Chief Engineer - Spacecraft

Gravitics, Inc•Marysville, WA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

About Gravitics At Gravitics, we're not exploring space—we're building it. We're creating the infrastructure for a thriving space economy, enabling humanity to flourish beyond Earth. Our vision is bold, but we're not just dreamers; we're doers. We design and manufacture large-scale orbital structures that enable commercial operations while meeting the requirements of defense and government missions. Our systems are built to scale and built to last—bridging commercial innovation with mission-critical performance. If you're ready to lay the foundations for a new era in space, embrace a culture of relentless learning and innovation, and contribute to a future where humanity's reach extends farther, Gravitics is the place for you. Let's build the future together. About the Role You serve as both the technical authority and leader of the engineering organization for Gravitics spacecraft, responsible for system design integrity and the capability of the engineering team to deliver it. You will work across all engineering disciplines and partner closely with Program, Manufacturing, and Operations leadership to ensure successful spacecraft development from concept through flight.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, or Software Engineering or similar.
Demonstrated past ownership of complex projects.
Ability to understand and drive from first principles.
Deep understanding of several spacecraft disciplines.
Familiarity with ground support systems.
Comfort working in fast-paced environments.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Successful candidates typically have 10-15 years of experience in spacecraft development or operations.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience working with Commercial, NASA, and DOD customers.
Demonstrated leadership in full product lifecycle of one or more vehicle subsystems.
Solid fundamentals in FDIR and fault tolerant schemes.
Strong familiarity with SMC-S-016 and various qualification and protoqualification approaches.
Direct experience with rendezvous and proximity operations, including system verification & validation. Familiarity with SSP 50808 and ISO 24330.
Willingness to travel up to 25% time to supplier, customer, test, and launch sites.

Responsibilities

Own system architecture, technical baseline, and design integrity
Lead system engineering activities including requirements definition, allocation, and verification
Chair technical reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, FRR)
Ensure technical rigor, configuration control, and compliance with requirements
Identify and resolve complex technical risks and issues
Communicate technical status and decisions to program office and leadership
Build and lead a high-performing, multidisciplinary engineering team
Own hiring, staffing, and capability development
Allocate engineering resources across programs
Establish and maintain engineering processes and standards
Partner with Program leadership to support successful delivery
Align technical decisions with cost and schedule constraints
Support manufacturing, integration, test, and mission operations
Maintain customer engagement and technical communication
Accountable for technical success and system integrity
Accountable for engineering organizational capability and performance