Spacecraft Contamination Control Engineer

At Relative Dynamics, we value knowledge as a process rather than knowledge as an answer. Founded in 2011, our goal is to define the new space era by continuously pushing the boundaries of engineering, services, and technology development. Visit us at www.relativedynamics.space.

Relative Dynamics is a subcontractor supporting the ESES IV Contract. In this role, you will be employed by Relative Dynamics and assigned to work on projects in support of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).

Relative Dynamics is seeking a Spacecraft Contamination Control Engineer to work on-site at NASA GSFC in Greenbelt, MD. This is a full-time, on-site position and is not eligible for remote work.

What You’ll Get to Do:

• Provide subject matter expertise in the analysis, assessment, and verification of spacecraft contamination requirements and controls throughout the spacecraft lifecycle.

• Manage contamination sensitivity assessments, contamination budgets and mitigation strategies, molecular and particulate transport analysis, and evaluation of contamination controls for flight hardware, payloads, and mission operations.

• Evaluate contamination sensitivities, requirements, controls, budgets, and mitigation strategies for spacecraft, payloads, and associated hardware.

• Analyze molecular and particulate contamination sources, transport, and deposition, including potential impacts to spacecraft, payloads, instruments, and docking surfaces.

• Review and assess contamination control plans, analyses, verification approaches, and technical documentation throughout design, manufacturing, integration, testing, transportation, and operations.

• Support the development, review, and refinement of contamination-related requirements and verification approaches, including assessment of proposed compliance methods and verification evidence.

• Evaluate contamination risks associated with materials, hardware processing, cleaning, inspection, storage, transportation, and cleanroom environments.

• Participate in qualification, acceptance, and other testing activities and evaluate test results and demonstrated performance.

• Investigate contamination issues and anomalies, perform or support root-cause analysis, and evaluate proposed corrective actions.

• Apply flight and test experience, lessons learned, and engineering analysis to assess contamination risks, hardware acceptance criteria, and proposed design or process changes.

• Collaborate with thermal, fluids, propulsion, materials, systems engineering, mission design, and other disciplines to evaluate contamination interactions and integrated spacecraft performance.

• Provide independent technical assessments, identify risks and uncertainties, and develop recommendations for engineering and program leadership.

• Participate in technical reviews and engineering activities with spacecraft developers, test organizations, and other technical partners.

• Provide technical guidance and mentoring in spacecraft contamination control methods, analysis, and practices.

What You’ll Need:

Required Experience:

• B.S. degree in Engineering or related discipline and 10+ years of relevant experience, or M.S. degree and 7+ years of relevant experience.

• Experience determining contamination sensitivities and evaluating or developing contamination requirements based on instrument, payload, or system performance characteristics.

• Experience evaluating contamination controls across design, manufacturing, integration, test, and inspection activities.

• Experience with molecular and particulate contamination, outgassing, transport/deposition, cleanroom practices, materials, vacuum systems, and hardware cleaning and inspection methods.

• Experience with aerospace contamination control processes for spacecraft, launch systems, or other contamination-sensitive flight hardware.

• Must be a U.S. Citizen and successfully complete a U.S. Government background investigation.

• Strong technical communication and collaboration skills with the ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Desired Experience:

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Engineering or related discipline.

• Experience with spacecraft docking contamination control, ISS, or other contamination-sensitive spaceflight systems.

• Experience applying NASA and industry contamination control standards and practices.

• Experience with contamination testing and characterization, including ASTM E595, E1559, E1216, or E1235.

• Experience with contamination modeling and analysis using tools such as Thermal Desktop, MATLAB, or specialized contamination analysis software.

• Experience with spacecraft or commercial spaceflight hardware through design, integration, qualification, test, or operations.

• Experience evaluating hardware acceptance criteria, verification evidence, technical risks, and corrective actions.

Who You Are:?

• Effective communicator who can translate complex technical concepts across multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders

• Customer-focused, with the ability to support government and agency partners while maintaining high service standards

• Dependable and accountable, consistently meeting commitments in regulated and deadline-driven environments

• Productive and results-oriented, balancing quality, efficiency, and innovation across projects

• Collaborative team player who contributes to shared goals and overall organizational success

What You'll Enjoy:?

• Grow your career with mobility, continuous learning, tuition reimbursement, and a personal development program in a culture that rewards innovation and impact

• Join a high-performing team that works together on meaningful, mission-driven work and support each other.

• Enjoy comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, life/disability coverage, 401(k) with match, PTO, company holidays, and community engagement opportunities

Relative Dynamics conducts a comprehensive background check that includes drug testing. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status or disability status.