Program Chief Engineer

Quindar; Arvada (CO); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO

Health insurance

4% 401(k) matching

Annual company offsite

Job summary

Quindar in Colorado seeks a Chief Engineer to lead aerospace software programs, integrating mission software, platform infrastructure, and operations. You will act as a senior technical leader across software, systems, and mission domains while engaging with customers and domain architects.

The role requires strong software and systems understanding, operational awareness, and the ability to guide multi-disciplinary teams through complex technical execution in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience developing, integrating, or operating aerospace, satellite, or mission-critical software systems.
• Broad experience across software, operational systems, and aerospace mission domains.
• Experience with satellite ground systems, mission operations, command and control, or flight dynamics and mission planning tools.
• Experience designing, integrating, or operating distributed software systems in production environments.
• Strong understanding of software architecture, systems integration, and operational reliability.
• Ability to communicate effectively across software, operations, platform / infrastructure, and customer stakeholders.
• Experience leading technical efforts across multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguous and rapidly evolving technical environments.
• Active U.S. Security Clearance (TS/SCI Preferred, S Required).

Responsibilities

• Serve as a program technical leader / Chief Engineer for complex commercial and government space programs.
• Support successful engineering execution across mission software, platform infrastructure, reliability, security, and integration activities.
• Coordinate technical alignment across engineering teams to ensure cohesive system behavior and successful mission execution.
• Partner with engineering leads to identify and resolve cross-system technical risks, interface challenges, and integration concerns.
• Support architectural cohesion and long-term technical evolution across Quindar’s ground systems ecosystem.
• Contribute to technical strategy, system design, and architecture development for mission operations platforms.
• Participate in proposal development, technical solution definition, and customer technical engagements.
• Conduct technical reviews, design reviews, and mission readiness assessments.
• Support anomaly investigation, troubleshooting, and operational issue resolution for mission-critical systems.
• Provide mentorship and technical guidance to engineers across the organization.
• Contribute directly to engineering efforts through design, implementation, prototyping, and technical problem solving.

Skills

Software architecture

Systems integration

Technical leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Mission operations

Satellite ground systems

Customer engagement

Problem solving

Mentorship

Tools

Flight dynamics tools

Mission planning tools

C2 tools

Job description

What You’ll Be Doing

We are seeking a Chief Engineer to serve as a senior technical leader supporting the successful engineering execution of complex satellite ground systems programs. This role combines program-level technical leadership, system-level engineering coordination, and hands-on technical contribution across Quindar’s mission operations software ecosystem.

The Program Chief Engineer acts as a technical integrator and program engineering leader across mission software, platform infrastructure, operations, reliability, security, and mission integration activities. This role is responsible for helping ensure technical alignment, architectural cohesion, and successful mission execution across complex programs while partnering closely with software / system architects and domain engineering leads who retain ownership of implementation and execution within their respective areas. This is a heavily customer-facing role that will represent Quindar in technical exchanges while working to pull in experts across the team as beneficial.

Successful candidates often come from backgrounds in satellite ground systems, mission operations, or other complex distributed software systems with a focus on both defense and commercial space operations.

The ideal candidate combines strong software and systems understanding with operational awareness and the ability to lead technical execution across multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a program technical leader / Chief Engineer for complex commercial and government space programs

• Support successful engineering execution across mission software, platform infrastructure, reliability, security, and integration activities

• Coordinate technical alignment across engineering teams to ensure cohesive system behavior and successful mission execution

• Partner with engineering leads to identify and resolve cross-system technical risks, interface challenges, and integration concerns

• Support architectural cohesion and long-term technical evolution across Quindar’s ground systems ecosystem

• Contribute to technical strategy, system design, and architecture development for mission operations platforms

• Participate in proposal development, technical solution definition, and customer technical engagements

• Conduct technical reviews, design reviews, and mission readiness assessments

• Support anomaly investigation, troubleshooting, and operational issue resolution for mission-critical systems

• Provide mentorship and technical guidance to engineers across the organization

• Contribute directly to engineering efforts through design, implementation, prototyping, and technical problem solving

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience developing, integrating, or operating aerospace, satellite, or mission-critical software systems

• Strong technical breadth across software systems, operational systems, and aerospace mission domains

• Experience with satellite ground systems, mission operations, command and control, or flight dynamics and mission planning tools

• Experience designing, integrating, or operating distributed software systems in production environments

• Strong understanding of software architecture, systems integration, and operational reliability

• Ability to communicate effectively across software, operations, platform / infrastructure, and customer stakeholders

• Experience leading technical efforts across multidisciplinary engineering teams

• Comfortable operating in ambiguous and rapidly evolving technical environments

• Active U.S. Security Clearance (TS/SCI Preferred, S Required)

ITAR REQUIREMENTS

• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Why you'll love working at Quindar

• We work in a cutting edge industry and you will get the opportunity to be part of a small team with a large direct impact on the success of our customers’ space missions!

• We take work life balance very seriously. We require employees to take 15 days off but provide unlimited PTO and follow most US federal government holidays.

• Mental health is just as important as physical so we provide quarterly health & wellness benefits.

• Comprehensive health insurance for you and your family with 100% coverage for employees.

• We encourage employees to save for retirement and provide 4% 401(k) matching.

• Each year we have a 4-day company offsite. Previous locations include San Francisco, Nashville, Denver, Santa Fe, New Orleans, San Diego, Bozeman, and New York City.

• Our culture and company is evolving. You will be key in creating the next major or minor version!