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 its launch campaigns. This role involves engaging with launch providers, managing the integrated launch schedule, and developing internal processes for training and supporting launch capabilities. The position requires managing hardware and test assets, supporting and documenting testing, tracking program schedules, risks, and system performance, and distilling data for team consumption. The ideal candidate is an independent contributor who can forge solutions and risk mitigations within critical constraints, identifying opportunities for process, support, and technical improvements. 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
- Strong team leadership and inter-team cooperation and organization skills
- Experience with development of launch provider artifacts
- Experience presenting information to external customers
- Hardware and test lab experience
Responsibilities
- Oversee the full scope of launch contracting, documents, deliverables, and scheduling.
- Develop integrated plans and schedules to support testing and artifacts required for 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, including defining roles, responsibilities, test procedures, and best practices.
- Serve as the onsite launch lead representative.
- Act as a main point of contact to grow relationships with launch providers and track longer-term opportunities.
- Proactively identify risks associated with launch schedule and integration campaigns and work mitigations.
- Lead the release gate process for satellite buy-off for flight.
- Interface with engineering teams to evaluate compliance with specifications and identify opportunities for subsystem improvements.
- Track action items and schedules across engineering teams, maintaining accurate logs of design release status.
- Coordinate with the procurement team to support ordering and receipt of parts for launch vehicle interfaces.
- Shepherd the engineering team through key milestone reviews, including Preliminary Design, Critical Design, Test Readiness, early production deliveries, and launch readiness reviews.
- Manage reports and support the development of standard documentation for satellite qualification and flight testing.
- 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
- 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
