Mission Manager, Special Programs at SpaceX
Hawthorne, CA, United States
SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.
MISSION MANAGER, SPECIAL PROGRAMS
SpaceX services a diverse range of clients and their payloads. Missions currently on our manifest support a wide variety of customer opportunities. As we expand our satellite mission manifest, we are looking for new systems-minded engineers to join our team.
As a member of our Mission Management team, you will serve as a core point of contact for customers from early capabilities studies through successful launch and on-orbit activation. You'll support new business proposals from initial requirements verification through mission design, prototype development, and test. You'll work directly with a small team of subject matter experts from diverse fields to quickly iterate on deployable solutions and ensure they meet all customer needs. Our development timelines are aggressive and you will be asked to rigorously explore solutions for previously unsolved problems. Our ideal candidate has a passion for making things work, is a self-starter, and is hungry to do work that matters.
As a Mission Manager, you will serve as the main technical and programmatic point of contact for a given customer. You'll coordinate internal SpaceX personnel to support all phases of mission planning, integration, testing, and verification.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Lead all programmatic aspects of programs, from contract award through integration, test, launch and on-orbit operations. Ensure all contract requirements are met.
Support proposal efforts to align new efforts with long-term strategic vision and engineering objectives, and to ensure contract requirements are executable.
Be the primary point of contact for your customer, to resolve issues, negotiate requirements, coordinate technical and contractual changes, and maintain positive relationships.
Plan and lead customer reviews through cross-company coordination, developing and briefing technical content on complex designs, trade studies, risks, and issues.
Collaborate with product engineering groups to understand vehicle readiness and how changes impact requirements, vehicle risk, CONOPs, and launch dates.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
Bachelor's degree in an engineering or science discipline.
5+ years of experience in program management, project management, systems engineering, or operations.
2+ years of experience with US government projects or acquisitions.
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
8+ years of experience in program management or project management.
Professional experience working with launch vehicles, spacecraft, or other aerospace systems.
Demonstrated ability to work under pressure and deliver reliable and expeditious results across multiple parallel priorities.
Strong interpersonal skills, and an ability to tailor communications to the audience.
Spacecraft mission design, development, integration and/or test experience.
Previous management or program leadership experience.
Strong penchant for innovation in process improvement and system design.
Positive, -can-do- attitude, self-starter, and ability to work in a high pace dynamic environment.
Strong analytical, verbal, and written skills.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
Active Top Secret or Top Secret SCI clearance preferred. Must be willing to pursue a clearance if not already cleared. Note that an active clearance may provide the opportunity for you to work on sensitive SpaceX missions. If so, you will be subject to pre-employment drug and random drug and alcohol testing.
Must pass DoD level background checks for entry into various government facilities.
Ability to travel up to 25% of the time.
ITAR REQUIREMENTS:
SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX's Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should notify the Human Resources Department at (310) 363-6000.
