Mission Planning Engineer - MOPS

Position Overview

We are seeking a Mission Planning Engineer to develop, automate, and maintain the mission operations processes, tools, and procedures required for successful operations planning for the AST SpaceMobile satellite constellation. This role blends mission operations engineering with software-driven automation, with a strong emphasis on scripting satellite procedures, developing operational tooling, and enabling scalable, reliable constellation operations. This position plays a critical role in shaping how the Satellite Operations Center (SOC) functions day-to-day and evolves over the lifetime of the constellation, providing operational insight into system design while actively building the automation and procedures used on orbit. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop daily activity plan for all spacecraft in the fleet.
• Populate and validate all procedures necessary to execute the activity plan.
• Manage and prioritize real-time activity requests.
• Load balance activities across the fleet and the crews.
• Coordinate with payload and subsystem engineers to ensure parallel activity compatibility.
• Coordinate contact scheduling with commercial TTC providers.
• Develop, test, and validate satellite operations procedures, sequences of events, and command scripts used for on-orbit operations.
• Script and automate satellite command and control procedures using languages such as Python (and similar scripting languages).
• Develop telemetry validation logic and expected response checks to support both automated and manual operations.
• Modify and improve procedures based on on-orbit performance and lessons learned.
• Design, develop, and maintain custom mission operations tools and automation scripts.
• Develop tooling and lightweight applications to support on-orbit operations, monitoring, and analysis.
• Build or extend user interfaces, dashboards, or visualization tools that improve operator situational awareness.
• Interface with internal and external APIs to integrate mission operations workflows.
• Support system-level integration tests and end-to-end testing between the SOC and factory satellite.
• Participate in mission readiness activities including operations tests, simulations, rehearsals, and dry runs.
• Support mission operations during LEOP and other critical on-orbit activities, including possible periodic rotating shifts.
• Work closely with systems engineers, flight software, ground software, and external vendors to develop operational products.
• Support requirements development, architecture reviews, design reviews, readiness reviews, and program milestones.
• Provide mentoring and technical guidance to mission operations team members. 

Qualifications 

Education:

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science, Technology, or Math (STEM) field.

Experience:

• 2-5+ years of relevant experience in mission operations, software development, or automation roles.
• Experience scripting operational procedures or automation workflows using Python or similar languages.
• Familiarity with satellite command and control operations and mission operations workflows.
• Comfortable working in a Windows development and operations environment.
• Experience working with applications deployed in AWS or other cloud environments.
• Familiarity with Git or other version control systems.
• Familiarity with the Atlassian tool suite (Jira, Confluence). 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with multi-satellite LEO constellations.
• Experience developing or operating automated mission operations systems.
• Familiarity with distributed systems, networking protocols, and API-based integrations.
• Experience creating telemetry displays, monitoring dashboards, or operator UIs.
• Basic experience with databases or data persistence for operational tooling.
• Systems engineering experience or coursework (requirements, architecture, integration & test).
• Experience supporting mission rehearsals, simulations, or critical on-orbit operations. 

Soft Skills:

• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work independently.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with evolving system requirements.
• Self-starter who takes ownership and initiative.
• Comfortable working to tight deadlines in high-stress operational environments.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with a remote, distributed, and cross-disciplinary team.
• Strong operational mindset with a bias toward automation and reliability. 

Technology Stack:

• Python and similar scripting languages for satellite command and control automation.
• Windows-based development and operations environments.
• AWS or other cloud environments for deployed applications.
• Git or other version control systems.
• Atlassian tool suite (Jira, Confluence).
• Telemetry validation, dashboard, and visualization tooling for operator situational awareness. 

Physical Requirements 

• Ability to lift up to 25 lbs.
• Ability to use a computer for extended periods.
• Ability to work in a standard office environment.
• Ability to support periodic rotating shifts during LEOP and other critical on-orbit operations.

This job description may not be inclusive to the duties and responsibilities listed. Additional tasks may be assigned to the employee from time to time or the scope of the job may change as needed by business demands.