Constellation/Sys Eng/Telemetry
LEO Constellation Program
Three lead technical positions | US-based, remote | Cash-weighted package
A funded satellite operator is building its own LEO constellation and is hiring the senior technical layer in the US rather than staffing it from its home market. Three of those seats are open now: the systems and integration authority, the constellation architect, and the owner of telemetry, tracking, and command across both space and ground.
The company already sells capacity through an anchor partner's existing fleet, so this is not an organization learning satellite operations from a standing start. What is new is the owned constellation: S-band direct-to-device on 3GPP NTN Rel-17/18, Ka-band FSS alongside it, and a build campaign running from engineering model through qualification to proto-flight. Each of these three roles is the single technical authority for its area. There is no layer above them inside the satellite division that will overrule the engineering call.
Position one: Lead, Systems Engineering and Program Integration
The technical integration spine. You own satellite-level requirements, interface control, and acceptance.
That means issuing and maintaining the Mission Requirements Document covering S-band NTN, Ka-band FSS, coverage, latency, and EIRP targets. Establishing the formal program management interfaces with the anchor satellite partners and running the technical governance cadence with them. Standing up the AIT capability, including partner sign-up, ISO 8 clean room, and procurement of thermal vacuum, vibration, acoustic, EMC, and shock test equipment. Owning the EM, QM, and PFM build campaigns and chairing PDR, CDR, FRR, and acceptance reviews.
You will need 15 years or more in spacecraft systems engineering with demonstrated ownership of full build cycles, direct experience integrating multi-vendor subsystem deliveries on a LEO or MEO platform, working knowledge of ECSS or NASA systems engineering standards, and a track record managing partner interfaces with global satellite operators. Postgraduate qualification in aerospace, electrical, or systems engineering.
Position two: Lead, Constellation Design and Simulation
Sole design authority for the orbital architecture. Every downstream satellite vendor RFQ, ITU coordination position, and partner capacity term sheet is gated by decisions made in this seat.
You will close link budgets for S-band D2D across NB-IoT NTN and NR NTN, and for Ka-band FSS, including rain fade and Doppler. Run coverage validation and RF simulation against partner constellation ephemeris. Commission the EPFD simulation per ITU-R S.1503-2 to clear coordination with GSO incumbents. Maintain the capacity allocation and scaling roadmap.
You will need 12 years or more in LEO or MEO constellation design with hands-on STK, GMAT, FreeFlyer, or equivalent, demonstrated link budget closure on S-band MSS or Ka-band FSS systems, direct ITU coordination practice including EPFD analysis, and a publication or technical paper record in NTN, NGSO orbital mechanics, or interference management. Postgraduate degree in aerospace, electrical engineering, or applied physics.
Position three: Lead, Satellite Telemetry, Tracking and Command
Both segments. You own the S-band TT&C subsystem on the satellites and the ground network that talks to them.
Vendor selection and contracting for the subsystem. Design and deployment of the S-band ground station network. Evaluation of shared national ground network access against a dedicated build. On-orbit performance monitoring tooling and process for the partner fleet. Telemetry analytics, trend monitoring, and anomaly detection workflows interfacing with the satellite operations center.
You will need 10 years or more in TT&C with hands-on subsystem ownership, working knowledge of CCSDS standards and S-band command and control link design, and multi-satellite TT&C ground network design at scale. First-hand planning or operations involvement on an existing LEO constellation is the real bar here. Postgraduate qualification in RF, communications, or aerospace engineering.
What is true across all three
US-based and fully remote, with a Texas office and US payroll. Occasional travel to the core engineering team overseas, roughly twice a year. Each role is a lead position with genuine technical authority, sitting alongside the other technical leads in a flat structure rather than under a program director.
The package is cash weighted: competitive base plus bonus, no equity component at lead level. That is a deliberate structure rather than an oversight. The program is corporate funded rather than venture backed, which means no dilution, no cliff, and no dependence on the next raise, but it also means the upside is in the cash and the mandate, not in a cap table. If equity is the reason you would move, these are not the right seats and I would rather say that now.
The honest read
This is a build. The architecture, the vendor base, the test facility, and the ground network are all being decided rather than inherited. That is the appeal for the right person and the reason the wrong person will struggle. Some elements are still being finalized, including where final integration and test physically sits and how the launch arrangements land. I will tell you exactly where those stand on a call rather than let you discover it in week three.
Certain commercial decisions, including partner term sheets and multi-year capacity commitments, sit with corporate leadership above the satellite division. The engineering call is yours. The capital call is not.
If any of these fit
Send me your resume or a short note on which of the three is closest to what you actually own today, and we can find time for a call this week. I will give you the client name, the comp position, and an honest read on fit before you commit to anything further.
If none of the three are right but the program interests you, it is worth a conversation anyway. There are further technical lead seats across the program and I would rather know what you are looking for than guess.