Chief Engineer, Space

SupportFinity™; California (MO); On-site; USD 254,000 - 336,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans

Generous PTO and caregiver leave

Professional development reimbursement

Relocation assistance available

Job summary

SupportFinity™ is seeking a Chief Engineer for their space team in California. The Chief Engineer will be responsible for technical leadership in developing spacecraft technologies and ensuring contract execution from proposals to delivery.

This role requires a strong background in satellite systems, mission operations, and team management. Candidates should have experience with developing defense hardware and the ability to communicate effectively across teams. Comprehensive healthcare and retirement plans are provided.

Qualifications

• Expertise in mission operations for surveillance and reconnaissance at multiple orbits.
• Ability to decompose complex systems into executable requirements.
• Familiarity with spacecraft standards and qualification testing.

Responsibilities

• Provide oversight to a multi-disciplinary team through program execution.
• Perform mission and system level trade studies.
• Contribute technical inputs to proposals.

Skills

Technical expertise in spacecraft subsystems

Experience in high dV spacecraft

Understanding of space-based sensing

Strong technical communication skills

Technical experience leading US Government contracts

Education

Experience in architecting, developing, and delivering defense/IC satellite and space hardware

Job description

About The Job

We are looking for a Chief Engineer to join our rapidly growing space team in Costa Mesa, CA. In this role, you will be responsible for serving as a technical lead on a wide berth of emerging developments geared towards an all-encompassing spacecraft mission focused around dynamic space operations and highly maneuverable satellites. This will include driving technology developments through design, build, test and delivery for on-orbit operations across high dV propulsion systems, optical sensor suites, closed loop guidance and navigation and systems engineering in close concert with new and legacy ground software enterprises. The Chief Engineer will develop a technical strategy and roadmap in conjunction with the Head of Engineering for Space Missions and the Growth/Strategy leads of the Space team that effectively leverages current Anduril technologies and newly developed technologies to serve the customer mission areas. This role will address pre-award demonstrations, early contract phases, and full-contract execution. The Chief Engineer, working with a multi-disciplinary engineering team, will ensure the efficient development and delivery of hardware and software solutions for the customer.

These efforts will include leading complex, integrated systems for on-orbit operations and demonstrations to include sub-contracted teammates and strategic partnerships. The chief engineer will need to facilitate effective technical development and integration that spans company-boundaries in an agile development approach in the context of a continuous integration/continuous deployment paradigm. They will need to balance development of new capabilities with the incorporation of several pre-existing Anduril or industry capabilities and need to effectively communicate the development status to internal and external stakeholders.

The Chief Engineer will be responsible for technical oversight of all aspects of program execution from proposals to SRR, PDR, CDR, MRR, TRR, assembly, qualification testing, and delivery of flight units for launch. The Chief Engineer in conjunction with the Head of Engineering for Space Missions will assist in building out the necessary infrastructure for Anduril to execute on all necessary aspects a space based interceptor consisting of satellite and payload build and test to include working with external vendors for establishing test requirements and pass/fail criteria. The Chief Engineer will also work closely with the Anduril Space C2 team to enable and deliver Space Ground C2 products to both the customer and to further Anduril’s penetration into customer ecosystems.

What You’ll Do

• Provide technical expertise across multiple spacecraft subsystems and ground systems
• Leverage strategic partnerships and teammates for building out new products to satisfy customer requirements in new and challenging mission areas
• Provide space industry expertise to refine and advance the Anduril Space Based Interceptor strategy for customer engagements and demonstrations
• Contribute technical inputs to proposals to include engineering execution plans
• Provide oversight to a multi-disciplinary team of engineers through all phases of program execution up to and including delivery and operation of capabilities on-orbit
• Perform mission and system level trade studies and analysis to balance risk, cost, and performance

Required Qualifications

• Experience in architecting, developing, and delivering defense/IC satellite and space hardware and software systems
• Experience in high dV spacecraft, dynamic space operations, space based sensing and understanding mission operations for surveillance and reconnaissance at multiple orbits
• Understanding of the recent/current technical state of key USSF and IC space systems and mission areas
• Demonstrated ability to decompose complex systems with competing objectives (e.g., performance, schedule, openness, cybersecurity, MLS) into executable requirements and execution then delivering on those to meet government expectations
• Experience with spacecraft standards for qualification testing and acceptance testing to include the use of GEVS, SMC-S-016 (MIL-STD-1540), etc
• Experience with US government space mission areas and associated CONOPS for successfully executing missions to enable space for the warfighter
• Design and development of space vehicle and payload architectures and detailed mission solutions to complex space domain challenges
• Strong technical communication skills, providing the ability to deliver critical technical briefings and conclusions to technical leadership, company leadership, and customers
• Strong technical fundamentals in space systems, space ground infrastructure, and product development
• Technical experience leading US Government contracts
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance

US Salary Range

$254,000—$336,000 USD

Healthcare Benefits

• US Roles: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans at little to no cost to you.
• UK & AUS Roles: We cover full cost of medical insurance premiums for you and your dependents.
• IE Roles: We offer an annual contribution toward your private health insurance for you and your dependents.

Additional Benefits

• Income Protection: Anduril covers life and disability insurance for all employees.
• Generous time off: Highly competitive PTO plans with a holiday hiatus in December. Caregiver & Wellness Leave is available to care for family members, bond with a new baby, or address your own medical needs.
• Family Planning & Parenting Support: Coverage for fertility treatments (e.g., IVF, preservation), adoption, and gestational carriers, along with resources to support you and your partner from planning to parenting.
• Mental Health Resources: Access free mental health resources 24/7, including therapy and life coaching. Additional work-life services, such as legal and financial support, are also available.
• Professional Development: Annual reimbursement for professional development
• Commuter Benefits: Company-funded commuter benefits based on your region.
• Relocation Assistance: Available depending on role eligibility.

Retirement Savings Plan

• US Roles: Traditional 401(k), Roth, and after-tax (mega backdoor Roth) options.
• UK & IE Roles: Pension plan with employer match.
• AUS Roles: Superannuation plan.

The recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process.