Mission Manager
Astrolab
hawthorne, ca, usa
Posted on Mar 29, 2025
Venturi Astrolab, Inc. (Astrolab) is pioneering new ways to explore and operate on distant planetary bodies. We are singularly focused on designing, building, and operating a fleet of multi-purpose commercial planetary rovers to extend and enhance humanity’s presence in the solar system. We are seeking motivated, creative, and exceptional people to join our world-class team.
The Mission Manager is responsible for designing and executing the successful integration of commercial and government experiments and payloads onto Astrolab rovers. You will be responsible for interfacing with Astrolab customers to ensure the physical and logical interface compatibility of experiments and payloads aboard Astrolab rovers as well as the verification of those interfaces. The Mission Manager will be responsible for the planning and execution of prelaunch and lunar surface operations to ensure that experiments and payloads are able to meet their scientific and commercial objectives.
The Mission Manager is responsible for designing and executing the successful integration of commercial and government experiments and payloads onto Astrolab rovers. You will be responsible for interfacing with Astrolab customers to ensure the physical and logical interface compatibility of experiments and payloads aboard Astrolab rovers as well as the verification of those interfaces. The Mission Manager will be responsible for the planning and execution of prelaunch and lunar surface operations to ensure that experiments and payloads are able to meet their scientific and commercial objectives.
- Department
- Program Management
- Employment Type
- Full Time
- Location
- Hawthorne, California
- Workplace type
- Onsite
- Compensation
- $94,000 - $199,000 / year
- Reporting To
- John Muratore
What you'll do:
- Provide the Astrolab sales and business development team with sales engineering support in business development, proposal efforts, internal process development and contract negotiations
- Serve as the technical and programmatic conscience of the Astrolab team in contract negotiations, drafting and shaping contractual documentation (SOWs, Ts&Cs, ICDs) with an eye toward a growing off-planet presence
- Serve as primary point of contact for commercial and government payloads being integrated on the Astrolab rovers
- Collaborate with engineering to ensure compatibility of electrical, network, mechanical and structural interfaces with the experiment or payload
- Collaborate with engineering to ensure that experiment or payload remains within operating limits prelaunch, during launch, transit and landing and during surface operations
- Plan and execute the physical integration and processing/testing of experiments or payloads prelaunch
- Build and lead the mission integration team in performing planning, integration, testing, processing and operations of experiments and payloads
- Develop operations plans and procedures for prelaunch operations and lunar surface operations
What you'll bring:
- Bachelor’s degree in any major engineering discipline
- 5+ years of experience in prelaunch or in-space operations
- Preferred experience in satellite or space vehicle systems engineering and integration
- Preferred advanced degree in engineering or PE license
Benefits and Perks
- Work with a team of best-in-class engineers building the foundation of planetary surface exploration
- Ownership in the company
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage
- 401(k) with matching
- Flexible time off and parental leave
- On-site snacks, beverages, and 2x weekly lunches
- Flexible work environment
About Astrolab
Having a strong, inclusive, and inspired team is essential to accomplishing our bold mission. Employees are our biggest asset, and we are deeply committed to them and our values. At Astrolab we…
Demonstrate and inspire trust. Interactions are direct, honest, and respectful. We are fair and transparent with what we do and why.
Thrive in balance. Balance gives us perspective and keeps us motivated and inspired. We commit to rewarding work and a fulfilling personal life.
Seek diverse perspectives. We ask questions, engage in productive debate and offer alternatives to ensure our solutions and products are robust and a reflection of our collective best.
Move with purpose. Quality and reliability are accomplished through efficient ideation and iteration. We act with a sense of urgency and deliver what we promise, always with the big picture in mind.
Make an impact. We intentionally move our community and industry into the future through our work, practices, and actions.
Our Hiring Process
Stage 1:
Application Review
Stage 2:
Recruiter Phone Interview
Astrolab is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and value diversity. We are committed to equal opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, gender, gender identity, parental or pregnancy status, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or veteran status. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request to careers@astrolab.space. We value diversity at Astrolab, and we strive to remove unconscious and unnecessary barriers to build the best team. While we’ve outlined what an ideal candidate could look like, we know that you may bring something unanticipated and essential to the team. If you’re reading this and can see yourself contributing, please register below.
