Chief Engineer - Viper

Gravitics, Inc•Marysville, WA

About The Position

Gravitics is building the infrastructure for a thriving space economy and enabling humanity to flourish beyond Earth. They design and manufacture large-scale orbital structures for commercial, defense, and government missions. The Chief Engineer will own the technical development of Viper OTX, a high-thrust, high delta-V kick stage designed for responsive space solutions, enabling missions from intra-LEO to deep space. This role involves working across all engineering disciplines, including manufacturing, integration & test, and mission operations, to ensure customer success. The ideal candidate is a highly effective technical leader with broad knowledge, strong development experience, a commitment to technical excellence, and pragmatic decision-making skills.

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 rocket vehicle disciplines.
Familiarity with ground support systems.
Comfort working in fast-paced environments.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
10-15 years of experience in launch vehicle and/or spacecraft development or operations.
Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State due to ITAR regulations.

Nice To Haves

A proven history of success in launch vehicles or in-space propulsion systems.
Prior experience working with Commercial, NASA, and DOD customers.
Strong familiarity with SMC-S-016, SMC-S-025, and various qualification and protoqualification approaches.
Experience with rocket vehicle materials and manufacturing processes.
Prior involvement in rocket stage test or launch operations.
Deep knowledge in any of the following: Mission / Trajectory design for GEO and Deep Space solution sets, GNC considerations for high-thrust liquid stages, Familiarity in design and handling of kerosene and high-test peroxide systems, Combustion devices, turbomachinery, stage pressurization, valves and fluid components.
Willingness to travel up to 25% time to supplier, customer, test, and launch sites.

Responsibilities

Lead technical and programmatic execution of a highly capable kick stage.
Instill technical rigor in all we do while maintaining a sense of urgency to meet business goals.
Own the successful delivery of a capable product.
Evaluate new use cases and mission sets in conjunction with our other portfolio products and customers.
Align vehicle roadmaps to manufacturing development efforts, broader portfolio capabilities, and business goals.
Direct multidisciplinary teams and engage in the smallest detail.
Recognize and fill technical skill gaps as necessary.
Identify, preempt, and solve issues that threaten the program.
Clearly communicate technical concepts and programmatic elements to your team, colleagues, executive leadership, and customers.
Ensure mission success.