Manager, Spacecraft Vehicle Engineering

About the role

Impulse Space is looking for a Manager of Vehicle Engineering for its Mira spacecraft. You will be responsible for the overall success, delivery, sustainment and improvement of the Mira vehicle product line, acting as the technical expert of the vehicle and leading a team of four engineers initially, with room to grow.

Key responsibilities

• Lead a team of engineers working on the Mira spacecraft, covering mechanical and vehicle-level system engineering.
• Connect hardware groups across propulsion, avionics, manufacturing and integration so that vehicles are delivered on time and repeatedly.
• Act as technical expert on primary structures, secondary structures, deployable mechanisms and payload accommodations.
• Manage an increasing number of Mira missions, from 6 per year to 30+ per year.
• Work regularly with mission management, mission design and customers, supporting current missions, onboarding new ones and studying what Mira can do.
• Train, guide and mentor the team to be efficient, hardware-focused, collaborative and technically rigorous.
• Shape the long-term product roadmap, including block upgrades with performance, process and automation improvements.
• Own the technical direction and individual contributor work across the vehicle.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, science or a related field.
• Proven track record developing, testing and flying spacecraft, launch vehicles or similar vehicles with rigorous flightworthiness requirements.
• Expert technical knowledge in primary structures, secondary structures, mechanisms, pressure systems or related spacecraft areas.
• Strong technical and interpersonal communication skills.
• Experience managing and growing a small team.
• Preferred: Master's degree in aerospace or mechanical engineering, 4+ years in lead roles on spacecraft development, ownership of a spacecraft through its full design cycle, and experience solving multi-disciplinary problems in a startup or agile environment.

What we offer

• Stated pay range of $175,000 to $205,000 per year.
• Possible long-term incentives such as stock options for full-time hires.
• Medical, vision and dental coverage and a 401(k) retirement plan.