Program Chief Engineer

Turion Space•Irvine, CA

2d•$200,000 - $275,000

About The Position

Turion is developing vertically integrated hardware and software for the space economy, including DROID space vehicles and Starfire software for simulation, modeling, planning, and operations. The Program Chief Engineer serves as the technical lead for missions using highly maneuverable, agile small satellites, beginning with GEO Space Domain Awareness missions. This senior technical leadership role owns the mission’s technical architecture and baseline, ensuring that requirements, technical progress, verification, and documentation support customer expectations and mission success. The role leads technical work throughout the program lifecycle, from proposal and mission concept through design, manufacturing, testing, launch, and operations. It defines and maintains system requirements, budgets, interfaces, and compliance documentation; leads formal technical reviews; resolves cross-disciplinary issues; and serves as the primary technical contact for customers and suppliers. The position also guides multidisciplinary engineering teams and mentors systems engineers. The role requires a relevant bachelor's degree, substantial spacecraft systems engineering or design experience, demonstrated leadership on a complete spacecraft program, deep requirements and systems-budget expertise, and the ability to obtain a TS/SCI clearance. The advertised salary range is $200,000–$275,000 USD. The position may require alternate or extended shifts and travel during peak work periods. ITAR-related eligibility requirements apply.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related field.
At least 12 years of spacecraft systems engineering or spacecraft design experience, including hands-on satellite design and integration; alternatively, at least 8 years of experience with direct experience in relevant mission areas.
Demonstrated experience as a Chief Program Engineer or lead systems engineer on a complete spacecraft program.
Deep expertise in requirements derivation, decomposition, and traceability from mission level through subsystems.
Ability to own and maintain system-level budgets, including mass, power, delta-V, pointing, link, and data, across the project lifecycle.
Experience authoring and managing customer compliance documentation and requirements traceability artifacts.
Strong track record leading teams through formal technical milestones such as SRR, PDR, CDR, and TRR.
Must be able to obtain a TS/SCI clearance.
Must meet applicable U.S. export-control eligibility requirements or be eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations.

Nice To Haves

Deep technical experience with GEO Space Domain Awareness or other missions involving highly maneuverable and agile spacecraft.
Deep technical experience in Electro-Optical payload design, integration, and testing.
Experience working with Department of War/Defense or Intelligence Community organizations.
15 or more years of spacecraft systems engineering or design experience, including the full product lifecycle from concept and preliminary design through manufacturing, testing, and operations.
Experience as a Program Chief Engineer or in an equivalent role with direct customer-facing technical accountability.
Experience with Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and tools such as Cameo, Capella, or Innoslate.
Experience with satellite analysis tools such as Python, MATLAB, STK, GMAT, or FreeFlyer.
Experience with requirements management tools such as Jama, DOORS, or Flow.
Familiarity with customer compliance frameworks and formal traceability documentation expectations, such as government or DoD programs.
Previous experience in a startup or fast-paced commercial space environment.
Current TS/SCI clearance.

Responsibilities

Serve as technical lead and authority for assigned programs, owning end-to-end satellite architecture and technical progress throughout the program lifecycle.
Resolve complex cross-disciplinary technical issues and make architectural decisions balancing performance, cost, and schedule.
Lead teams through technical milestones, including SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, and PSR, as well as post-launch operations.
Act as the primary technical point of contact for customers and suppliers.
Own and maintain system-level budgets and demonstrate that the technical baseline meets requirements and technical performance measures, including mass, power, delta-V, pointing, data, link, and MTF.
Work with mission stakeholders to define and refine mission CONOPS and translate operational needs into system-level requirements.
Lead the derivation and maintenance of system requirements and traceability from mission objectives through system, subsystem, and component requirements.
Establish and maintain requirements traceability frameworks that meet customer compliance documentation expectations.
Author and oversee Interface Control Documents and systems engineering documentation required for program compliance.
Define and execute system- and subsystem-level verification and validation plans using test, demonstration, analysis, and inspection.
Track system compliance and performance against mission needs, identifying and resolving gaps.
Provide technical leadership across space and ground segments from proposal and concept through design, manufacturing, test, and operations.
Collaborate with and guide multidisciplinary engineering experts across subsystems.
Align mission CONOPS and maintain technical coherence with internal and external stakeholders.
Mentor senior and mid-level systems engineers and strengthen team-wide systems engineering discipline.