Chief Engineering & Mission Systems Leader

Parallax Space; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Parallax Space seeks a Head of Engineering to lead the company’s technical organization, drive engineering execution, and shape product development strategy as we scale from early development to repeatable flight systems.

The leader will build a world‑class multidisciplinary organization spanning systems, mechanical, electrical, avionics, software, test, and mission hardware, balancing rigor with startup speed to deliver mission‑ready systems for commercial and national security customers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, systems engineering or related field.
• 12+ years of engineering experience in aerospace, defense, spacecraft, launch, or other high‑reliability hardware environments.
• 5+ years of engineering leadership experience managing multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead and scale all engineering disciplines including systems, mechanical, electrical, avionics, software, test, integration, and mission hardware development.
• Define organizational structure, hiring plans, capability roadmaps, and technical leadership responsibilities.
• Recruit, mentor, and retain top engineering talent.
• Define and maintain the technical roadmap aligned with company growth strategy and customer demand.
• Lead major technical trade studies, architecture reviews, and strategic design decisions.
• Balance performance, manufacturability, reliability, schedule, and cost in engineering decisions.
• Partner with executive leadership on long‑range technical planning and capability investment.
• Drive engineering execution across all active programs and customer deliverables.
• Establish disciplined execution from concept through design, build, integration, testing, qualification, and flight readiness.
• Establish engineering ownership, cadence, milestones, and reporting.
• Support rapid issue resolution across development and mission execution efforts.

Skills

Leadership

Systems thinking

Execution bias

Cross‑functional leadership

Communication

Problem solving

Talent development

Decision making

Accountability

Strategic thinking

Ownership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering

Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering

Advanced technical degree (MS/PhD)

Job description

Parallax Space seeks a Head of Engineering to lead the company’s technical organization, drive engineering execution, and shape product development strategy as we scale from early development to repeatable flight systems.

The leader will build a world‑class multidisciplinary organization spanning systems, mechanical, electrical, avionics, software, test, and mission hardware, balancing rigor with startup speed to deliver mission‑ready systems for commercial and national security customers.