Senior Space Systems Technical Project Manager
About The Position
BlackSky is a real-time intelligence company that operates a space-based intelligence platform providing satellite imagery, automated analytics, and high-frequency monitoring. The company is seeking a talented and creative Space Systems Product Manager who can manage ambiguity, translate new information into action, and lead a large team. This role requires an independent and self-directed individual focused on learning, growth, and leadership. The position involves managing vendors, driving trade-offs with stakeholders, and optimizing for BlackSky's business needs by challenging assumptions about cost, schedule, and performance. The program manager will support Systems, Power, Command and Data Handling, and Embedded Systems teams within the broader Satellite Engineering programs. The scope covers the design, buy, build, and test lifecycle for command and data handling and electrical power subsystems, from concept and requirements definition through hardware receipt and readiness for vehicle integration. This is a critical role within BlackSky's Internal programs team, requiring demonstrated ability to manage independent efforts, forge solutions from constraints, and operate as a team player. The candidate should be willing to lean in, solve new problems, and contribute to a collaborative environment. This position requires a broad skillset including managing hardware and test assets, supporting, executing, and documenting testing, tracking program schedules, risks, and system performance, and distilling data for team consumption. The ideal candidate proactively identifies areas for process improvement, support enhancement, and technical understanding to drive more efficient design and development solutions. The position is based in South Lake Union with regular time spent in the Tukwila production facility. Remote candidates will be considered if willing to travel to BlackSky and vendor facilities regularly, not exceeding 25% travel.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s Degree in an engineering discipline or equivalent experience
- Six years of direct Project Management experience or related experience
- Experience developing and deploying complex systems with hardware and integrated software dependencies
- Experience with management of vendors for computer board development or command and data handling systems
- Highly skilled at MS project and managing schedules with critical dependencies
- Experience working with integrated product teams
- Experience with JIRA
- Experience managing budgets and resource planning
- Ability and willingness to travel up to 25% to support supplier activities
Nice To Haves
- Possess strong team leadership and inter-team cooperation and organization skills
- Experience with software systems and management of software development efforts
- Experience presenting information to external customers a plus
- Hardware and test lab experience a plus
Responsibilities
- Oversee the full scope of design, buy, build, and test within the C&DH and Electrical Power subsystems, managing both internal and external efforts
- Develop integrated plans and schedules, obtaining buy-in from key engineering, program management, procurement, and production stakeholders
- Own daily tasking and deconfliction of activities within areas of responsibility
- Support vendor management, risk, and integrated schedule management for the program for key subsystem development of the satellite and key hardware
- Develop and maintain relationships with existing suppliers and help to proactively manage engineering changes with those vendors
- 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 vendor discussions and decision points
- Drive technical communications with vendors and internal teams shaping the development framework to support integrated product solutions
- Shepard the engineering team through key milestone reviews including, but not limited to, Preliminary Design, Critical Design, Test Readiness, and early production deliveries
- Support supply chain in understanding engineering changes, performance, and key dependencies for supplier test and delivery schedules
- Support the entire development lifecycle for optimization and identify design and decision gates along with developing the associated criteria
- Support qualification testing, testing review, and set up as needed as well as own the programmatic timeline for component testing
- Interface with the full system level schedule and identify key milestones to manage risk
- Strategically identify opportunities to pull testing in-house or support vendor testing to reduce 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
