HummingSat Program Manager

Socket.dev; Foster City, California (CA, MO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Travel opportunities

Competitive compensation

Job summary

SWISSto12 is seeking a seasoned Program Manager to lead the HummingSat GEO spacecraft program from initiation to delivery. You will coordinate with customers, partners, and suppliers to ensure contractual compliance and timely execution, leveraging a strong background in aerospace engineering and program management.

Based in Foster City, CA, the role requires leadership across engineering, manufacturing, and testing, with travel as needed in a fast-growing environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years on GEO spacecraft programs or equivalent complex space programs.
• Masters or PhD in Electrical/Mechanical/Systems/Aerospace Engineering or Physics.
• Strong leadership, planning, scheduling, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written technical documentation and communication.
• Fluent English; French a plus.

Responsibilities

• Act as Program Manager for the delivery of HummingSat to a GEO telecommunications operator.
• Lead all phases of the program—from initiation through delivery to the customer.
• Collaborate with the customer to ensure contractual compliance and shared understanding of program execution.
• Lead strategic partners and major suppliers, including reviews and deliverables.
• Maintain and track the program's requirements and change orders; apply PM/engineering processes across design, manufacture, and testing.
• Travel as needed and support a dynamic fast-growing company.

Skills

Program management

Spacecraft engineering

Leadership

Risk management

Customer interfaces

Cross-regional teamwork

Communication

Autonomous work

English language

Education

Master's or PhD in Electrical/Mechanical/Systems/Aerospace Engineering or Physics

Tools

ISO 9001 / EN/AS 9100 knowledge

Job description

SWISSto12 is one of the world’s fastest-growing aerospace companies, evolving from its pioneering use of 3D printing technologies for high-performance Radio Frequency (RF) products and applications to manufacturing entire geostationary telecommunication satellites, called HummingSat, that define a new category in space and of which 4 have already been sold to international leading telecom operators: Intelsat and ViaSat (acqu. Inmarsat).

HummingSat is the world’s first commercial telecom GEO SmallSat developed in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA). Its uniquely compact size combined with highly capable telecom payloads allows telecommunications operators to deploy a cost-efficient, compact and agile asset without sacrificing performance or security.

SWISSto12 is also a leading provider of Radio-Frequency (RF) products and sub-systems. The company’s patented 3D printing technologies and associated product designs are unique to deliver lightweight, compact, highly performing, and competitive RF products. This position is a unique opportunity to lead the development of a new class of telecommunication satellites.

This position is a unique opportunity to play a key role in the growth and scale-up of a new category leader in the Aerospace industry.

• 5 or more years of experience on GEO spacecraft programs or equivalent complex space programs and systems engineering. Understanding of principles for spacecraft design, manufacture, assembly, integration, test and operation.
• Demonstrates extensive technical expertise and application of engineering principles, concepts, theory, and practice as well as comprehensive project management and leadership skills including organizing, planning, scheduling, and coordination to meet established milestones.
• Must possess the ability to resolve complex technical problems and complex management of technical activities.
• Experience with managing customer / operator and supplier interfaces.
• Customer focused, must be able to work with leadership on a self-initiated basis and in a team environment.
• Autonomous and proactive working style with excellent working organization and ethics.
• Communicating effectively, excellent relational skills and ability to work in a team with different professional and cultural backgrounds, as well as spread across different regions.
• Ability to think outside of the box and thrive in an often-ambiguous trade-space.
• Demonstrated ability to write clear technical documentation of high quality.
• Experience with various relevant schedule tools.
• Language: Fluent English is a prerequisite, skills in French are a plus
• Master’s or PhD degree in Electrical or Mechanical or Systems or Aerospace Engineering or Physics or equivalent.
• Knowledge of the ISO 9001 and EN/AS 9100 norms as well as with preventive and curative quality tools (8D, Ishikawa, FMEA, risk analysis,) is an optional plus.

• Acting as Program Manager for the delivery of HummingSat to a major GEO telecommunications operator.
• Leading all phases of the program - from initiation through delivery to the customer.
• Working in close cooperation with the customer to ensure contractual compliance and a shared understanding of the program execution.
• Acting as a customer point of contact for program activities, including feedback, interactions, and improvements.
• Leading the strategic partners and major suppliers including reviews and deliverables.
• Maintain & tracking the program's requirements and the change order process.
• Apply state-of-the art project management and engineering processes throughout design, manufacturing, assembly, integration and testing.
• Perform risk and opportunity management and provide leadership and direction to the continual risk management process.
• Be responsible for the program documentation and commissioning processes.
• Travel as needed.
• Occasionally, you will be asked to participate in overall tasks and services inherent to a dynamic fast-growing company.

Further details to be shared by our recruitment team.

More about SWISSto12:

SWISSto12 has successfully established contracts with Intelsat, Inmarsat, Astrum Mobile and ESA for HummingSat as well as contracts for their RF product line in Europe, and the US with prominent partners and customers such as Thales, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, SES and the ESA. SWISSto12 is a spin off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), is privately owned and backed by prominent Swiss and European Investors. SWISSto12 is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and operates a US and European-subsidiariesy in Foster City California. The company is well funded for its near and mid-term developments and backed by a solid customer revenue stream.