Director, Software Engineering Space Systems

Iridium Satellite•Reston, VA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Iridium is seeking a Director, Software Engineering Ground Systems Development reporting to the VP, Engineering who will be a key member of a leadership team developing Department of Defense (DoD) / Intelligence Community government space programs. As the Software Engineering Lead, you will be responsible for leading a large functional software engineering organization, including multiple software managers and their teams. Your team develops and maintains the software for ground system control, planning, and operations of satellite constellations for multiple programs. In this role, you’ll lead the software team in the development, test, and implementation of systems, processes, procedures, and software tools for all ground operations pertaining to Ground Terminals and Operations Centers for satellite constellations. You will lead and oversee all design, implementation, integration, and transition to operations for these ground systems. This position requires an active/current Top Secret U.S. Security Clearance with the ability to obtain TS/SCI (A U.S. Security Clearance that has been active in the past 24 months is considered active).

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field
15+ years of relevant experience in the satellite ground development industry, including experience with USG satellite development programs
Previous management experience of a software engineering team
Software development expertise including agile development process and demonstrated success with large scale software development projects
Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present information, drive discussion, and respond to difficult scenarios with limited preparation across all employee groups
Capable of being a strong motivator and source of direction for your team and role modelling commitment to your team’s goals
Have a people-oriented mentality and be able to build valuable relationships with executive leadership and work collaboratively with cross-functional teams
Be a strategic thinker who continuously looks for new and enhanced ways of doing things
Possess the creativity, resourcefulness, and decisiveness needed to manage risks and respond to critical situations
Have a strong sense of urgency in driving projects to completion and be motivated to achieve outcomes and results
Can manage multiple or complex projects while adhering to deadlines and budget limitations
Be able to travel when necessary
Be a U.S. Citizen
Active/current Top Secret U.S. Security Clearance with the ability to obtain TS/SCI

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Computer Science or related field
Proven success leading software engineering teams and strategically allocating resources across multiple complex government programs to meet program, technical, and business objectives
Experience with development of satellite space vehicle constellations and ground system components
Understanding of DoD/IC missions and use cases for space systems

Responsibilities

Manage, foster and develop a high performing team of software engineers to provide new design and development of ground systems and related operations software for satellite constellations, as well as sustainment of operationally deployed systems, for the DoD and/or IC.
Establish strong working relationships with customers and suppliers to drive solutions which maximize effectiveness of the Ground Development team’s deliverables, while recognizing the bounds of contractual obligations
Mentor and train your team by evaluating employees’ performance, recognizing areas for improvement, and providing reliable solutions to problems that may impact your team’s effectiveness
Manage the staffing and solution strategy of the Ground Software Development team, including identifying skills and experience needed for new hires, developing existing team skillsets, and supporting existing and evolving team tasks including new government projects
Lead the Ground Development team in cross-functional projects and tasking, ensuring operational performance is optimized while meeting all program objectives
Be accountable for meeting critical technical objectives and related technical milestones and deliverables
Develop a vision, including outlining strategic plans and objectives, for the evolution of development skills, tools, and engineering processes for efficient, effective delivery of developed system elements