Senior Program Manager I - Space Sensing & Domain Awareness (TS/SCI)

Description

The company is an end-to-end space business that designs and builds rockets, spacecraft and critical subsystems for missions that connect and protect the world and push human presence toward the Moon, Mars and beyond.

The Space Systems group builds complete spacecraft, precision payloads and components such as solar panels, flight software, star trackers, optical systems, separation systems and radios. It has supported more than 1,700 missions, including Moon and Mars work and programs for NASA, the Space Development Agency and the U.S. Space Force.

This role is based at the company's global headquarters in Long Beach, CA. You will be the program authority for advanced optical and infrared sensing payloads, owning the technical roadmap and make-or-buy decisions from early prototype through flight qualification to scalable production.

You will learn how tracking, warning and surveillance missions actually operate and turn their hardest problems into technical milestones. The team works under pressure to tight deadlines and depends on you to keep the program on track.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team that takes EO/IR sensing payloads and optical systems from concept through qualification, scalable production and flight, and shape the technical roadmap that expands the team's core capabilities.
• Run several active programs at once, make architecture decisions with Chief Engineers, and resolve difficult trade-offs in pointing stability, jitter, sensitivity and revisit.
• Step in personally on the problems that threaten a program.
• Build a culture where capable people take smart, healthy risks, the strongest idea wins regardless of source, bold calls get backing, and a well-reasoned miss is accepted as the price of speed. Coach and develop the next generation of program and team leaders.
• Manage high-stakes subcontracts and suppliers as strategic partners, protecting schedule and margin.
• Coordinate optics, electronics, software and data chain teams, clearing blockers quickly so work moves fast without losing quality.
• Act as the main contact for assigned U.S. Government tracking, warning and surveillance customers, and work with BD & Strategy on proposals and technical narratives for future space domain awareness work.

Requirements

• A bachelor's degree in physics, math, science or another technical discipline.
• 5+ years of experience managing aerospace programs.
• A record of taking a technical program, product or team to completion under real pressure. Hiring is based on what you have delivered, not on years served.
• Proof that you have taken hardware and software from prototype to flight-ready, scalable production.
• Working understanding of EO/IR sensing, optical payloads or focal plane arrays.
• Experience spotting technical, schedule or supply-chain risk early and removing it before it affects the mission.
• An active TS/SCI clearance.
• Nice to have: a proven approach for moving low-volume prototypes into scalable production without hurting mission reliability.
• Nice to have: deep experience in National Security Space (NSS) or in large sensing and tracking constellations.
• Nice to have: a record of negotiating, winning and delivering large U.S. Government contracts.
• Nice to have: a Master's degree in engineering, optics or a related field, enough to peer-review sensing roadmaps.
• Nice to have: fluency in systems engineering, trade studies, interface control and requirement integrity, plus working knowledge of Jira, Confluence and ERP tools to keep program health visible.
• Nice to have: several program cycles or 8+ years in aerospace or defense. The hardest thing you have shipped counts for more than the number of years.

Conditions

Based at the global headquarters in Long Beach, CA.

Prolonged sitting, standing, walking and computer work may be required, along with occasional exposure to moderate noise, dust and fumes in production areas.

Base salary is set case by case, based on job knowledge and skills, education and experience.

Base pay range for CA only: $125,300 - $187,850 USD.

For U.S. offices, to meet ITAR export rules for U.S. space technology, you must be a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident, lawfully admitted as a refugee or granted asylum, or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Department of Commerce, as applicable.

For New Zealand offices, background checks, including nationality checks, are completed before any offer is made, and you must be eligible to access equipment and data regulated by ITAR. You may be ineligible if you do not hold citizenship of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the European Union or a NATO member country, or if you hold ineligible dual citizenship or nationality.

Benefits

• Company stock included in your total pay, alongside competitive base salary.
• Employee Stock Purchase Program with a 15% discount on company stock.
• Medical plans: HMO, PPO, and a zero-cost HDHP with a significant HSA company contribution.
• Dental plus vision cover.
• Vacation and sick leave, both paid, plus 11 paid holidays.
• Accounts for flexible spending and dependent care.
• Paid parental leave.
• Insurance covering disability and life.
• 401(k) with company match.
• Subsidized EV charging, onsite fitness centers where available, discounted gym memberships, free snacks and drinks.
• 50% employee discount on the merch store, plus other employee discounts.