System Engineer

A New Paradigm For Space Operations.

Who We Are:

Space Kinetic is a dual-use space technology startup building a completely new architecture for space operations – one that brings the advantages of proliferated drone technology (low-cost, operationally flexible, attainable, distributed) to space missions while reducing the ecosystem's reliance on consumable fuel. In a world where many companies are focused on incrementally improving the status quo, we are focused on creating something entirely different – an architecture underpinned by new first principles to meet the opportunities and challenges of the third space age head-on. Our goal is to move away from one-to-one space architectures – where each satellite in a constellation has one (or a small # of) primary payloads attached to the bus -- and unlock a ‘one-to-many’ system, where each satellite has a large number of payloads which can be deployed from their host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster.

This is not a role for someone looking for a traditional 40-hour work week. Space Kinetic is building ambitious, first-of-its-kind technology, and that requires urgency, ownership, and a high level of commitment to changing the foundational assumptions for everything we do in space.

What You’ll Do:

We are seeking a System Engineer with a focus on Safety / Fault Protection to ensure our space vehicles can safely and reliably accomplish their missions. This role will identify mission risks, evaluate off-nominal conditions, and influence spacecraft architecture, verification planning, and fault-protection strategies for government space programs.

Job Responsibilities:

• Perform hazard analyses, fault tree analyses, FMEAs, and other safety assessments.
• Identify hazard controls, residual risks, and single-point, common-cause, and cascading failures.
• Develop fault detection, isolation, containment, recovery, and safing requirements.
• Evaluate spacecraft architecture, autonomy, modes, command paths, and off-nominal behavior.
• Translate safety objectives into verifiable system and subsystem requirements.
• Verify hazard controls through analysis, testing, simulation, and fault injection.
• Support anomaly investigations, corrective actions, design reviews, readiness reviews, and customer safety reviews.
• Maintain traceability across hazards, controls, requirements, procedures, and verification evidence.

What It Takes:

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Systems, Electrical, Mechanical, or Computer Engineering or a related field.