Satellite Launch Manager

Senior Satellite Launch Manager

About Us:

BlackSky is a real-time intelligence company. We own and operate the world's most advanced space-based intelligence platform and provide customers satellite imagery, automated analytics and high-frequency monitoring of strategic locations, economic assets, and events from around the globe. BlackSky is trusted by the most demanding allied military and intelligence organizations and commercial companies to deliver foresight into critical matters that affect national security and the economy. BlackSky's data enables governments and businesses to see, understand and anticipate change as it happens, giving them the ultimate strategic advantage so they can act quickly. Our global team works with cutting-edge technology to make a difference around the world and prides itself on being people-first, customer-focused and fun.

BlackSky is looking for a program manager that can drive our launch campaigns to scale. This role focuses on engaging with launch providers, working the integrated launch schedule, and building up our internal processes to train and support our growing launch capability. This role thrives on the challenge of a highly complex and timely schedule.

This position spans a broad skillset of ability to manage hardware and test assets, support, execute and document testing and results, tracking program schedule, risk and system performance, review and distill data for team consumption and action. The ideal candidate has demonstrated the ability to manage their own efforts over a broad scope of work as an independent contributor, while forging solutions and risk mitigations from a set of critical constraints. This candidate looks for problems and areas where process, support, and technical understanding can be used to find better and more efficient design and development solutions.

This position will be based out of our Seattle office on a hybrid schedule 2 days per week. Requirement to travel to both our launch campaigns and to our Tukwila facility office in support of launch training, launch preparation, and launch integration campaigns with travel up to 50%. Open to remote candidates with preference to local. 

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.

Required Qualifications:  

• Bachelor’s Degree in an engineering discipline or equivalent experience
• 8 years of direct Project Management Experience or related experience
• Experience with Space/Satellite Launch 
• 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

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with aerospace systems
• International launch experience 
• 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

Life at BlackSky for full-time benefits-eligible employees includes:

• 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

The anticipated salary range for Senior level candidates in Washington State is $130,000 - 160,000 per year. The final compensation package offered to a successful candidate will be dependent on specific background and education. BlackSky is a multi-state employer, and this pay scale may not reflect salary ranges in other states or locations outside of Washington state. 

BlackSky is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. #LI-Hybrid

EEO/Pay Transparency Statements:

https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf

https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/OFCCP_EEO_Supplement_Final_JRF_QA_508c.pdf