, product and software colleagues.
The mission planning team partners with a separate software group. Planners own requirements and design documents and may write prototype code in Python or Go. The engineer serves as a planning expert for daily operations and customer fulfillment, and sometimes provides round-the-clock support during launch, early operations or anomaly response.
The posting asks for at least six years of relevant work and a degree in aerospace, mechanical, systems engineering, computer science or a close equivalent. Benefits include medical, dental and vision coverage, fifteen days of PTO and eleven company holidays, a 401(k) with matching, and an employee stock purchase program. The anticipated pay for the posted level in Seattle, Washington is USD 120,000 to 145,000. The listing is marked remote, and the company has offices in Herndon, Virginia and Seattle. Because of export rules, the role requires US citizenship.
Responsibilities
- Work within the mission planning product team alongside planning, ground software, operations and product engineers.
- Build and test autonomous operating concepts for imaging, calibration and other constellation activities.
- Create new formulations that capture more useful imagery while respecting other activities and limits.
- Model satellite subsystems so the planning logic works with current and future ground software.
- Turn product ideas into engineering requirements, and lead discussions to review them.
- Act as the planning specialist for daily operations and customer delivery.
- Help debug and correct planning algorithms during launch, early operations or anomalies.
- Write prototype code in Python or Go, and build tools that track KPIs and expose inefficiencies.
Requirements
- A bachelor's or master's degree in aerospace, mechanical, systems engineering, computer science or an equivalent field.
- At least six years of relevant professional experience.
- Hands-on automation work with complicated systems such as satellite fleets, vehicle fleets, drones or delivery networks.
- Experience with planning or optimization methods, including their inputs, outputs and constraints.
- Experience drafting technical requirements and carrying them through to implementation.
- Experience managing projects or software products.
- Hands-on familiarity with Go or Python, plus maintainable and scalable code design.
- Excellent writing and speaking skills, and the ability to juggle several concurrent efforts.
- US citizenship, which the program requires.
Qualifications
- Experience with satellite or aerial imaging planning, including point-target, strip-map, pushbroom, whiskbroom, wide-area or stereo capture.
- Comfort with orbital mechanics, attitude control and spacecraft systems.
- Experience with modeling and simulation projects.
- Experience with integer or linear programming solvers.
- Experience with embedded systems for satellites or other autonomous vehicles.
Core Skills
Benefits
- Medical, dental and vision coverage, plus disability coverage, group life and AD&D insurance.
- The company pays the full cost of employee-only medical, dental and vision premiums, plus a monthly contribution toward out-of-pocket costs.
- fifteen days of PTO and eleven company holidays, four floating holidays, and one paid volunteer day per year.
- Parental leave.
- 401(k) with pre-tax and Roth options and an employer match.
- Flexible spending accounts and an employee stock purchase program.
- Employee and travel assistance programs, and matching donations.
- Professional development support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers are based only on the employer’s listing; where it doesn’t say, neither do we.
Is this role remote?
The listing is marked remote. The company has offices in Herndon, Virginia and Seattle, Washington, and says it is open to remote candidates.
What is the salary range?
The posting gives an anticipated range of USD 120,000 to 145,000 per year for the posted level in Seattle, Washington. Pay elsewhere may differ, and the final package depends on background.
Is there a citizenship requirement?
Yes. The posting says the program requires US citizenship because of export regulations.
How do I apply?
The posting text does not describe the application steps.
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