Senior Mission Operations Engineer (Test-focused)

Team: Test & Flight Management

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Commitment: Full-time (Regular)

Workplace Type: hybrid

Why This Role Matters

By planning and executing flight-like tests on the ground, you will:

· Bridge the gap between engineering design and flight operations, ensuring that the spacecraft is flown as it was tested

· Ensure the safety and quality of flight products before they are used to reach critical milestones in space

· Become an integral part of proving operational readiness and reaching critical mission milestones

Key Responsibilities

Test Ideation

· Collaborate with the Assembly Integration & Test, Systems, Ground, and Operations teams to define the system test campaign

· Ensure that mission scenarios defined in the operations concept are translated into representative tests

· Propose and implement novel open- or closed-loop tests to characterized spacecraft behavior under nominal and off-nominal conditions

Simulation and Test Execution

· Work alongside the Ground Systems team to architect and optimize the avionics testbench for flight-like testing

· Contribute to the creation of test specifications, procedures, and reports that serve as a record of spacecraft readiness

· Direct the execution of rigorous software and hardware system test campaigns

· Close the Verification and Validation (V&V) loop by high-level requirements to empirical test results and data

Flight Operations

· Develop flight procedures (procedures, displays, checklists) used in both test and operations

· Align the training, rehearsal, and system verification test campaigns by working closely with Mission Directors

· Operate the spacecraft on-console in a fast paced environment to execute a lunar mission from the Mission Control Center

Qualifications

· Language: Professional Level English (ability write and verbalize complex technical concepts); Japanese language ability is a plus but not required

· Experience: 5+ years of experience with proven track record executing complex test campaigns and/or operations

· Hardware/Software Fluency: Experience working with avionics testbenches, hardware-in-the-loop infrastructure, or mixed hardware-software configurations

· Documentation: Demonstrated proficiency in writing detailed test specifications and reports for mission or project critical systems

Preferred skills

· Familiarity with Mission Control Software (Yamcs, Grafana, SFTP etc.)

· Proficiency in software configuration control tools (Git, Gitlab) and scripting test automation (Python)

· Experience with component level testing, System Verification Tests (SVT), Day-in-the-life (DITL) testing, or pre-launch verification

· Background in lunar, deep-space, or planetary missions, particularly in the verification and operations phases