How to apply for Principal Mission Architect - SSC/Space Force

About Muon Space

Muon Space builds Earth-sensing satellite technology aimed at climate action. The company is hiring a mission formulation lead to direct new mission architectures, including work in the Space Force and Space Systems Command mission space. This role sits at the intersection of satellite design, customer needs, and cost-effective mission development.

About the role

You will lead mission formulation for new space missions, from understanding customer needs through mission concept, requirements, budgets, and constellation configuration. You will manage a team of engineers, perform mission-level analysis, and work with Muon's instrument design team on payload trades. The position is remote and full-time.

A typical day

A typical day may involve meeting with customers or internal teams to clarify mission needs, running mission-level analysis or trade studies, and reviewing requirements and budgets with engineers. You might also work with the instrument design team on payload trades or evaluate constellation configurations. The role is remote, so much of the coordination happens through virtual meetings and shared tools. Ask about team structure and daily collaboration rhythms during the interview.

Who Muon Space is looking for

• Has a B.S. or higher in a related engineering field plus at least 12 years of experience working with space missions. Relevant higher degrees count for 2 years each.
• Has direct experience in the Space Force mission space, such as Space Systems Command, and can work with customers to identify their true needs.
• Can perform mission-level analysis, own top-level mission budgets, and define requirements for missions and payloads.
• Is comfortable writing code or using software tools for engineering trade studies, spacecraft performance evaluation, and constellation configuration.

Tips for this application

• Show specific Space Force or Space Systems Command mission experience in your resume, including mission names, customers, or programs where possible.
• Quantify mission-level work: budgets you owned, requirements you defined, trade studies you led, or constellation designs you evaluated.
• Name the software tools and coding languages you use for mission analysis and trade studies, and describe what you built or analyzed with them.
• Describe how you worked with instrument or payload teams on design trades, since the role requires collaboration with Muon's instrument design team.
• Mention any experience managing or leading a team of engineers to develop a cost-effective solution, because the role includes managing engineers.

What to cover in your cover letter

Focus on your Space Force or Space Systems Command mission experience and the specific missions or customers you supported. Describe a mission concept you developed from customer needs through requirements and top-level budgets. Explain how you used code or software tools to answer system design questions or run trade studies. Mention how you collaborated with payload or instrument engineers and how you managed a team of engineers.

Research before applying

• Review Muon Space's Earth-sensing satellite technology and any public information about their climate-focused missions.
• Research Space Systems Command and current Space Force mission priorities to understand the customer context for this role.
• Look at Muon Space's open roles, leadership, and any published mission architectures or technical papers to understand their approach.
• Check what mission formulation tools and methods are common in the Space Force mission space, and compare them to what Muon might use.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• Walk through a mission concept you developed from customer needs to a cost-effective architecture. What were the top-level budgets and requirements?
• How do you work with a customer to identify their true needs when their initial request may not reflect the real problem?
• Describe a mission-level trade study you ran. What tools or code did you use, and what did you recommend?
• How do you evaluate spacecraft performance and constellation configuration for a new mission?
• Tell us about a time you worked with an instrument or payload design team. How did you handle conflicting design constraints?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Applying without any Space Force or Space Systems Command experience when the role explicitly asks for it.
• Listing generic systems engineering experience without showing mission-level ownership of budgets, requirements, or trade studies.
• Claiming coding or software tool skills without examples of how you used them for engineering trade studies or system design questions.