Senior Launch Manager
About The Position
BlackSky is a real-time intelligence company that owns and operates a space-based intelligence platform, providing satellite imagery, automated analytics, and high-frequency monitoring. The company is seeking a program manager to drive launch campaigns, engage with launch providers, manage the integrated launch schedule, and build internal processes for training and support. This role requires managing hardware and test assets, supporting and documenting testing, tracking schedules, risks, and system performance, and distilling data for the team. The ideal candidate is an independent contributor who can forge solutions and risk mitigations within critical constraints, and identify areas for process improvement. This position is based in Seattle on a hybrid schedule (2 days/week) with up to 50% travel to launch campaigns and the Tukwila facility for training and integration. Remote candidates are considered, with a preference for local candidates.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s Degree in an engineering discipline or equivalent experience
- 8 years of direct Project Management Experience or related experience
- Experience working complex systems with hardware and integrated software dependencies
- Experience working with launch providers as a mission manager or launch integration lead
- Highly skilled at managing schedules with critical dependencies and requirements or system engineering
- Ability and willingness to travel up to 50% to support launch activities both in our Tukwila facility and Launch sites
Nice To Haves
- Experience with aerospace systems
- Possess strong team leadership and inter-team cooperation and organization skills
- Experience with development of launch provider artifacts
- Experience presenting information to external customers a plus
- Hardware and test lab experience a plus
Responsibilities
- Oversee the full scope of launch contracting, documents and deliverables and scheduling
- Develop integrated plans and schedules to support the testing and artifacts required to support launch.
- Own daily tasking and deconfliction of activities within areas of responsibility associated with the launch campaign
- Develop a training program for team members to support launch campaigns inclusive of defining roles and responsibilities, test procedures and best practices.
- Support the overall campaign as the onsite launch lead representative
- Serve as a main point of contact to grow relationships with launch providers and track longer term opportunities associated with the launch vendors.
- Proactively identify risks associated with launch schedule and integration campaign and work mitigations.
- Lead release gate process for satellite buy off for flight.
- Interface with the engineering teams to evaluate compliance with the specification and opportunities to improve the subsystem to benefit business and schedule performance.
- Track action items and schedules across engineering teams, including maintaining accurate logs of design release status.
- Coordinate with the procurement team to support ordering and receipt of build to print parts in support of the necessary launch vehicle interfaces.
- Shepard the engineering team through key milestone reviews including, but not limited to, Preliminary Design, Critical Design, Test Readiness, and early production deliveries, as well as launch readiness review.
- Manage reports and support development of standard documentation with respect to satellite qualification and flight testing to share with providers.
- Interface with the full system level schedule and identify key milestones to manage risk.
- Facilitate and become an expert in satellite site testing including developing training material for other team members.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, vision, disability, group term life and AD&D, voluntary life and AD&D insurance
- BlackSky pays 100% of employee-only premiums for medical, dental and vision and contributes $100/month for out-of-pocket expenses!
- 15 days of PTO, 11 Company holidays, four Floating Holidays (pro-rated based on hire date), one day of paid volunteerism leave per year, parental leave and more
- 401(k) pre-tax and Roth deferral options with employer match
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Employee Stock Purchase Program
- Employee Assistance and Travel Assistance Programs
- Employer matching donations
- Professional development
- Awesome swag
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
