Senior Staff Systems Engineer – Mission Analyst at CesiumAstro
Westminster
$184,000–$225,000
Jul 9, 2026
Westminster
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A senior individual-contributor role focused on designing, modeling, and optimizing LEO satellite constellations and their full operational lifecycles — from architecture definition and orbital mechanics analysis through station-keeping, replenishment, and end-of-life planning. The position also integrates communications performance into constellation design and serves as a cross-program technical authority, advising engineering teams and presenting findings to executive and customer stakeholders. Suits a deep specialist in astrodynamics and constellation systems with strong simulation and leadership experience.
Staff level · 10+ years · Austin, TX · Bachelor's required · Full-time
Pay in the description: $184,000–$225,000
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
Posted 2 times — it's one opening, so apply once.
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Roughly 320 people in the Austin, TX area plausibly meet what this posting asks for (computer occupations, all other). range 65–490
Applicant volume Heavy — This req sits in a large pool with little in its requirements to thin it, and auto-apply tools fire at everything in the occupation. Applying early and leading with the rare skills below is what gets read.
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $132,317 (middle half $83,374–$165,481). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (11)
The role title is 'Senior Staff Systems Engineer – Mission Analyst.' The posting uses 'Senior Staff' as a compound level label, which maps most naturally to the Staff band (org-wide technical authority across multiple programs, architecture boards, executive-level presentations). The seniority band is set to Staff accordingly.
The SOC code 15-1299 (Computer Occupations, All Other) is used because this is a highly specialized aerospace/astrodynamics systems engineering role that does not fit cleanly into any standard BLS computer occupation. 15-1211 (Computer Systems Analysts) is the closest runner-up given the systems analysis and modeling emphasis.
The job location is inferred as Austin, TX based on CesiumAstro's known headquarters; the posting does not explicitly state a city.
The degree requirement is Bachelor's as the hard floor; a Master's with 8+ years is offered as an alternative path, but the minimum stated degree is a Bachelor's.
The 10+ years figure is the primary stated minimum; the Master's path (8+ years) is an alternative, so the overall years minimum is set to 10.
STK, GMAT, and FreeFlyer are listed together as interchangeable orbital analysis tools under the requirements section; STK is named first and the others are captured as alternatives.
Git, GitLab, and Bitbucket are listed as interchangeable version control options; Git is the canonical name with the others as alternatives.
Confluence and SharePoint are listed as interchangeable collaboration platforms under an 'Experience with…' clause in the requirements section; given the softer framing ('experience with… collaboration platforms'), these are treated as preferred rather than hard gates.
Data visualization is similarly framed as 'experience with advanced data visualization and mission simulation platforms' — a broad, non-tool-specific phrase — and is treated as preferred.
The posting notes U.S. person status is required (ITAR compliance) but does not gate on a formal security clearance.
Ignored 3 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): LEO constellation design, mission analysis, simulation framework development.
Read the full posting
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