Lead Lunar Environments Scientist

Interlune is a space resources company based in Seattle, WA. We will provide resources from space to power a clean and sustainable economy on Earth and in space.

We are looking for a Doer who wants to join our early-stage team and accelerate humanity's progress toward an off-world future. Our engineering team combines expert knowledge of geological sciences, mechanical engineering, automation, systems engineering, modeling and simulation, and advanced fabrication to build the infrastructure that will create an in-space economy. To join our small team, you must be agile, willing to learn, and able to take on multiple roles as needed.

We are seeking a technical lead to serve as the team's subject matter expert (SME) on the lunar surface environment — including dust, charging, radiation, plasma, micrometeorites, and thermal extremes. This role defines and guides the development of environment models, translates modeling results into environment characterizations that inform system designs, and trains the team on lunar environment fundamentals. Candidates may come from either engineering or science backgrounds, but must be able to communicate complex environmental physics clearly to hardware development teams and external partners.

Responsibilities: 

• Serve as the team's SME on the lunar surface environment (including dust, charging, radiation, plasma, micrometeorites, and thermal extremes) and train cross-functional teams on relevant phenomena and their implications for hardware 
• Define the scope, architecture, and validation strategy for lunar environment models; guide in prioritizing physics fidelity and identifying dominant uncertainty drivers
• Synthesize modeling results, scientific literature, and environmental data from terrestrial analog tests and lunar missions into environment characterizations that inform hardware design requirements and constraints
• Communicate confidence levels, uncertainty bounds, and recommended design margins to the systems engineering and design teams to support informed engineering decisions 
• Engage and manage relationships with external SMEs and the broader scientific community to ensure models reflect the current state of knowledge 
• Work with the systems engineering and test engineers to ensure environment characterization needs are reflected in verification planning and that appropriate validation hooks are identified early in hardware development 

Required Qualifications: 

• B.S. in Physics, Engineering, Planetary Science, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of experience in fundamental planetary science research and/or applying planetary science knowledge to space systems design (advanced degrees can substitute for years of experience)
• Strong knowledge of the lunar surface environment, including relevant aspects of dust behavior, plasma interactions, exosphere effects, radiation, micrometeorites, and electrostatic charging dynamics.
• Experience synthesizing literature, experimental data, and modeling results of complex natural phenomena into coherent environment characterizations that support decision-making. 
• Experience developing or applying physics-based models 
• Proficient at working both independently to drive research and collaboratively to implement engineering solutions.
• Established relationships within the lunar science and exploration community. 
• Excellent communication skills, with a proven ability to translate complex physics. concepts effectively to interdisciplinary colleagues in engineering, science and program management colleagues.

Desired Qualifications: 

• M.S. or Ph.D. in a relevant field.
• Fluent in Python or another relevant programming language used for scientific computing and modeling.
• Experience translating 
•  in spacecraft charging, space environment effects, plasma interactions, environmental modeling, or physics-based analysis for aerospace systems .
• Direct experience developing spacecraft charging models, ideally with a specific emphasis on the lunar surface.
• Experience supporting hardware design for harsh or space environments.
• Familiarity with ESD/EMC, grounding/bonding, or charge mitigation for flight or other high-reliability systems.
• Experience defining environmental effects test objectives or supporting verification planning.

Export Control Regulations

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicants for employment at Interlune must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e. current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Interlune is seeking to hire highly motivated and forward-thinking professionals who are interested in focusing on creating our off-world future. Interlune is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. 

Don't meet every requirement? If you're excited about this role but you don't meet all of the job requirements, we encourage you to apply and explain why the experiences you do have are a suitable substitute. We'd hate to miss out on the perfect candidate for this or other roles. 

Compensation range for on site WA state employees is:

Target Levels:

Level 3 Range: $125,000 - $195,000

Level 4 Range: $150,000 - $250,000

Your actual level and base salary will be decided based on your specific experience and skill level.

Benefits:

Benefits include:  Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, short and long-term disability, and other benefits

Paid Time Off:  Flexible PTO policy with paid company holidays.