Your space-enabled career begins here

Be more than just an employee number! Join Terran Orbital, a leader in innovation, manufacturing, and operations in the satellite industry. We are a pioneer in the miniaturization of space technologies and the delivery of responsive space solutions. We are a unique, fast-growing, and trusted team focused on quickly and economically designing, building, launching, and operating state-of-the-art satellites for advanced mission constellations.

Terran Orbital is seeking an experienced Chief Engineer - Spacecraft to join our growing team as a key leadership team member. Reporting to the VP, Space & Mission Systems, the Chief Engineer - Spacecraft will be a key member of the engineering leadership team that works closely with functional engineering teams and program managers as a technical authority to ensure product integrity that meets customers’ needs with technical excellence. The Chief Engineer will also support the development of solutions, provide input to technical cost proposals, drive affordability, and ensure the technical integrity of delivered products with rigor through design, testing, and technical issue resolution. This role will serve as a technical authority for the organization and provide technical leadership for the development roadmaps, engineering standards, process, and tool development, incorporating best practices and lessons learned across the portfolio for space products.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• A hands-on leader, providing technical expertise and guidance across space system products.
• Ensure technical integrity and rigor of space systems designs, analysis, testing, and investigations.
• Support program key driving and risk areas.
• Lead and advise independent Non-Advocate Reviews for projects and programs to ensure business, customer, and supplier success.
• Provide leadership for the Engineering and Failure Review Boards.
• Provide leadership, mentoring, and guidance to the engineering teams.
• Liaison with Components and Modules Group.
• Establish best practices, frameworks, guidelines, standards, processes, and tools.
• Participate and lead the technical discussions with customers and suppliers to ensure mission success.
• Develop and maintain client network and relationships with senior-level customer counterparts.
• Guide architecture trades to find balanced solutions for technical, schedule, and cost.
• Support the sales and business development teams in the development of technology strategy by adding technical excellence to proposals and presentations.
• Maintain working knowledge of industry engineering practices, tools, and trends.
• Identify and engage meaningful technical inputs from other enterprise contributors and external experts, as needed, to provide optimal focus and skills for challenging and specialty technical topics.

• Bachelor of engineering or a related field is required; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in spacecraft/subsystem product development and operations
• 5+ years of aerospace experience working in a technical leadership role
• Ability to resolve and close technical issues and challenges with competing demands
• Subject matter expert in one or more Spacecraft, Space Systems, or space operations design Engineering domains. Familiarity with other engineering processes, disciplines, and subject matter authorities
• Significant experience in more than one of the following: analog and digital electronics, Communications, guidance and navigation controls, Optical or RF missions and payloads, digital data processing and edge networking, flight and mission SW, spacecraft mission operations
• Experience with processes on failure investigation (root cause analysis, corrective action definition, failure review boards, etc.)
• Experience supporting the technical evaluation of design and requirements verification
• Experience in different phases of aerospace component and system development cycle and mission life cycle experience including concept development, detail design, design reviews, manufacturing and AIT, operations, and anomaly investigations
• Familiarity with industry standards and guidance, including SMC, GEVS, TORs, AIAA, MIL-STD, etc.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully multi-task across portfolio demands
• Per the requirement of certain Terran Orbital facilities, the applicant must be eligible to obtain and maintain a US TS/SCI Security Clearance and all unique accesses required to work at such facilities.

Additional Differentiators

• Engineering Master's Degree.
• Experience and success with space-based architectures and devices, as well as knowledge of standards for geospatial intelligence data and products.
• Demonstrate experience and success with space-based remote sensing missions.
• Experience with MBSE, Modeling & Simulation for system and mission level solutions.
• Successful experience with space-based reliability, availability, maintainability, and safety.
• Familiarity with satellite system budgets, including mass, power, delta-V, link, and data budgets.

• 100% Company-paid comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents
• 401(k) Match
• Flexible Time Off (FTO)

Salary Range $200,000-$250,000

Your actual level and base salary will be determined case-by-case and may vary based on the job-related qualification, knowledge, skills, education, and experience. In addition to base salary, we offer 100% covered medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) match, Flexible Time Off (FTO), covered life insurance, maternity and paternity leave, tuition reimbursement, employee referrals, and lots of swag!

About Terran Orbital

Terran Orbital is a leading manufacturer of satellite products primarily serving the aerospace and defense industries. Terran Orbital provides end-to-end satellite solutions by combining satellite design, production, launch planning, mission operations, and on-orbit support to meet the needs of the most demanding military, civil, and commercial customers. Learn more at www.terranorbital.com

Work Environment

The job operates in a professional office environment but in a manufacturing company. This job routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, and scanners.

Disclaimers

Terran Orbital is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. We consider applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or membership in any other group protected by federal, state, or local law.

If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at hr@terranorbital.com.

Terran Orbital does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or staffing firms. To conduct business with Terran Orbital, a Master Services Agreement (MSA) must be executed and confirmed prior to submitting any information relating to a potential candidate. Without a signed MSA, Terran Orbital shall not be responsible to any individual or entity for any payment relating to any form of fee or compensation.

And, in the event that a resume or candidate is submitted by a recruiter, an employment agency, or a staffing firm without a fully executed MSA, Terran Orbital has the unrestricted right to pursue and hire any of those candidate(s) without any legal or financial responsibility to the recruiter, agency, and/or firm.