Interview scorecard template

Spacecraft Operations Engineer interview scorecard

Evaluate Spacecraft Operations Engineer candidates across 4 weighted areas: ratings and technical competence, situational awareness under load, decisions under pressure, and communication discipline. Ratings and technical competence leads at 30%, so check the missions and consoles they have been certified on, plus command of subsystem behaviour and flight rules. Use the rubric to compare role-specific evidence consistently.

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safety critical operationsaerospacemission controlsatellitespacecraft operations
TL;DR
For ratings and technical competence, look for evidence the candidate console-certified on real missions, with subsystem behaviour and flight rules known without reference. For situational awareness under load, look for evidence the candidate holds full vehicle state during a subsystem anomaly, working correctly with delayed or gapped telemetry. Apply the written 1–5 anchors to every answer, record the evidence behind each rating, and use the factor weights to reach a consistent overall assessment.
Complete evaluation framework

What to assess and how to score it

Review the evidence signals before interviewing. Then use the anchored descriptions—not instinct alone—to choose the score that best matches each answer.

01
Evaluation factor

Ratings and technical competence

30% weight

Check the missions and consoles they have been certified on, plus command of subsystem behaviour and flight rules.

Evidence to listen for

  • Holds the current ratings, licences, or endorsements the position requires
  • Knows the rules, minima, and standards cold, not approximately
  • Familiar with the equipment and airspace, network, or plant in question
  • Clear on the boundary of their own authority

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Lacks required ratings, or shaky on the standards that keep people alive.

2
Needs Improvement

Holds the ticket but hesitant on rules and minima.

3
Satisfactory

Competent and current; slower on unfamiliar configurations.

4
Very Good

Rules and minima are second nature; strong on the specific environment.

5
Excellent

Console-certified on real missions, with subsystem behaviour and flight rules known without reference.

02
Evaluation factor

Situational awareness under load

30% weight

Test how they hold the whole vehicle state when one subsystem is misbehaving and telemetry is delayed.

Evidence to listen for

  • Keeps the whole picture while handling one problem
  • Describes how they shed or reprioritise tasks when volume spikes
  • Notices the thing that has gone quiet, not just the thing that is loud
  • Knows their own saturation point and says so before reaching it

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Tunnel vision under load; loses the wider picture entirely.

2
Needs Improvement

Copes at normal volume; degrades badly when it spikes.

3
Satisfactory

Holds the picture in most conditions; occasional fixation.

4
Very Good

Maintains awareness under high load and reprioritises deliberately.

5
Excellent

Holds full vehicle state during a subsystem anomaly, working correctly with delayed or gapped telemetry.

03
Evaluation factor

Decisions under pressure

25% weight

Assess a real anomaly they worked, where waiting and acting both carried risk.

Evidence to listen for

  • Decides on incomplete information rather than freezing
  • Chooses the safe option when uncertain, and can say why
  • Recovers from their own error without concealing it
  • Can describe a real event where they made the call

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Freezes, or gambles when the safe option was available.

2
Needs Improvement

Slow to commit; defers decisions that were theirs to make.

3
Satisfactory

Decides adequately in familiar situations.

4
Very Good

Decides quickly and safely, and owns errors openly.

5
Excellent

Made a real anomaly call under time pressure toward the recoverable option, and reported their errors openly.

04
Evaluation factor

Communication discipline

15% weight

Judge command discipline, procedure adherence, and how completely they hand over a shift mid-anomaly.

Evidence to listen for

  • Uses standard phraseology and readback discipline without shortcuts
  • Hands over completely, including what is unresolved
  • Speaks up to someone senior when safety requires it
  • Stays measured on the loop when the situation is not

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Sloppy phraseology; incomplete handovers.

2
Needs Improvement

Drifts from standard phrasing under pressure.

3
Satisfactory

Disciplined communication; handovers occasionally thin.

4
Very Good

Precise phraseology and complete handovers, and will challenge seniority on safety.

5
Excellent

Rigorous on command verification and procedure, with handovers that carry every open item forward.

Evidence-led prompts

Interview questions for a Spacecraft Operations Engineer

Use these prompts to surface evidence for the weighted factors above and compare candidates against the same role-specific criteria.

  1. 01

    What qualifications and console certifications do you hold for spacecraft operations?

  2. 02

    Talk me through the spacecraft subsystems you know best: propulsion, power, thermal or telecommunications.

  3. 03

    Describe your experience with satellites or other space vehicles. Which operations did you personally run?

  4. 04

    How proficient are you with orbit determination and prediction software? Which tools have you used in anger?

  5. 05

    How would you handle an unexpected incident during an operation? Take me through one you worked.

See the complete Spacecraft Operations Engineer question set
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