Chief Engineer (Lunar Landers)

SpaceNexus LLC; Redondo Beach (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

SpaceNexus LLC seeks a Chief Engineer to partner with engineering, manufacturing, test, mission operations, and executive leadership to drive technical decisions and manage program risk for a historic lunar lander system.

You will own the lunar lander system architecture, lead major design decisions, and maintain deep subsystem understanding across the full program lifecycle, ensuring performance, reliability, and cost targets are met.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant experience in the spacecraft domain.
• 5+ years of experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams or managing large-scale technical programs.
• Proven track record of managing hardware programs through the full lifecycle.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and decision‑making skills in fast‑moving technical environments.

Responsibilities

• Own the lunar lander system architecture and technical baseline across the full program lifecycle.
• Lead cross-functional technical trade studies and major design decisions to optimize performance, reliability, manufacturability, schedule, and cost.
• Maintain deep understanding of all subsystems, interfaces, operational concepts, and mission objectives.
• Drive the program technical roadmap in partnership with subsystem leads and subject matter experts while balancing performance, reliability, schedule, risk, and cost.
• Identify technical, operational, and programmatic risks early and develop mitigation strategies to ensure mission success.
• Define and oversee vehicle-level readiness processes, including major design reviews, test readiness reviews, and mission readiness activities.
• Serve as the primary technical authority for the program with customers, government stakeholders, launch providers, and external partners.
• Lead resolution of major anomalies and technical issues, driving root cause investigations and corrective actions through closure.
• Establish and uphold a high standard of engineering rigor, technical discipline, and configuration control throughout development and operations.

Skills

Leadership

Decision‑making

Communication

Engineering knowledge

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Aerospace, or related field

Job description

As Chief Engineer, you will partner closely with engineering, manufacturing, test, mission operations, and executive leadership to drive technical decisions, manage program risk, and ensure success of a historic lunar lander system.

• Own the lunar lander system architecture and technical baseline across the full program lifecycle
• Lead cross-functional technical trade studies and major design decisions to optimize performance, reliability, manufacturability, schedule, and cost
• Maintain deep understanding of all subsystems, interfaces, operational concepts, and mission objectives
• Drive the program technical roadmap in partnership with subsystem leads and subject matter experts while balancing performance, reliability, schedule, risk, and cost
• Identify technical, operational, and programmatic risks early and develop mitigation strategies to ensure mission success
• Define and oversee vehicle-level readiness processes, including major design reviews, test readiness reviews, and mission readiness activities
• Serve as the primary technical authority for the program with customers, government stakeholders, launch providers, and external partners
• Lead resolution of major anomalies and technical issues, driving root cause investigations and corrective actions through closure
• Establish and uphold a high standard of engineering rigor, technical discipline, and configuration control throughout development and operations

• 10+ years of relevant experience in the spacecraft domain
• 5+ years of experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams or managing large-scale technical programs
• Proven track record of managing hardware programs through the full lifecycle
• Excellent leadership, communication, and decision‑making skills in fast‑moving technical environments
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Aerospace, or related field