Staff Mission Lead Systems Engineer - Classified Missions
muonspace
Northern VA or Aurora, CO · Northern VA or Aurora · United States
Posted Jul 24, 2026
- Full-time
- Remote
- Engineering - Systems and GNC
muonspace
Northern VA or Aurora, CO · Northern VA or Aurora · United States
Posted Jul 24, 2026
Muon seeks a Staff Mission Lead Systems Engineer to join our Mission Execution team. At Muon, we are developing multiple missions to help understand and act on Earth and climate intelligence. As a Staff Mission Lead Systems Engineer, you will partner with our Mission Architecture team during early mission formulation and study phases — shaping the technical concept, driving architecture trades, and developing the requirements baseline for prospective Muon missions. When a mission you helped formulate is selected for implementation, you will become the Mission Lead Systems Engineer (MLSE), owning end-to-end technical success from concept through on-orbit operations for our most demanding missions. This role is pivotal as we scale our engineering rigor to meet the exacting standards of any customer requiring high-reliability systems, including those in the U.S. Government (USG), Department of Defense (DoD), Intelligence Community (IC), and select commercial sectors. In this role you will have a “big-picture” view of mission execution, spanning the full lifecycle of mission design — from initial formulation with the Business Development team, through execution with the space vehicle hardware and software teams, to on-orbit validation and mission performance monitoring with the Operations team. You will be the primary technical interface with customers and cross-functional team leads to develop requirements and ICDs, work with other Systems Engineers to perform system modeling, develop test plans with AI&T teams, and identify and reduce risk across the program with Program Managers.
Muon is a lean and agile team, so keys to success in this role are your ability to “right-size” analysis and processes for differing levels of system maturity and risk, your flexibility to work with changing demands and schedules, and your effective communication of technical content to a diverse audience.
This position can be performed remotely from an approved location.
The salary range for this role is $194,000 - $230,000 plus a competitive equity grant and comprehensive benefits package. Final compensation will be based on skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location as assessed during the interview process.
Founded in 2021, Muon Space is an end-to-end Space Systems Provider that designs, builds, and operates LEO satellite constellations delivering mission-critical data. Our revolutionary, integrated technology stack enables customers to optimize every dimension of their missions for faster time-to-orbit and superior constellation remote sensing performance. Our state-of-the-art facility in the heart of Silicon Valley is optimized for manufacturing spacecraft and rapid, flexible payload integration at scale. From climate monitoring to national security, Muon Space is dedicated to delivering Earth Intelligence for a safer and more resilient world.
At Muon salary is only part of our total compensation package. In addition to salary, full-time employees receive equity compensation as well as benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401k retirement plan, short & long term disability and life insurance. We also offer three weeks paid vacation for new employees, along with 12 paid holidays, unlimited sick time and paid parental leave.
Our mission embraces the entire planet and we believe our team should too. Muon is dedicated to creating a diverse and dynamic company and workforce. We believe in equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or gender identity. We value diversity in the workplace, and that starts with our applicants. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't check all the boxes, and we look forward to reviewing your application! In addition, if you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.
This position requires access to export controlled information. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicable to that information, applicant must either be (A) a U.S. person, defined as a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, (B) eligible to access the export controlled information without a required export authorization, or (C) eligible and reasonably likely to obtain the required export authorization from the applicable U.S. government agency. The Company may, for legitimate business reasons, decline to pursue any export licensing process.