Senior Engineer, Mission Planning Verified today

About BlackSky

BlackSky is a real-time intelligence company that owns and operates an advanced space-based imaging platform. We provide satellite imagery, automated analytics, and high-frequency monitoring to allied military, intelligence, and commercial customers globally.

The Role

You will develop and track system-level requirements, schedules, and technical implementation for mission planning products from design through orbital operations. You'll define requirements and write prototype code, working closely with Mission Management software developers, ground systems engineers, and operations teams.

Your focus will be modeling and implementing autonomous planning concepts for constellation activities including imaging, calibration, propulsion, and other critical tasks. You may leverage heritage algorithms or design novel solutions to optimize image capture planning while managing constraints. You'll also model satellite subsystems such as communications, power, and attitude control to support mission planning functions.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the mission planning integrated product team, interfacing with mission planning, ground software, operations, and product engineers.
• Model, implement, and test operational concepts for autonomous planning of imaging, calibration, propulsion, and other constellation activities.
• Model satellite subsystems (communications, power, attitude) compatible with existing and future ground and control software.
• Support ongoing constellation operations and customer fulfillment as a mission planning subject matter expert.
• Translate product concepts to engineering requirements and facilitate review among stakeholders.
• Provide occasional 24/7 support during launch, early operations, or anomaly response for mission planning algorithm debugging and fixes.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, systems engineering, computer science, or equivalent.
• At least 6 years of relevant professional experience.
• Experience with automation of complex systems such as satellites, vehicle fleets, drones, or logistics.
• Experience with planning or optimization algorithms and understanding of their inputs, outputs, and constraints.
• Experience writing technical requirements and driving implementation.
• Experience with project management or software product development.
• Working knowledge of Go or Python.
• Knowledge of software design, maintenance, and implementation including data structures, data retrieval and storage, algorithm efficiency, and scalable code.
• Demonstrated initiative to identify and solve problems or inefficiencies in your field.
• Strong team cooperation and organizational skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent, independent activities.
• US citizenship required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Expertise in satellite or aerial imagery mission planning algorithms, including point target, strip mapping, pushbroom, whiskbroom, wide area capture, or stereo capture planning.
• Fluency in satellite first principles such as orbital mechanics, attitude dynamics, and satellite systems.
• Demonstrated experience with modelling and simulation projects.
• Expertise with integer or linear program solvers.
• Experience with embedded systems for satellites or autonomous vehicles.

Locations

Seattle, WA; Herndon, VA; or Remote (US-based).

Compensation and Benefits

Anticipated salary range for Seattle, WA: $120,000-145,000 per year. Final compensation depends on background and education. Benefits for full-time eligible employees include medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance (BlackSky pays 100% of employee-only premiums for medical, dental, and vision); 15 days PTO, 11 company holidays, and 4 floating holidays; 401(k) with employer match; Employee Stock Purchase Program; professional development; and more.

Export Control

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations including ITAR, you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual, or eligible to obtain required authorization from the U.S. Department of State.