Engineering Business Manager (L2, PM-04)

Sophia Space; Pasadena (CA); Hybrid; USD 125,000 - 155,000; Full time

Job summary

Sophia Space is seeking a Business Manager for Athena, the first hardware mission to space. You will own the budget, schedule integration, and the earned-value narrative, ensuring contracts align with technical progress. The role sits at the center of the program office and offers growth into full program business ownership.

You will operate in an environment that increasingly leverages AI tools for cost and schedule analysis, contract review, and reporting, balancing speed with prudent judgment.

Qualifications

• Experience in aerospace/defense/space program management.
• Cost and schedule management on hardware development programs.
• Proficiency with program scheduling tools (MS Project or Primavera).
• Knowledge of FAR/DFARS, government contract types (CPFF, FFP, T&M).
• Experience presenting cost performance reports and estimate-at-completion forecasts.
• Strong financial modeling skills; comfortable with large datasets.
• Clear written and verbal communication; able to translate financial complexity into a program narrative.
• Comfortable using AI tools in day-to-day work for cost and schedule analysis and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Own the Athena budget and cost performance reviews; manage WBS and budgets at completion.
• Develop, baseline, and maintain Integrated Master Schedule; track milestones and risks.
• Administer FAR/DFARS-compliant subcontracts and government task orders; support negotiations.
• Prepare cost, schedule, risk, and contract briefings; maintain program-control docs.

Skills

Program management

Cost scheduling

Scheduling tools

FAR/DFARS knowledge

Cost reporting

EAC forecasts

Financial modeling

Communications

AI in program controls

BA/Finance/Eng Mgmt degree

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Engineering Management, Systems Engineering, or related field

Tools

MS Project

Primavera

JIRA

Confluence

Job description

Sophia Space is a venture-backed deep technology company building high-performance, energy-efficient computing systems designed to operate in orbit. Our work sits at the intersection of aerospace systems, advanced computing, artificial intelligence, and applied physics, enabling a new generation of distributed edge computing capabilities in space.

Having successfully completed our Seed financing, Sophia is focused on scaling its team, products, and capabilities as we prepare for the next stage of growth. We are building a world‑class engineering organization that combines expertise from aerospace, cloud computing, robotics, and AI to solve some of the most challenging problems in space infrastructure. As both a product company and an engineering‑driven organization, we actively leverage modern AI tools throughout our development process to accelerate learning, improve productivity, and help deliver innovative, environmentally responsible computing platforms for the future.

Job Description

Athena is Sophia Space's first hardware mission to space — a complex, fast‑moving program where business discipline is what turns ambition into on‑schedule, on‑budget delivery. As Business Manager for Athena, you are the financial and contractual backbone of the program office, working shoulder‑to‑shoulder with the Program Manager so that cost, schedule, and contracts stay tightly wired to technical progress.

You will own the program's business execution: the budget and the integrated schedule, the earned‑value story that ties them together, and the full lifecycle of commercial and government contracts that supply the mission. It is a high‑visibility role at the center of Sophia Space's most important near‑term mission, with room to grow into full ownership of the program's business function.

You will do this in an organization that leans hard on modern AI — you're encouraged to put AI tools to work across cost and schedule analysis, contract review, and reporting, moving faster while keeping a clear head about where the tools help and where they don't.

Location & Eligibility

This position is primarily in‑person in Pasadena, California, with occasional hybrid flexibility based on business needs.

This position may require access to technology subject to U.S. export‑control laws. To comply with applicable ITAR and EAR regulations, applicants may need to qualify as a U.S. Person, as defined under those regulations. U.S. Persons generally include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (green‑card holders), and certain protected individuals as defined by applicable law.

Primary Responsibilities

• Budget & Financial Management (Primary) — Own the Athena budget: baseline and manage the work breakdown structure and budget‑at‑completion; lead monthly cost performance reviews with cost performance reports and variance analysis; coordinate with Finance on actuals, accruals, purchase orders, and forecasting; manage estimate‑at‑completion and flag emerging overruns.
• Schedule Management — Develop, baseline, and maintain the Integrated Master Schedule with engineering, operations, and supply chain; track milestones and schedule risk; run the weekly status and escalation cadence; apply Earned Value Management to tie schedule performance to cost.
• Contracts & Subcontract Management — Serve as the day‑to‑day contracts interface; administer FAR/DFARS‑compliant subcontracts and government task orders; support proposals and negotiations; maintain CDRLs and period‑of‑performance tracking; coordinate with Legal on NDAs, IP, and changes.
• Program Operations & Reporting — Prepare cost, schedule, risk, and contract briefings for internal and customer audiences; maintain program‑control documentation; gather integrated status across teams; support the risk and opportunity register with quantified impacts.

Required Skills

• Program business management, program control, or project management experience in aerospace, defense, or space
• Demonstrated cost and schedule management on hardware development programs
• Proficiency with program scheduling tools (e.g. MS Project, Primavera, or equivalent)
• Working knowledge of FAR/DFARS, government contract types (CPFF, FFP, T&M), and subcontract administration
• Experience developing and presenting cost performance reports, variance analyses, and estimate‑at‑completion forecasts
• Strong spreadsheet and financial‑modeling skills; comfortable working with large datasets
• Clear written and verbal communication — able to translate financial complexity into a clear program narrative
• Comfortable using AI tools in day‑to‑day work — interested in adopting AI assistants and agents to work faster and better, with sound judgment about where they help and where they fall short
• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Engineering Management, Systems Engineering, or a related field

Desired Skills

• Commercial‑space startup or first‑of‑kind hardware mission experience
• Earned Value Management Systems (EVMS) familiarity and ANSI/EIA‑748
• NASA or DoD program support with CDRLs and contract data deliverables
• PMP or equivalent certification
• Demonstrated experience applying AI tools and agents (e.g. LLM assistants such as Claude) to program‑controls work — cost and schedule analysis, contract review, drafting, or reporting
• Experience with program‑management and collaboration tools (e.g. JIRA, Confluence)
• Cross‑functional work with supply chain and hardware engineering teams

The Pay Range For This Role Is

125,000 - 155,000 USD per year(Pasadena, CA)