Staff Mission Formulation Lead- EO/IR Verified today

About the role

Muon Space is seeking a Staff Mission Formulation Lead for EO/IR to join the Mission Innovation team. You will lead strategic capture efforts and drive exploration of new market opportunities through mission formulations, instrument capabilities, and space technologies. You will bridge technical expertise and business development to identify and capture high-value opportunities in commercial, government, and philanthropic missions. Operating at the earliest stages of the business lifecycle, you will validate how Muon's unique capabilities solve critical challenges for defense, intelligence, philanthropic, and commercial end-users.

Responsibilities

• Lead execution of mission formulation contracts and cross-functional teams to deliver mission concepts and documentation in EO/IR domains.
• Lead strategic capture campaigns for high-value opportunities across government and commercial sectors in EO/IR and optical remote sensing.
• Drive execution of complex, multi-stage programs from early engagement and formulation through design concepts to mission delivery.
• Execute early-stage R&D activities and proposals as Principal Investigator.
• Lead creation of technical proposals, white papers, and concept studies that articulate Muon's differentiation and drive R&D roadmaps.
• Perform feasibility studies, literature reviews, and trade studies for early-stage mission, instrument, and data concepts.
• Support customer discovery and engagement, translating operational needs into technical requirements and solutions.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product management, business development, and engineering to identify and develop new markets, products, and technologies.

Qualifications

• B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Physics, Remote Sensing, Earth Science, Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical/scientific field.
• 7 or more years of experience in Earth remote sensing mission and/or instrument development.
• Strong foundation in first principles with ability to decompose high-level mission objectives to technical concepts and solutions.
• Background in infrared, multispectral, hyperspectral, or similar remote sensing phenomenologies.
• Experience in EO/IR and related space missions across government and commercial markets.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with ability to distill complex scientific concepts for diverse audiences.
• Strong collaborative skills for working across engineering, satellite operations, mission architecture, and business development.
• Existing TS/SCI clearance or ability to obtain and maintain.

Nice-to-have skills

• Proficiency in programming (Python, MATLAB, Julia) for space mission analysis and remote sensing concept development.
• Familiarity with early-stage business development and discovery processes.
• Training or demonstrated experience in strategic planning, roadmapping, or scenario planning.
• Familiarity with space systems development, especially satellite remote sensing.

Compensation

Salary range: $187,000 - $223,000, plus incentive compensation, competitive equity grant, and comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision insurance, 401k, disability and life insurance, three weeks paid vacation for new employees, 12 paid holidays, unlimited sick time, and paid parental leave. Final compensation determined based on skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location.

Location and employment

Full-time position in Northern Virginia. This position requires access to export controlled information. Applicant must either be a U.S. person (citizen, national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee), eligible to access export controlled information without authorization, or eligible and reasonably likely to obtain required export authorization from applicable U.S. government agency.