Ground Station Systems Engineer Mission Operations

About Lynk

Lynk is the inventor of satellite direct to device or D2D technology and has the worlds only commercial license from the FCC to operate a commercial D2D system. Today Lynk allows mobile network operators subscribers to send and receive text messages to and from space via standard unmodified mobile devices. Lynks service has been tested and proven on all seven continents has regulatory approvals in more than 30 countries and is currently being deployed commercially based on more than 40 MNO commercial service contracts covering approximately 50 countries.

Our technology will enable all 8 billion people on the planet to stay connected with the existing standard phone in their pocket. Everywhere. No matter what.

By joining Lynk you will have the opportunity to directly touch the lives of billions. Your mission will be to bring mobile broadband to billions pull hundreds of millions out of poverty and save countless lives.

Job Summary

Lynk is looking for a Ground Station Systems Engineer to join the Mission Operations team. This role is responsible for the technical design integration performance and operational readiness of Lynks ground station systems including antennas RF equipment modems servers network interfaces site layout telemetry monitoring requirements and acceptance testing.

This is a hands-on ground segment engineering role focused on making ground stations reliable supportable and scalable as Lynks constellation grows. The Ground Station Systems Engineer will work closely with Mission Operations Ground Software Ground Site Operations Telecom Engineering vendors and ground site partners to ensure Lynks ground stations are designed tested monitored and transitioned into operations effectively.

This role will define the ground station system needs hardware/software interfaces performance expectations and acceptance criteria that software and operations teams use to build monitor and support the ground station network.

The ideal candidate has experience with satellite ground systems teleport operations SATCOM systems RF systems networked infrastructure or ground segment deployment and enjoys solving practical engineering problems where hardware software networks vendors and operations intersect.

Core Responsibilities

Ground Station Systems Architecture and Design

• Support the technical architecture of Lynk ground station systems including antennas RF chains modems servers networking equipment timing power environmental considerations and monitoring interfaces.

• Evaluate ground station designs for reliability maintainability scalability cost performance and operational supportability.

• Define technical requirements for ground station hardware network interfaces telemetry alarms control points and operational handoff.

• Assess tradeoffs between owned ground stations hosted ground stations teleport partnerships and Ground Station-as-a-Service providers.

• Evaluate hardware and design alternatives to improve cost resiliency throughput and operational reliability.

Site Analysis Integration and Optimization

• Support site selection and technical site analysis including antenna placement interference concerns backhaul availability maintainability physical access and operational risk.

• Work with external site partners and Ground Site Operations to support installation planning equipment configuration site inspections and operational readiness.

• Support integration of antennas RF equipment modems servers network equipment monitoring systems and ground station services into an operational capability.

• Diagnose ground station performance issues involving RF systems antennas network paths modems servers site configuration or operational procedures.

• Analyze performance trends and recommend improvements to increase availability contact success data throughput and operational resilience.

Acceptance Testing and Operational Readiness

• Define ground station acceptance criteria test plans and readiness checks for new or upgraded ground stations.

• Support site acceptance testing and operational handover.

• Maintain technical documentation including architecture diagrams interface definitions configuration baselines operational constraints test records troubleshooting guides and handover documentation.

• Support development of ground station CONOPS operational playbooks escalation paths and first-level response guidance for the Mission Operations Center.

During Your First 12 Months

• Ground Station Architecture Proficiency: Develop a strong understanding of Lynks ground station architecture hardware configurations network interfaces operational workflows monitoring methods and performance constraints.

• Technical Ownership of Ground Station Readiness: Become a reliable technical point of contact for ground station design configuration acceptance testing performance analysis and operational readiness.

• Acceptance and Handover Improvements: Improve acceptance criteria site readiness checks configuration baselines and operational handover documentation for new and upgraded ground stations.

• Monitoring and Interface Requirements: Define clear telemetry alarm control point and reporting requirements for the Ground Software and Mission Operations teams.

• Performance and Reliability Improvements: Identify recurring ground station performance issues and drive practical improvements to reliability maintainability troubleshooting and operational resilience.

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering Aerospace Engineering Computer Engineering Systems Engineering Telecommunications RF Engineering or a related technical field or equivalent practical experience.

• Experience with satellite ground systems SATCOM systems teleport operations RF systems antenna systems networked infrastructure or similar operational technical systems.

• Working knowledge of ground station components such as antennas RF chains modems servers networking equipment timing systems monitoring systems and site infrastructure.

• Ability to troubleshoot complex issues that span RF systems antennas modems networks servers software interfaces vendors and operational workflows.

• Familiarity with networking concepts such as TCP/IP routing VPNs firewalls DNS network monitoring latency backhaul and secure remote access.

• Strong technical documentation habits including architecture diagrams configuration records operational procedures test results and technical decision rationale.

• Interest in satellite operations ground segment systems mission operations telecommunications or space systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing deploying operating or maintaining satellite ground stations teleports RF ground systems or GSaaS capabilities.

• Experience with antenna siting link performance analysis RF interference considerations or ground station optimization.

• Experience with modems SDRs RF equipment timing systems spectrum monitoring or ground station monitoring and control systems.

• Experience working with ground station vendors teleport operators satellite operators telecom operators or managed ground station service providers.

• Familiarity with observability telemetry alerting incident response and operational performance reporting.

• Ability to use scripting Linux tools logs telemetry or basic automation to support troubleshooting and analysis.

• Experience working in a startup small technical team mission operations center network operations center teleport satellite operator or similarly fast-moving technical environment.

ITAR Requirements:

To comply with U.S. Government export control regulations (ITAR) applicants must be one of the following: (i) a U.S. citizen or national (ii) a lawful permanent resident (green card holder) (iii) a refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157 or (iv) an asylee under 8 U.S.C. 1158. Individuals who do not meet these criteria must be eligible to obtain the necessary authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. For more information please refer to the ITAR guidelines.

Learn about ITAR here.

Location: Chantilly. VA

Required Experience:

IC