Director, Civil Space Sales

Astranis; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 115,000 - 185,000; Full time

Job summary

Astranis seeks a seasoned professional to shape and develop U.S. government civil space business opportunities.

You will interact with Government program managers, senior decision makers, and industry partners, coordinating with Astranis teams across legal, engineering, and operations for strategic pursuits. The role requires a background in engineering or hard science and strong written/oral communication.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in engineering or hard science.
• Minimum 8 years of experience in engineering, program management, corporate strategy, or USG sales/business development.
• Working knowledge of US civil space community and related organizations.
• Willingness to travel up to 40% of time.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop relationships with civil space customers and partners (NASA, NOAA, national labs).
• Support USG sales teams and identify civil space decision-makers.
• Develop materials for customer interactions and requirements shaping.
• Lead proposal activities and writing; coordinate with Astranis team.
• Track civil space programs, budgets, industry participation, and technical requirements.
• Assess competitor capabilities and identify opportunities for partnerships.
• Represent Astranis in trade associations, coalitions, and conferences.

Skills

Written communication

Oral communication

Willing to travel

Strong motivation

Education

Engineering or hard science degree

Job description

Astranis builds advanced satellites for high orbits, expanding humanity’s reach into the solar system. Today Astranis satellites provide dedicated, secure networks to highly-sophisticated customers across the globe – large enterprises, sovereign governments, and the US military.

With five satellites on orbit and many more set to launch soon, the company is servicing a backlog of more than $1 billion of commercial contracts. Astranis is the preferred satellite communications partner for buyers with stringent requirements for uptime, data security, network visibility, and customization.

Astranis has raised over $1.2 billion from some of the world’s best investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Baillie Gifford, Blackrock, Fidelity, Franklin Templeton, and Snowpoint, and employs a team of 500 engineers and entrepreneurs. Astranis designs, builds, and operates its satellites out of its 153,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Northern California, USA.

This position will be responsible for shaping and developing U.S. government (USG) civil space business opportunities. The ideal candidate for this role has both technical and/or business training as well as customer-facing experience with the civil space community including NASA, NOAA, and national laboratories, with a strong background in developing new space missions and concepts. This position will include personal interaction with Government program managers, senior decision makers, industry partners, and stakeholder associations. The position involves regular exchanges with Astranis senior management, program management, engineering, operations, and legal teams.

Role

• Support the building of relationships and interacting with Astranis customers and partners within the civil space communities, including NASA, NOAA, national laboratories
  • Support the broader USG sales teams in their interactions with Astranis customers and partners within these agencies
  • Improve awareness of Astranis solutions within the civil space communities by identifying and engaging with key decision-makers in civil space organizations
• Develop Astranis positions on civil space issues and communicate those positions to NASA or other civil space offices
• Develop materials in support of customer interactions including:
  • Preparation of written materials (talking papers and briefings.
  • Materials to support the shaping of requirements that align Astranis capabilities with civil space mission priorities
  • Responses to requests for information
• Develop, manage and support proposal activities including:
  • Proposal leadership activities such as capture manager, proposal manager, or volume lead
  • Development and writing of proposals
  • Aiding the broader Astranis team on proposal activities
• Track civil space programs of interest, including budget, Congressional actions, industry participation, and technical requirements, in collaboration with the Astranis government relations consultants
• Assess competitor capabilities and offerings to understand the competitiveness of our offerings across USG and commercial markets
• Identify opportunities for industry partnerships to expand Astranis systems capabilities, product offerings, and access to civil space pursuits
• Represent Astrans in related trade associations, coalitions, and conferences

Requirements

• B.S. or B.A. in engineering or hard science
• At least 8+ years of experience in engineering, program management, corporate strategy, or USG sales/business development
• Working knowledge of US civil space community, commercial space industry, associated organizations and on-going programs
• Willingness and ability to travel as needed, up to 40% of time
• Strong motivation to form product offerings to expand USG market share
• Excellent written and oral communication skills

Bonus

• Working knowledge of satellites, space science and weather systems / architectures and missions
• Federal-level capture/proposal management and/or government acquisition experience
• Eligible to obtain a TS/SCI Security Clearance
• Less than 5 years since previously active TS//SCI Security Clearance
• Based in the National Capital Region (NCR) or San Francisco

What we offer:

All our positions offer a compensation package that includes equity and robust benefits.

Base pay is just one component of Astranis’s total rewards package. Your compensation also includes a significant equity package via incentive stock options, high-quality company-subsidized healthcare, disability and life insurance, 401(k) retirement planning, flexible PTO, and free on-site catered meals.

Astranis pay ranges are informed and defined through professional-grade salary surveys and compensation data sources. The actual base salary offered to a successful candidate will additionally be influenced by a variety of factors including experience, credentials & certifications, educational attainment, skill level requirements, and the level and scope of the position.

$115,000 - $185,000 USD

U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, or Refugee/Asylee Status Required

(To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States, or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3))

Our mission and products are built for everyone, regardless of gender, race, creed, or background. We believe in a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we invite all people to join our team and bring their unique perspectives to make us stronger.