Director of Mission Engineering

At Turion Space understanding the mission space is what turns advanced technology into operational capability. As the Director of Mission Engineering you'll lead the modeling and simulation efforts that frame how our systems perform against real mission needs building mission-specific Design Reference Missions (DRMs) running the system trades that shape our architectures and demonstrating how Turion's solutions deliver in the contexts that matter to our customers.

This is a highly cross-functional leadership role. You'll work hand-in-hand with engineering functional teams and business development to translate mission needs into rigorous analysis inform both material and non-material solution architectures and ensure our technical direction is grounded in a clear-eyed understanding of the mission. Your work will directly shape what Turion builds and how we prove its value. This position is onsite at our Irvine California headquarters.

Job Responsibilities

• Lead the mission engineering function at Turion Space building a high-performing team and establishing the processes and tools needed to deliver rigorous mission analysis.

• Support engagements with customers and stakeholders to understand analyze and translate mission needs into actionable engineering requirements.

• Lead modeling and simulation efforts to characterize and understand the mission space.

• Lead efforts to define Turion's commercial space offerings.

• Implement mission-specific Design Reference Missions (DRMs) within simulation environments to frame and evaluate system performance.

• Support material and non-material solution architecting in response to mission needs and capability gaps.

• Lead system trade studies to inform architecture design and investment decisions.

• Demonstrate and quantify Turion's system performance in the context of the DRMs.

• Partner closely with engineering functional teams to align technical solutions with mission objectives.

• Collaborate with business development to translate customer mission needs into compelling technically grounded solutions.

• Build mentor and lead the mission engineering function and its team.

• Communicate mission engineering findings and recommendations to engineering leadership executives and customers.

Basic Qualifications

• M.S. in Aerospace Engineering Astronautical Engineering Systems Engineering or a related technical field.

• 10+ years of professional experience in mission engineering systems engineering or modeling and simulation including experience in a technical leadership role.

• Demonstrated experience developing and implementing Design Reference Missions (DRMs) and mission-level modeling and simulation.

• Experience leading system trade studies and supporting solution architecting (material and non-material).

• Strong understanding of space mission design concepts of operations (CONOPS) and end-to-end system performance analysis.

• Demonstrated ability to work across engineering disciplines and with non-engineering stakeholders to drive toward mission objectives.

• Must be a U.S. Citizen (dual citizenship not accepted).

• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• M.S. or Ph.D. in an aerospace astronautical systems engineering or related technical discipline.

• Experience supporting business development capture or proposal efforts in the aerospace or defense industry.

• Familiarity with defense capability development processes and non-material solution analysis (e.g. DOTMLPF JCIDS capability-based assessments).

• Experience with space domain awareness (SDA) space situational awareness (SSA) or related mission areas.

• Experience building and leading high-performing engineering teams.

ITAR Requirements:

This position may include access to technology and/or software source code that is subject to U.S. export controls. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national (ii) U.S. lawful permanent resident (aka green card holder) (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157 or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158 or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
Benefits:
We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package designed to support the well-being and professional growth of our employees. In addition to a competitive base salary and company stock determined by factors such as job-related knowledge education skills experience and market demand full-time employees are eligible for:

• Equity: Receive equity in Turion Space letting you benefit from the company's success

• Health Insurance: Comprehensive medical dental and vision coverage for employees and their dependents.

• Retirement Plans: Access to a 401(k) plan with a 3% Employer Direct Contribution to help you plan for your future.

• Paid Time Off: Generous vacation days personal days sick days and holidays to ensure you have time to recharge.

• Parental Leave: Paid parental leave following the birth of a newborn or adoption.

• Emotional Wellbeing: A no-cost Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support you and your household’s emotional health and wellbeing.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for ongoing internal training workshops and courses to advance your skills and career growth.

• Team Building Activities: Regular social events team outings and company-sponsored activities to foster a positive work environment.

We are dedicated to providing a supportive and enriching environment for our team members recognizing that our collective success is built upon the well-being and satisfaction of each individual.

Turion Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Turion Space is governed on the basis of merit competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race color religion gender national origin/ethnicity veteran status disability status age sexual orientation gender identity marital status mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

What We Do

Turion Space is building the infrastructure to secure and sustain the future of space. Founded to address the growing need for space domain awareness in-space servicing and debris mitigation Turion designs builds and operates spacecraft with real-world operational capability. Our vehicles are built for national security and commercial missions that require speed autonomy and resilience. We believe the next chapter of space operations will be defined by who can act not just observe. That’s why we’re focused on building platforms that move fast adapt in orbit and solve problems ranging from satellite servicing to tactical intelligence gathering. We successfully launched our DROID.001 satellite in June 2023 and DROID.002 in March 2025. DROID.003 is scheduled for launch in 2026.

Why Work With Us

Turion Space is where startup grit meets real space missions. We build and fly spacecraft for defense servicing and domain awareness. No red tape no sidelines just hands-on work that matters.

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