Senior Instrument Technical Program Manager

Muon Space•Mountain View, CA

10d•Onsite

About The Position

Muon seeks a Senior Instrument Technical Program Manager (TPM) to join our team. In this role, you will own the end-to-end delivery of state-of-the-art electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) remote sensing instruments. As an Instrument TPM, you sit at the critical intersection of systems engineering, hardware engineering, and mission management. You are not a passive status aggregator—you will bring a "Total Ownership" mentality to drive the integrated master schedule, budget, and risk posture of the instrument payload from concept through environmental testing and flight delivery. The ideal candidate brings a deep technical foundation in space-based optical payloads combined with world-class program execution skills to navigate a fast-paced, matrixed environment.

Requirements

Ph.D. and 3+ years of experience developing imaging systems and infrared remote sensing instruments within a multi-disciplinary environment; or M.S. and 6+ years industry experience; or B.S. and 8+ years industry experience.
Must have at least 3+ years specifically in a technical program management or engineering leadership role.
Direct technical experience with LEO EO/IR remote sensing instruments, including a working knowledge of sensor architectures, focal plane arrays (FPAs), and integrated dewar cooler assemblies (IDCAs).
Expert-level proficiency in program management tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence, MS Project or Smartsheet) with a demonstrated ability to build logic-linked schedules and critical path analyses.
Familiarity with structured root cause analysis methodologies in a high-performance hardware environment.
Exceptional communication, organization, and presentation skills suited for a fast-paced, startup-style environment.
Ability to obtain TS/SCI security clearance strongly preferred.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on familiarity with precision optical assembly, alignment, cleanroom operations, and space environmental testing (TVAC, random vibration).
Experience with scripting or database languages (Python, Julia, SQL) for program data integration and metric dashboarding.
PMP certification or equivalent program management credentials.

Responsibilities

Own the integrated master schedule, budget, and risk register for the EO/IR instrument, driving the risk mitigation process and leading change control boards to ensure flight delivery milestones are met.
Partner closely with the Instrument Systems Engineer (ISE) to translate technical architectures, error budgets, and interface control documents (ICDs) into logic-linked execution plans, and own the programmatic preparation, execution, and documentation for instrument-level design reviews (PDR/CDR).
Act as the primary programmatic interface to the Mission TPM and the Spacecraft TPM to ensure seamless vehicle integration, schedule alignment, and requirement verification.
Synchronize internal instrument organization resources (Scientists, Systems Engineers, Lab Manager) and coordinate with the broader HW Engineering organization to secure matrixed Optical/Optomechanical resources, ensuring optimal staffing and AIT throughput.
Partner with the Supply Chain group to manage external vendors and critical component suppliers for optical components and subsystems.
Identify critical bottlenecks ahead of need to force decisions, and lead the programmatic coordination of root cause analyses when hardware anomalies arise, tracking corrective actions to closure while minimizing critical path impact.