In-Space Propulsion Program Lead

Dawn Aerospace; Delft Colony (CA); On-site; USD 101,000 - 157,000; Full time

Job summary

Dawn Aerospace seeks an experienced Project Manager with an engineering background to lead multiple in-space propulsion projects from concept to orbit, coordinating engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and customer success. You will own plans, milestones, and customer commitments, translating technical and commercial requirements into actionable priorities for multidisciplinary teams.

The role involves travel, security clearances, and a hands-on approach to delivery in a

Qualifications

• Degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Systems Engineering or related field.
• 3+ years PM in aerospace/defense or 5+ years in high-tech manufacturing.
• Experience managing scope, schedule, budget, and risks with multi-disciplinary teams.
• Strong English communication; ability to work with international stakeholders.
• Ability to obtain Dutch, NATO, or EU security clearances.

Responsibilities

• Manage multiple in-space propulsion projects, driving schedule, budget, scope, and flight hardware delivery.
• Own project plans, milestones, dependencies, resources, and customer commitments.
• Interface with customers and translate requirements into executable priorities for multidisciplinary teams.
• Coordinate engineering, supply chain, production, AIT, quality, and other internal functions to keep projects aligned and moving.
• Proactively identify risks, bottlenecks, and deviations, establish recovery actions, and elevate decisions early when needed.
• Balance technical performance, schedule, resources, and customer expectations using practical engineering judgement.
• Provide concise, evidence-based project reporting and forecasts to customers, internal stakeholders, and management.
• Manage scope changes, contractual deliverables, acceptance criteria, and project documentation with discipline, and propose CCNs where required.
• Travel to other Dawn offices, suppliers, or customer locations when required, up to ~10% of time.

Skills

Project management

Aerospace industry

Engineering background

English communication

Education

Aerospace/Mechanical/Systems Engineering degree

Tools

Wrike

MS Project

Jira

Job description

Dawn Aerospace seeks an experienced Project Manager with an engineering background to lead multiple in-space propulsion projects from concept to orbit, coordinating engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and customer success. You will own plans, milestones, and customer commitments, translating technical and commercial requirements into actionable priorities for multidisciplinary teams.

The role involves travel, security clearances, and a hands-on approach to delivery in a