How to apply for Senior Mission Lead Systems Engineer

About Muon Space

Muon Space builds Earth-sensing satellite technology aimed at climate action. The company runs multiple missions for government and commercial customers, including the U.S. Government, DoD, and Intelligence Community. The team is described as lean and agile, so engineers get broad ownership across the mission lifecycle.

About the role

This role is the technical lead for one specific Muon mission, owning end-to-end technical success from concept through on-orbit operations. You will work across Business Development, space vehicle hardware and software teams, AI&T, and Operations. The role is the primary technical interface with customers and cross-functional leads, focused on requirements, ICDs, system modeling, test plans, and risk reduction.

A typical day

A typical day may include meetings with customers or cross-functional leads on requirements and ICDs, system modeling work, and coordination with AI&T on test plans. You may also review program risks with the Program Manager and check on mission performance with the Operations team. Exact routines are not stated in the job details, so ask about team cadence and daily interfaces during interviews.

Who Muon Space is looking for

• Has led systems engineering for a full space mission lifecycle, from concept and requirements through integration, test, and on-orbit operations.
• Has direct experience with high-reliability or high-assurance programs, such as USG, DoD, IC, or similar commercial customers.
• Can develop requirements and ICDs, perform system modeling, and build test plans with AI&T teams.
• Works well as a technical lead across hardware, software, operations, and program management in a lean team, and can right-size engineering rigor to the mission.

Tips for this application

• Name the specific mission types you have led and the phases you owned, such as formulation, AI&T, or on-orbit validation, because this role owns the full lifecycle.
• Show customer-facing experience with USG, DoD, IC, or high-assurance commercial programs, since the role is the primary technical interface with those customers.
• Give concrete examples of requirements and ICD development, system modeling, and test plan work with AI&T teams.
• Describe how you identified and reduced program risk alongside Program Managers, with numbers or outcomes where possible.
• Address the lean and agile team context directly: explain how you right-size engineering rigor instead of applying a fixed process.

What to cover in your cover letter

['Your experience as a technical lead on a full space mission, from concept through on-orbit operations.', 'Your work with government or high-assurance customers, including requirements and ICD development as the primary technical interface.', 'Your hands-on systems engineering skills: system modeling, test plans with AI&T, and risk reduction with Program Managers.', 'Why you want to work on Earth-sensing satellite missions for climate intelligence at a lean, agile company.']

Research before applying

• Muon Space's current and planned Earth-sensing satellite missions and what they measure.
• Muon's work with USG, DoD, IC, and commercial customers, and the reliability standards those programs require.
• The Mission Engineering team structure and how it interfaces with hardware, software, AI&T, and Operations.
• Muon's engineering approach as a lean and agile team, and what right-sizing rigor means in practice there.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How you led a mission from initial formulation through on-orbit validation, and what you owned at each phase.
• How you developed requirements and ICDs with a government or high-assurance customer as the primary technical interface.
• How you performed system modeling and translated it into test plans with AI&T teams.
• How you identified and reduced program risk while working with a Program Manager.
• How you right-size engineering rigor in a lean team when a mission demands high reliability.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Describing systems engineering experience only at the component or subsystem level when the role requires end-to-end mission ownership.
• Listing tools and standards without showing how you used them to develop requirements, ICDs, test plans, or risk reductions.
• Applying with no evidence of customer-facing technical work on high-reliability or government programs.