Principal Technical Director, National Security

Voyager Technologies • Long Beach, WA

5d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Principal Technical Director, National Security for our Technology and Advanced Development group is responsible for serving as the senior technical leader for our national security Advanced Programs portfolio. In this role, you will drive the technical vision for the future of emerging, high-impact space technologies, leading Voyager's investments in non-kinetic effects, space control, intelligence systems, edge computing, cyber, and multi-regime communications. We are looking for a passionate human who has deep familiarity with hardware, software, and algorithms across the space domain, and who can direct how novel technologies are incubated and applied across existing programs to reach deployed, mission-critical capability for the warfighter. You must be as comfortable defining and executing complex research and development programs as you are productizing outcomes into monetizable commercial motions. This is a high-impact leadership role that requires a rare blend of deep national security space expertise and the strategic ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams. You will not just be setting technical direction; you will be responsible for ensuring that our Advanced Programs investments translate into deployed capabilities for our government customers. The position reports to the Chief Technology Officer and is part of the Advanced Technology Group, based in either Long Beach, CA or Washington D.C.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, or a related field
• Must currently hold an active U.S. Top Secret / SCI Security Clearance; this is a hard requirement and candidates without an active clearance will not be considered.
• Demonstrated background designing, developing, and deploying national security space systems, including intelligence collection, space control, and communications, with direct experience navigating space-environment constraints such as radiation hardening, thermal management, and long-duration mission reliability.
• Strong track record designing and developing complex algorithms across space digital systems domains, and applying modern compute and AI/ML techniques to national security engineering problems.
• Demonstrated experience leading multi-disciplinary engineering teams through the full lifecycle of advanced R&D programs, from white paper to prototype to deployment.
• Demonstrated background fielding capability in one or more space technology domains, including space control, SIGINT, cyber, autonomy, networks, or non-kinetics.
• Familiarity with the unique challenges of government R&D contracting, including experience delivering against technical milestones for customers such as DARPA, SCO, AFRL, NRO, or the Space Force.
• Proven proposal development experience, including contributing to technical volumes and cost estimations for complex government solicitations.
• Must be a U.S. Person: a US Citizen, a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., or a protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3).
• Applicants must be eligible to obtain any required export authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Nice To Haves

• Master's or PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, or a related field.
• Background across Title 10 and Title 50 space systems and distributed operations.
• Technical domain experience in non-kinetic and kinetic effects, SIGINT/GEOINT, EW, cyber resilience, or space control.
• Direct experience with space-based technology programs for DoD or Intelligence Community customers, and a demonstrated history of leading winning national security proposals.
• Exposure to classified program offices, SAP portfolios, and associated budgets.
• Willingness to travel up to 25% to customer sites, test ranges, and Voyager locations.

Responsibilities

• Own the technology strategy for Voyager's national security Advanced Programs portfolio, serving as the ultimate technical authority across intelligence collection, non-kinetic effects, space control, cyber, autonomy, and multi-regime communications, and ensuring alignment with Defense & Intelligence growth objectives.
• Lead the execution of complex, high-stakes R&D programs (CRAD/IRAD) for next-generation national security systems, managing the IRAD pipeline end to end and ensuring technical risks are managed and solutions delivered on schedule.
• Architect end-to-end systems bridging hardware, software, and mission software across the Advanced Programs portfolio, ensuring seamless integration across both space and ground segments.
• Bridge the “valley of death” by guiding technologies from TRL 3–6 into robust, productized solutions ready for manufacturing and deployment, partnering with product and business teams to define commercialization strategies.
• Build, inspire, and mentor a world-class, multidisciplinary engineering organization spanning advanced national security space disciplines.
• Partner with Growth, Business Development, and Capture teams to refine customer requirements, shape solution spaces, and provide the technical grounding needed to win major government contracts.
• Support due diligence and post-acquisition integration for inorganic growth opportunities that expand Voyager's national security technology portfolio.

Benefits

• Flexible Time Off (FTO), empowering employees to take the time they need to recharge and maintain a healthy work-life balance
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their families, with a significant portion of premiums covered by the company and many benefits paid at 100% for employees
• Flexible, affordable gym memberships with 12,700+ options nationwide, including 24 Hour Fitness, EoS Fitness, Crunch Fitness, Anytime Fitness, Blink Fitness, Chuze Fitness, and more!
• 401(k) retirement plan with a 50% company match on contributions up to 8%, supporting long-term financial security
• Company wellness programs that support physical and mental well-being
• Additional voluntary benefits and employee support resources

What This Job Offers

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