Intuitive Machines is an innovative and cutting-edge space company making cislunar space accessible to both public and private customers. Our mission is to further science and exploration, communications, and economic progress from the Earth to the Moon and beyond. With multiple NASA lunar missions in development and additional private missions on our manifest, we pride ourselves in supporting NASA, our customers, and the nation in paving the way to return humans to the surface of the Moon. Our world-class team includes experts in all aspects of spacecraft subsystems design, development, and test, on-orbit operations, and safety.
Our long-term partnership with NASA has created an exciting opportunity for a Logistics and Operations Project Engineer – MACS on the JETS `contract at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX.
About the Position:
We are seeking a proactive, safety-minded Logistics and Operations Project Engineer to support the integration, logistics, and environmental testing of NASA’s MACS flight hardware project. In this role, will be critical in logistics, operational workflows, hardware safety protocols, and facility interfaces. Over time, you will assume ownership of onsite hardware moves, critical lift operations, facility-readiness coordination, test procedure development, lab operations, and Ground Support Equipment implementation.
Responsibilities:
Vehicle Logistics and Onsite Operations
- Plan, schedule, coordinate, and execute the handling, transportation, and positioning of flight hardware and engineering units across NASA Johnson Space Center facilities.
- Coordinate onsite hardware moves and ensure receiving facilities, routes, personnel, equipment, and work areas are ready before operations begin.
- Lead pathfinder activities, dry runs, and operational rehearsals using engineering units or representative hardware.
- Identify facility constraints, operational risks, and scheduling conflicts before flight-hardware activities.
- Coordinate daily lab operations, hardware staging, access, housekeeping, and operational readiness.
- Maintain clear ownership of assigned activities from initial planning through execution and closeout.
Critical Lifts and Rigging Operations
- Serve as, or train to become, a certified crane and hoist operator and critical rigger for spaceflight hardware.
- Develop, document, review, and execute detailed critical-lift plans.
- Select and verify appropriate rigging equipment, lifting fixtures, hoists, cranes, and handling Ground Support Equipment.
- Coordinate lift activities with engineering, facility personnel, technicians, safety, quality assurance, and other required stakeholders.
- Direct and support hardware lifts while maintaining an uncompromising focus on personnel and flight-hardware safety.
- Verify that equipment certifications, inspections, weight limits, lift paths, exclusion zones, and contingency plans are in place before execution.
Facility Readiness and Environmental-Test Coordination
- Serve as a primary operational liaison with test facilities supporting vibration, acoustic, thermal-vacuum, mass-properties, and other testing.
- Confirm facility readiness, including access, crane availability, utilities, floor loading, clearances, contamination controls, staging areas, and required personnel.
- Coordinate logistics with external vendors, shipping providers, equipment suppliers, and specialized contractors.
- Build and maintain productive working relationships with facility managers, test engineers, technicians, safety personnel, quality assurance, and project leadership.
- Provide schedule estimates, readiness status, risks, constraints, and recovery plans to project management.
- Support development and maintenance of integrated schedules for vehicle movements, facility operations, and environmental testing.
- Ground Support Equipment and Technical Documentation
- Author, review, revise, and execute Task Preparation Sheets, work instructions, lift plans, and operational procedures.
- Collaborate with mechanical, systems, and test engineers to identify requirements for handling and test Ground Support Equipment.
- Support the design, procurement, fabrication, inspection, proof testing, and operational validation of transport fixtures, lift fixtures, handling devices, and other support equipment.
- Verify that procedures clearly define required personnel, tools, equipment, prerequisites, hazards, hold points, quality inspections, and contingency actions.
- Capture lessons learned from rehearsals and operations, and incorporate improvements into procedures and future planning.
- Maintain configuration control and operational traceability for procedures, equipment, certifications, and completed activities.
General Requirements:
This position has been posted at multiple levels. Depending on the candidate's experience, requirements, and business needs, we reserve the right to consider candidates at any level for which this position has been advertised.
- Typically requires a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a minimum of 5 years of experience in the field or in a related area.
- Bachelor's degree in engineering or related technical field emphasis on logistics and rigging.
- Experience supporting complex aerospace, test, integration, operations.
- Experience working across multiple disciplines to coordinate technical work and drive execution.
- Experience developing or supporting engineering documentation, procedures, plans, or readiness products.
- Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks in a fast-moving environment.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Requisition Preferences:
- Experience with NASA or human spaceflight/project engineering processes.
- Experience supporting spacecraft, payload, or other complex system integration and tests.
- Experience with hardware handling, transportation, GSE, pathfinding, or environmental/functional test campaigns.
- Experience supporting readiness reviews, anomaly resolution, or integrated test execution.
- Experience with operations concept development, console operations, training development, or certification planning.
- Familiarity with configuration-controlled environments and disciplined engineering execution.
- Must be able to complete a U.S. government background investigation.
Intuitive Machines is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Skills Required
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical field
- At least 5 years of experience in engineering or a related field
- Experience supporting complex aerospace, test, or integration operations
- Experience coordinating technical work across multiple disciplines and driving execution
- Experience developing or supporting engineering documentation, procedures, plans, or readiness products
- Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks in a fast-moving environment
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Ability to complete a U.S. government background investigation
- Experience with NASA or human spaceflight project engineering processes
- Experience supporting spacecraft, payload, or complex system integration and testing
- Experience with hardware handling, transportation, Ground Support Equipment, pathfinding, or environmental and functional test campaigns
- Experience supporting readiness reviews, anomaly resolution, or integrated test execution
- Experience with operations concept development, console operations, training development, or certification planning
- Familiarity with configuration-controlled environments and disciplined engineering execution
What We Do
Intuitive Machines' complete lunar program unlocks the lunar economy to explore the solar system further and gain knowledge for the progress of humanity. As the premier provider of space services and technologies, Intuitive Machines is reestablishing the United States' dominance on the ultimate high ground, the Moon. Designed by the greatest minds in spaceflight, IM's lunar program will send the first American spacecraft to the surface of the Moon since the Apollo program and send the first spacecraft ever to reach the lunar south pole.
