Mission&Ops - Mission Analysis Engineer

At Orbital Paradigm, we design, develop, manufacture, and operate reusable orbital logistics systems. Our spacecraft perform multiple orbital mission profiles and return safely to Earth through hypersonic atmospheric reentry and landing with pinpoint accuracy for rapid refurbishment and reuse.

Role Description

We are looking for a Mid‑Level Mission Analysis Engineer to support mission design, trajectory analysis, performance assessment, and systems engineering activities for our reusable orbital logistics vehicles.

The role covers orbital mechanics, trajectory design, mission phases definition, delta‑v and mass budget analysis, performance trade studies, and mission‑level inputs for spacecraft sizing. The engineer will work closely with systems, GNC, propulsion, thermal, avionics, software, and operations teams to define feasible mission concepts and support system‑level design decisions.

This role requires strong analytical capability, good programming skills, and the ability to synthesize mission requirements, constraints, and trade‑study results into clear engineering inputs to support spacecraft and operations design and development.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform mission analysis, orbital mechanics calculations, and trajectory design for reusable spacecraft missions.
• Develop and assess mission sequences, operational concepts, maneuver plans, and trajectory options.
• Perform delta‑v budget, mass budget, propellant budget, and performance margin analysis.
• Support spacecraft sizing activities, including power, mass, communications, propulsion, and thermal input assessments.
• Perform trade studies to evaluate mission architectures, operational constraints, performance margins, and system impacts.
• Develop analytical models and simulation tools for mission design, trajectory propagation, and performance assessment.
• Generate mission‑level inputs for systems engineering, GNC, propulsion, thermal, communications, and operations teams.
• Support requirements definition, interface definition, and verification logic for mission‑level functions.
• Analyze sensitivity to mission parameters, assumptions, uncertainties, and operational constraints.
• Support feasibility analysis for customer missions, internal studies, and future vehicle capabilities.
• Prepare and maintain technical documentation, analysis reports, mission design notes, and review material.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams to ensure mission analysis outputs are consistent with spacecraft design and program constraints.
• Contribute to design reviews, trade studies, and technical decision‑making.

Required Qualifications

• 3–5 years of relevant professional experience in the space industry.
• Degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or a related technical field.
• Professional experience in mission analysis, orbital mechanics, trajectory design, systems engineering, GNC, flight dynamics, or related aerospace analysis roles.
• Strong knowledge of orbital mechanics, spacecraft dynamics, trajectory design, and mission analysis fundamentals.
• Good programming skills in Python and MATLAB/Simulink for modelling, simulation, data analysis, and engineering tool development.
• Experience with delta‑v budgets, mass budgets, propellant budgets, performance analysis, or spacecraft sizing.
• Ability to support system‑level sizing activities, including power, mass, communications, propulsion, and thermal analysis inputs.
• Experience developing analytical models, numerical simulations, or engineering analysis tools.
• Ability to perform trade studies and translate analysis results into clear engineering recommendations.
• Ability to write clear technical documentation, analysis reports, and review material.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and ability to work with multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Full proficiency in English, written and spoken.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with aerospace industry standards such as ECSS, NASA, or MIL.
• Basic proficiency with one or more programming languages such as Python and MATLAB.
• Experience in a startup or small‑company environment with fast design iterations.
• Experience with reusable spacecraft, orbital transfer vehicles, launch vehicles, satellites, reentry vehicles, or in‑orbit servicing missions.
• Experience with trajectory optimization, numerical propagation, Monte Carlo simulation, sensitivity analysis, or uncertainty modelling.
• Familiarity with mission analysis tools such as GMAT, Orekit, Basilisk, or equivalent.
• Experience supporting early‑phase spacecraft design, concept studies, system sizing, or mission feasibility analysis.
• Experience working with GNC, propulsion, thermal, communications, avionics, or operations teams.
• Familiarity with link budgets, power budgets, thermal boundary conditions, operational constraints, or ground segment considerations.
• Good proficiency in Spanish.

What We Offer

• Location: Madrid, Spain (office‑first)
• Flexible hybrid work (2 days/week from home + 2 fully remote weeks/year)
• Salary depending on experience and profile
• Relocation package depending on seniority and profile
• Flexible compensation (meal vouchers, health insurance, public transport)