Mission Manager / Systems Engineer II

About Lodestar

Lodestar is the software-first space prime for the hardware abundant era. We believe the next generation of space systems will be defined not by launch, fuel, and batteries, but by software, compute, and autonomous effects.

Space is becoming an increasingly contested warfighting domain, with growing threats to the satellites and critical infrastructure underpinning modern life. Maintaining Western strategic advantage will require a new generation of space capabilities built for the speed, complexity and scale of future conflict.

Lodestar is addressing this challenge by building superintelligent spacecraft capable of operating autonomously in orbit. Combining our capabilities in advanced adversarial tracking & characterisation, onboard edge compute and autonomous effect delivery, our technology enables spacecraft to execute complex rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO), detect and classify objects, predict intent and respond to orbital threats - even in denied environments. By integrating sensing, reasoning and action into a single autonomous system, we aim to deliver decisive situational awareness and space superiority for defence and commercial operators.

Backed by elite deep-tech venture capital, international space agencies and government stakeholders, Lodestar is rapidly expanding its footprint across the U.S. Space Force, the Department of War, and major commercial satellite operators. We are a lean, high-autonomy team of engineers and operators building the space defense infrastructure of tomorrow.

Join us.

About the Job

At Lodestar, as a Mission Manager / Systems Engineer II, you will own the success of a defence space mission from concept through to flight. You will be the single point of accountability between our engineering teams, our spacecraft and payload partners, and our government customers, making sure that what we build is what the mission needs.

You will not be expected to build every model yourself, but you will be expected to understand them, challenge them and shape the technical decisions they drive. This role suits someone with an engineering foundation who wants to use it to steer a whole mission rather than own a single subsystem.

What You'll Do

• Own the mission end to end: requirements, interfaces, schedule, risk and readiness, through to on-orbit operations
• Lead the definition of core mission requirements across the spacecraft bus and payload, including performance at range, pointing and tracking, and end-to-end timelines and latency, working with engineering to set targets that are ambitious and achievable
• Drive the early first-order analysis that proves out the mission's key requirements: commission, review and challenge the models with our engineers, and make the call when a requirement needs to change
• Own the Interface Control Documents (ICDs) between the payload's operating modes and the host spacecraft's guidance, navigation and control (GNC) system, negotiating them with partner engineering teams
• Work with government stakeholders and end users to define the key evaluation and wargaming scenarios the system will be judged against, and make sure they are reflected in requirements and test plans
• Be the primary technical point of contact for customers and partners: lead technical interchange meetings and design reviews, and manage deliverables, milestones and risks
• Track verification with Lodestar's autonomy, simulation and test teams through simulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing
• Support proposals and new mission concepts with CONOPS, requirements and statements of work

Basic Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in mission management, program management or systems engineering in space, aerospace or defense
• Bachelor's degree in a technical field, or equivalent technical experience; Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical or Systems Engineering, or Physics strongly preferred
• Experience owning requirements and Interface Control Documents with external partners or customers
• Enough technical depth to follow engineering analysis, ask the right questions and influence design decisions
• Proven ability to run schedules, risks and deliverables on a complex technical programs
• Clear written and verbal communication, with the ability to represent Lodestar to customers and partners
• Active Secret or Top Secret clearance is preferred; if you don't hold one, you must be eligible and willing to obtain and maintain a US security clearance
• Able to work onsite in El Segundo, CA, travel up to 20% to customer, partner and test sites, and sprint to key mission milestones

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Government contract execution end to end: deliverable (CDRL) tracking, milestone acceptance, and the invoicing cycle through Wide Area Workflow (WAWF), ensuring each milestone package meets its acceptance criteria before submission
• Experience managing cost, schedule, and performance against the contract baseline — maintain the integrated master schedule, risk register, and funding status, and flag variances and funding limitations before they impact delivery
• Comfort operating in a fast-paced startup with high ownership and evolving requirements
• Experience with spacecraft integration, test and launch campaigns
• Hands-on engineering background in spacecraft systems, GNC, payloads or mission analysis
• Experience with precision pointing, acquisition and tracking systems or other high-performance payloads
• Experience with rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) or space domain awareness missions
• Comfort building system-level diagrams, sanity-checking performance with quick first-order calculations in Python, MATLAB or a spreadsheet

ITAR Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Compensation & Benefits

Our full band structure for this role:

• (P2) Developing: $115,000 - $174,000 / year
• Meaningful equity incentives as part of our employee option pool
• Flexible PTO with generous paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave
• Comprehensive medical, dental & vision coverage
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match
• Based in Los Angeles

Additional Information

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision and dental coverage, as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.

Lodestar is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Lodestar is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.