Chief Spacecraft Systems Architect & Engineering Leader

Katalyst Space; Broomfield (CO); On-site; USD 195,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options & equity

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

401(k)

Unlimited PTO

Catered lunches

Job summary

Katalyst Space seeks a hands-on engineering leader to establish the technical baseline for our robotic spacecraft and translate work into a repeatable system architecture. You will identify interface assumptions across subsystems and inject rigor into spacecraft development.

You will lead cross-disciplinary teams, maintain architectural coherence, and drive tradeoffs without slowing execution. We value humility, calm under pressure, and a track record delivering end-to-end spacecraft missions.

Qualifications

• Hands-on technical leadership with deep system-level decision experience.
• Comfort with ambiguity and high standards for technical excellence.
• Analytical, systems-oriented thinker for cross-functional trades.
• Strong organizational skills to create durable structures for teams.

Responsibilities

• Establish the technical baseline for Katalyst’s robotic spacecraft.
• Translate work into a defined, repeatable system architecture.
• Identify, define, and formalize interface and integration assumptions across subsystems.
• Inject technical rigor into spacecraft development.
• Raise and maintain the bar on systems-level thinking and decision-making without slowing execution.
• Act as a system-level reviewer, ensuring architectural coherence and disciplined technical tradeoffs.
• Build systems and structures for Katalyst's GEO program, establishing: a clear requirements hierarchy with end-to-end traceability; system-level diagrams and architectures that align teams around a shared technical vision; configuration and interface management practices that enable scale and repeatability.

Skills

System-level architecture

Spacecraft engineering

Engineering leadership

Cross-disciplinary leadership

Job description

Katalyst Space seeks a hands-on engineering leader to establish the technical baseline for our robotic spacecraft and translate work into a repeatable system architecture. You will identify interface assumptions across subsystems and inject rigor into spacecraft development.

You will lead cross-disciplinary teams, maintain architectural coherence, and drive tradeoffs without slowing execution. We value humility, calm under pressure, and a track record delivering end-to-end spacecraft missions.