Lunar Surface Systems Engineer

Interlune Corporation

$125K — $250K *
Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Planetary Science, Physics, or related technical field.
  • 5+ years in integrated systems development or space environment modeling; 3+ years in leading a major technical workstream.
  • Strong understanding of the product development lifecycle from concept through verification.
  • Exceptional communication skills and attention to detail.
  • Ability to work collaboratively in dynamic environments.

Responsibilities

  • Develop the mission concept of operations with mission stakeholders.
  • Support technical integration to identify interface issues and ensure system-level alignment.
  • Oversee technical risk tracking and guide design maturation and integration planning.
  • Drive resolution of system-level risks and ensure consistent subsystem development.
  • Characterize lunar surface environment constraints for system performance.
  • Translate environmental models into system-level requirements linked to verification plans.
  • Conduct environmental analysis to assess impacts on space systems.
  • Contribute to verification test planning and hands-on integration of hardware.

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
  • Life insurance options including basic and supplemental.
  • Short and long-term disability coverage.
  • Flexible paid time off policy with paid company holidays.
Full Job Description
We are seeking a systems engineer to support cross-functional integration of lunar surface hardware and guide system architecture, interfaces, and technical decision-making in the context of the lunar environment. The ideal candidate will bring strong systems engineering discipline and the ability to translate specialist input into sound design choices, technical risk identification and mitigation, and executable verification strategies.

Responsibilities:
  • Work with the major mission stakeholders to develop the mission concept of operations
  • Support cross-functional technical integration across disciplines to identify interface issues early and maintain alignment on system-level design decisions.
  • Oversee Interlune's contributions to the mission's design and system trades, leading the technical risk tracking to guide design maturation, integration planning, and verification strategy.
  • Drive closure of system-level risks, open technical issues, and key interface decisions, ensuring subsystem development remains consistent with overall vehicle architecture and mission needs.
  • Characterize the lunar surface environment (specifically regolith geomechanics, thermal variations, dust abrasiveness/cohesion, and electrostatic charging dynamics) to establish strict constraints for system performance and lifespan.
  • Translate complex environmental models into actionable system-level requirements and ensure the requirements are linked to verification plans
  • Perform and document natural and induced environments analysis to characterize impact of lunar ejecta, micrometeorites, thermal cycles, radiation, plasma, vacuum, and dust to space systems.
  • Develop and/or review verification test plans and contribute to hands-on integration, debugging, and qualification of hardware

Required Qualifications:
  • B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Planetary Science, Physics, or related technical subject area.
  • 5+ years of experience in integrated systems development or space environment modeling, with at least 3 years of experience taking responsibility for a major integrated element or technical workstream
  • Highly knowledgeable of the product development lifecycle (concept development, requirement definition, design solution definition, implementation, integration, verification and validation).
  • Excellent verbal, written, and communication skills with a keen attention to detail.
  • Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment.

Desired Qualifications:
  • M.S. or Ph.D. in Planetary Sciences, Space Resources, Spacecraft Systems Engineering, or related technical subject area.
  • Experience leading cross-functional system integration, interface management and architecture or design trades for complex hardware systems.
  • Practical hands-on experience building, testing, or qualifying hardware for extreme environments (space, thermal vacuum, high radiation, or abrasive/dusty environments).
  • Experience in systems engineering for an in-space mission, preferably on a lunar or planetary mission with surface operations.
  • Experience identifying, assessing, tracking, and mitigating technical risks across hardware development, integration, and verification activities.
  • Experience working with natural and induced environments analysis in a space context (thermal, radiation, plasma, vacuum, dust, micrometeorite, lunar ejecta).

Compensation range for on site WA state employees is:

Target Levels:

Level 3 Range: $125,000 - $195,000

Level 4 Range: $150,000 - $250,000

Your actual level and base salary will be decided based on your specific experience and skill level.

Benefits:

Benefits include: Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, short and long-term disability, and other benefits

Paid Time Off: Flexible PTO policy with paid company holidays.

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