Mission Operations Support Engineer

SciTec, a wholly owned subsidiary of Firefly Aerospace, is a dynamic non-traditional defense contractor that delivers advanced technologies in support of U.S. National Security and Defense. For the past forty-five plus years, we have supported Department of Defense customers by developing innovative remote sensing algorithms, tools, and techniques to deliver world-class data exploitation capabilities supporting missile defense; intelligence, surveillance, & reconnaissance; space domain awareness; and aircraft survivability missions.

Important Notice: SciTec exclusively works on U.S. government contracts that require U.S. citizenship for all employees. SciTec cannot sponsor or assume sponsorship of employee work visas of any type. Further, U.S. citizenship is a requirement to obtain and keep a security clearance. Applicants that do not meet these requirements will not be considered.

SciTec is seeking a Mission Operations Support Engineer to provide deeply technical on-site support for a mission-critical software system used by government operators. This role is focused on ensuring reliable, effective operation of a complex UI-driven system while also supporting deployment, integration, testing, and monitoring of the full software stack.

The ideal candidate is comfortable working close to operations, has strong technical judgment, and can bridge the gap between operators and engineering teams in high-consequence environments.

This role primarily supports operations during business hours, with close coordination across engineering, systems, and program teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide hands-on technical support for a mission-critical operator UI, ensuring correct behavior, performance, and usability during live operations
• Troubleshoot UI-related issues, including data correctness, latency, state synchronization, and operator workflows
• Work directly with government operators to diagnose issues, explain system behavior, and recommend mitigations or workarounds
• Serve as a technical escalation point during operational anomalies or incidents
• Assist with deployment, configuration, and integration of the full software stack, including UI, backend services, messaging, and supporting infrastructure
• Support system integration testing, operational readiness testing, and validation activities
• Participate in release verification, smoke testing, and post-deployment validation
• Monitor system health, logs, metrics, and alerts to identify and diagnose issues across the stack

• Support investigation of operational issues and anomalies, including root cause analysis
• Coordinate with development, systems, and infrastructure teams to resolve issues efficiently
• Document operational issues, resolutions, and lessons learned to improve system reliability and operator experience
• Provide feedback to engineering teams on UI usability, operational workflows, and system reliability
• Help improve monitoring, alerting, and operational tooling
• Contribute to technical documentation and troubleshooting guides
• Identify recurring failure modes and recommend improvements to reduce operational risk

Requirements

• A bachelor's in computer science, engineering, physical sciences, mathematics, or similar field
• At least 10 years professional experience and fluency in one or more of the following languages: C++, Python
• Strong experience supporting complex software systems in operational or production environments
• Hands-on experience with modern UI technologies (web-based or rich-client UIs) and UI troubleshooting
• Solid understanding of backend systems, APIs, and distributed software architectures
• Experience with software deployment, integration, and testing workflows
• Ability to analyze logs, metrics, and system behavior to diagnose issues
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work directly with non-developer operators in mission-focused environments
• Ability to work primarily at a secure government facility in Aurora, CO without cellphone access.
• Ability to support trainings and meetings at our Boulder, CO office.

Candidates who have any of the following skills will be preferred:

• Experience in aerospace, defense, space systems, or other mission- or safety-critical domains
• Familiarity with real-time or near-real-time systems
• Experience with monitoring/observability tools (logs, metrics, tracing)
• Experience supporting systems used by government or regulated operators
• Experience working alongside SRE, systems engineering, or DevOps teams
• Experience with Python, JavaScript, or C++
• Experience with Git, Jira, Confluence, Scrum
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams
• Experience with backend development or UI/UX design is a plus
• Experience with OPIR, E/O, SAR, Spectral, RF, or other remotely sensed data
• A current DoD security clearance

*Resumes, Cover Letters, and Applications which are generated by AI will not be considered for employment.

Colorado Residents: In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Benefits

SciTec, Inc. offers a highly competitive salary and benefit package, including:

• 4% Safe Harbor 401(k) match
• 100% company paid HSA medical insurance, with a choice of 2 buy-up options
• 80% company paid dental insurance
• 100% company paid vision insurance
• 100% company paid live insurance
• 100% company paid long-term disability insurance
• 100% company paid hospital indemnity insurance
• Voluntary accident and critical illness insurance
• Short-term disability insurance
• Annual profit-sharing plan
• Discretionary performance bonus
• Paid parental leave
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO), including holidays, vacation, and sick pay
• Flexible work hours

The pay range for this position is $138,000 - $152,000 / year. SciTec considers several factors when extending an offer of employment, including but not limited to the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate's work experience, education/training, and key skills This is not a guarantee of compensation.

SciTec is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. VET/Disabled.