Engineering Operations Director

Iridium Satellite • McLean, VA

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

Iridium is seeking an experienced operational leader to fill the Engineering Operations Director position. This role is crucial for leading the operational backbone of a diverse hardware, software, and systems development portfolio. The primary focus will be on ensuring that engineering teams can concentrate on delivering high-quality, reliable, and scalable solutions that support Iridium's evolution and long-term roadmap. The Director will guide operational planning and execution across multiple engineering teams, collaborating closely with senior leaders, technical experts, cross-functional stakeholders, and financial partners. Key responsibilities include defining operational standards, knowledge-management practices, and data governance to enhance engineering execution. This opportunity is ideal for individuals who excel at simplifying complexity, aligning stakeholders, and enabling teams to perform at their best.

Requirements

• BS degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field
• 15+ years of related experience in engineering operations, technical leadership, or program-aligned execution roles
• Demonstrated ability to lead multi-disciplinary operational frameworks across hardware and software environments
• Experience with cost and schedule estimation, including ROM development and structured forecasting models
• Strong understanding of engineering lifecycles, configuration control, and technical decision-making workflows
• Expertise in knowledge-management, document-control systems, and data governance practices
• Demonstrated ability to develop roadmaps, operational strategies, and long-term execution models
• Familiarity with Agile concepts and modern engineering practices
• 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 exemplifying commitment to your team’s goals
• Have a people-oriented mentality and actively promote cross-functional team building
• Able to confidently drive discussions, raise support for key ideas, and tailor your communication style to a wide range of audiences
• 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
• Excellent prioritization skills and the ability to effectively coordinate the activities of multiple groups
• Be able to work in the office at least 60% of the time (3 or more days a week)
• Be able to travel up to 10% annually for meetings, workshops, and cross-site collaboration
• Be available for operational escalations when necessary
• Be a US Citizen

Nice To Haves

• Understanding of telecom or satellite communication systems and protocols
• Knowledge of lifecycle maintenance best practices and operational readiness models
• Training or certification in Agile methods such as Scrum or Kanban
• Experience improving or designing engineering workflows and process frameworks
• Familiarity with supply chain or manufacturing interfaces

Responsibilities

• Lead operational planning and alignment across a myriad of software, hardware, and related technical teams
• Oversee staff planning and resource visibility to ensure clear understanding of workload, capacity, and availability
• Develop and maintain cost and schedule estimation frameworks to support both early-phase planning and initiative approval
• Coach engineering staff in building clear task lists, structured work breakdowns, and reliable scoping materials
• Establish and maintain organizational priority frameworks that communicate near-term focus and long-term direction
• Lead quarterly and monthly operational reviews and create executive-ready communication that highlights progress, risks, and trade-space decisions
• Oversee budgeting and forecasting processes for multi-initiative engineering portfolios; translate engineering activity into financial insight
• Build strong partnerships with internal finance, accounting, and operational support teams to align planning and reporting
• Develop and enforce data-management standards, including repository structure, access control, archival workflows, and knowledge-management practices
• Promote scalable, secure, and sustainable operational processes that support engineering effectiveness and product evolution
• Translate business needs into operational frameworks, decision models, and communication packages
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners to drive organizational readiness for supply-chain or manufacturing-related workflows as the scope expands
• Advocate for continuous improvement, efficiency gains, and workflow simplification across engineering operations
• Communicate priorities, dependencies, and decisions clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Evaluate operational metrics and use data to guide improvements in predictability, quality, and delivery performance
• Partner with finance teams and translate complex engineering work into budget-aligned plans

Benefits

• Award-winning and innovative workplace
• Opportunity to make a difference in the world
• Exciting and innovative workplace
• Challenged to think outside the box and collaborate on new, bold ideas and solutions
• Empowering and inclusive culture
• Opportunity to truly make a difference in the world

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director