Payload Planning Manager (PPM) Team Lead

Teledyne Technologies•Huntsville, AL

About The Position

Teledyne Brown Engineering is seeking a Payload Planning Manager (PPM) Team Lead to join its management team in Huntsville, Alabama. The role combines technical leadership with direct personnel and operational management. The Team Lead manages a senior planning team of 10–15 employees supporting International Space Station (ISS) payload operations for NASA and international partners, overseeing end-to-end planning integration across all mission phases while maintaining an active PPM certification. The Team Lead manages daily tasking, workload allocation, and cross-team integration; performs administrative leadership duties; oversees recruitment, onboarding, and certification; and supports succession planning, mentoring, cross-training, and employee development. The role also directs payload planning integration for ISS activities and visiting vehicle operations, supports operational rotations, analyzes processes and resources, and represents payload planning to NASA and international stakeholders.

Requirements

At least 3 years of direct experience supporting Payload Operations Integration (POI).
Active Flight Controller or Mission Support certification.
Deep technical understanding of POI internal discipline interfaces, Payload Developers (PDs), and International Partners (IPs).
Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and align a multidisciplinary team.
Strong interpersonal communication, presentation, and conflict-resolution skills.
Assertive decision-making and a forward-thinking, strategic mindset.
Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail.
Proven ability to assign and meet critical deadlines under dynamic operational constraints.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Management Information Systems, or a related technical discipline is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Manage daily tasking, workload allocations, and cross-team integration for a 10–15 member payload planning team.
Approve timecards and travel requests, conduct annual performance reviews, and interface with Human Resources.
Oversee recruitment, interviewing, onboarding, and certification.
Lead succession planning, targeted mentoring, and cross-training to support workforce continuity and preserve technical expertise.
Provide technical direction, delegate tasks, and foster professional development across the team.
Maintain active PPM certification and support nominal Short Term Plan (STP) operational rotations.
Direct planning integration for ISS payload activities across Weekly Lookahead Plans (WLPs), Short Term Plans (STPs), and visiting vehicle operations.
Manage concurrent Increment Lead and Visiting Vehicle planning assignments supporting SpaceX Dragon, Northrop Grumman Cygnus, and Commercial Crew missions.
Analyze organizational processes to streamline planning operations and optimize resources amid changing budget constraints and operational demands.
Represent NASA payload planning in agency and international partner control boards, providing operational assessments and mission briefings.
Serve as the primary PPM interface to NASA customer management and deliver technical summaries, weekly status reports, and operational metrics.
Participate in management forums to guide long-range planning strategy and report operational status to executive leadership.