Manager, Spacecraft Mission Execution

Firefly Aerospace•Cedar Park, TX

11d

About The Position

Firefly Aerospace is seeking an experienced Manager, Spacecraft Mission Execution to lead a team of Mission Managers responsible for technical and programmatic execution of customer missions across spacecraft programs, including lunar landers and orbital vehicles. The role calls for a spacecraft mission leader with a strong background in mission and payload integration, launch vehicle integration, systems engineering, integration and test, and mission operations. The manager is accountable for the performance, development, and technical leadership of the Mission Management team, and provides senior-level oversight and support for complex and strategically important missions. The role ensures missions are executed from early formulation and requirements definition through integration, test, launch, and mission operations. It combines people leadership with technical and programmatic judgment, mentorship and escalation support, consistent execution across missions, and representation of Mission Management in cross-functional and leadership-level decisions. Some travel of less than 25% may be required. Candidates must meet applicable U.S. Government space technology export authorization requirements. Firefly Aerospace is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering or a related technical field.
12+ years of experience in aerospace, spacecraft, launch vehicles, payload integration, systems engineering, integration and test, mission operations, or related disciplines.
Experience managing spacecraft missions across the lifecycle, including formulation, design, integration and test, launch, and flight operations.
Extensive experience leading complex spacecraft missions, payload integrations, launch vehicle integrations, or similar multidisciplinary aerospace efforts.
Experience leading and developing technical personnel, including coaching, mentoring, performance management, and career development.
Experience serving as a senior technical and programmatic interface with NASA, DoD, government, commercial, or other aerospace customers.
Deep understanding of spacecraft systems engineering, mission integration, requirements management, interface management, verification, integration and test, launch, and mission operations.
Ability to provide technical leadership across multiple concurrent missions and prioritize resources, risks, and organizational needs effectively.
Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams through complex technical issues and high-consequence mission decisions.
Strong understanding of aerospace qualification, acceptance testing, mission assurance, range safety, and system safety processes and standards.
Ability to assess mission- and system-level technical decisions, including effects on performance, cost, schedule, and risk.
Strong people leadership skills, including setting expectations, providing actionable feedback, developing personnel, addressing performance issues, and building effective teams.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with technical teams, customers, executives, and external organizations.
Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State, to conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations including ITAR.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in aerospace engineering, systems engineering, or a related field.
Previous formal people-management experience within an aerospace or highly technical organization.
Experience leading lunar, deep-space, or other highly complex spacecraft missions.
Experience leading multi-payload or multi-customer missions.
Experience with NASA, DoD, or other government mission environments.
Experience with proposals, business development, mission formulation, customer negotiations, and contract development.
Experience developing organizational processes, technical standards, staffing strategies, or mission integration best practices.

Responsibilities

Lead, manage, and develop a team of Mission Managers responsible for customer mission execution across Firefly spacecraft programs.
Provide technical and programmatic leadership, mentorship, and escalation support to Mission Managers across missions of varying complexity.
Assign Mission Managers to programs and missions based on complexity, technical needs, workload, experience, and development opportunities.
Set expectations, provide feedback and coaching, conduct performance management, and support career development and progression.
Drive accountability for customer commitments, mission milestones, technical deliverables, and mission objectives.
Maintain portfolio visibility and ensure requirements, interfaces, risks, customer commitments, schedules, and key decisions are effectively managed.
Ensure consistent technical rigor and execution across requirements management, interface management, verification, integration and test, launch, and mission operations.
Support resolution of complex multidisciplinary technical and programmatic issues involving spacecraft subsystems, payloads, launch vehicles, ground systems, and operations.
Review and guide significant mission-level decisions, requirement changes, waivers, deviations, technical trades, and risks affecting performance, safety, cost, schedule, or mission success.
Serve as a senior escalation point for NASA, DoD, government, commercial, and other customers and partners when issues require management or cross-organizational resolution.
Provide technical leadership and coaching for customer and mission reviews, including design, integration, test readiness, launch readiness, and mission readiness reviews.
Partner with spacecraft engineering, program management, ATLO, mission operations, supply chain, contracts, business development, and other organizations to support mission execution.
Balance resources and priorities across concurrent missions and identify staffing, capability, or organizational gaps that could affect execution.
Develop and improve Mission Management standards, processes, tools, templates, and best practices across spacecraft programs.
Capture and apply lessons learned to improve execution, technical decision-making, and customer experience.
Support new mission formulation, proposals, technical evaluations, customer engagements, and assessment of mission feasibility and execution approach.
Participate in recruiting, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, and development of Mission Management personnel.
Represent Mission Management in cross-program technical and organizational initiatives and advise leadership on mission feasibility, execution strategy, organizational capability, staffing, and risk.
Provide senior-level support and oversight for complex, high-value, or strategically important missions, including escalation support for significant technical, programmatic, or customer issues.