Technical Project Manager

Loft Orbital; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 300,000 - 540,000; Full time

Job summary

Loft Orbital is seeking a Technical Program Manager to bridge architecture, product development, and program execution for Orbitworks' customer ground segment and missions. You will translate requirements into actionable plans, coordinate onboarding, and drive agile delivery across multiple engineering teams.

The role requires 5+ years in TPM or similar in software/complex technical environments, and strong experience with Jira, Confluence, and cross-functional leadership.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in Technical Program Management or equivalent.
• Experience leading cross-functional technical programs end-to-end.
• Ability to manage multiple engineering teams and dependencies.

Responsibilities

• Translate high level architecture into detailed project plans with milestones and owners.
• Coordinate onboarding of new missions and alignment across teams.
• Drive execution across engineering, infrastructure, and product development.
• Collaborate with product teams and external partners on roadmap alignment.
• Champion Jira/Confluence-based tracking and continuous process improvement.
• Manage stakeholders and provide regular progress updates.

Skills

Jira/Confluence proficiency

Agile methods (Scrum/Kanban)

Architectural translation to plans

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Role Overview

The Technical Program Manager (TPM) will play a critical role in bridging technical architecture, product development, and program execution to enable the successful deployment of Orbitworks' Customer Ground Segment and customer missions.

Key Responsibilities

Program & Technical Planning

• Translate high-level Customer Ground Segment architecture into detailed, actionable project plans with defined work packages, owners, milestones, and dependencies
• Break down customer mission requirements into deployable technical deliverables across Orbitworks and Loft infrastructure
• Develop and maintain integrated execution plans that align engineering, infrastructure, and product development activities

Mission Onboarding

• Support the onboarding of new customer missions by converting SLAs and technical requirements into implementation plans
• Coordinate deployment activities across Customer Solutions, Space Infrastructure, and external partners
• Ensure successful transition of mission preparation activities to the Customer Delivery Engineering (CDE) team

Cross-functional Program Execution

• Drive execution across multiple engineering teams, tracking deliverables, dependencies, risks, and milestones
• Partner with engineering leads to prioritize work, remove blockers, and maintain execution momentum
• Coordinate internal and external stakeholders to ensure successful delivery of customer programs

Product & External Partner Coordination

• Collaborate with Loft product teams to align product capabilities and release schedules with Orbitworks customer needs
• Support Business Development by validating technical feasibility of customer commitments and SLA requirements
• Ensure roadmap alignment between Orbitworks and external partners

Process Improvement & Delivery Excellence

• Champion best practices in project tracking, reporting, and documentation using Jira and Confluence
• Improve delivery processes through automation and continuous process improvement initiatives
• Support roadmap planning, quarterly planning cycles, and engineering review processes
• Drive Agile delivery practices and improve visibility across software development activities

Stakeholder Management

• Serve as the primary program contact for major initiatives
• Provide regular updates on progress, risks, dependencies, and mitigation plans to leadership and stakeholders
• Foster collaboration across geographically distributed teams and multiple time zones

Experience

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of Technical Program Management or Technical Project Management experience, preferably within software or complex technical environments
• Proven experience leading cross-functional technical programs from planning through execution
• Experience coordinating multiple engineering teams and managing technical dependencies

Technical Skills

• Strong proficiency with Jira, Confluence, or equivalent project management tools
• Experience facilitating Agile software development teams (Scrum, Kanban, or similar)
• Ability to translate complex technical architectures into structured execution plans
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a focus on operational excellence and automation

Professional Skills

• Exceptional organizational and stakeholder management abilities
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including executive-level reporting
• Strong influencing skills without relying on formal authority
• Comfortable working in fast-paced, evolving environments
• Willingness to travel quarterly for cross-office collaboration

Nice to Have

• Experience within the aerospace or space industry
• Background in technical program management supporting both software and hardware development
• Experience working in high-growth technology startups
• Previous collaboration with international teams across multiple time zones
• Product Management experience or close collaboration with Product organizations
• Familiarity with cloud infrastructure, mission operations, or ground segment technologies
• Experience with Python or automation/scripting to improve engineering workflows
• Knowledge of systems engineering principles and technical integration programs
• Demonstrated ability to build scalable processes in rapidly growing organizations
• Continuous learning mindset with a track record of quickly acquiring new technical knowledge

Preferred Background

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline (or equivalent practical experience)
• Aerospace or satellite industry experience is highly desirable but not essential
• Strong Technical Program Management or Software Project Management background is preferred over general project management experience
• Experience working across engineering, product, and customer-facing organizations in complex technical environments

Orbitworks' mission is to make space simple for organizations that want to deploy physical and virtual missions to space. Building on Loft Orbital's heritage, Orbitworks will be the first commercial firm in the United Arab Emirates to mass-manufacture satellites. Orbitworks aims to manufacture tens of satellites annually and operates out of a 50,000-square-foot facility in Abu Dhabi.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.