Senior Engineering Manager, Systems Engineering

CesiumAstro; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 218,000 - 266,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company stock options

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Retirement plans

Job summary

CesiumAstro in Denver is looking for a Senior Manager of Systems Engineering responsible for leading a team in the development of advanced space vehicles and payload systems. The ideal candidate will have over 11 years of experience in space communications and a Master’s or Doctorate degree in an engineering discipline. This full-time role offers an annual compensation between $218,000 and $266,000, along with stock options and a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• 11+ years of experience in space communications.
• 6+ years in technical lead or people management roles.
• Ability to obtain a U.S. government security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of skilled Systems Engineers.
• Drive accountability ensuring milestones are met.
• Evaluate customer needs to define performance requirements.

Skills

Leadership in technical roles

Space communications knowledge

Technical communication skills

Project management

Mentorship

Education

Master’s or Doctorate degree in engineering

Job description

Please Note: To conform with the United States Government Space Technology Export Regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., conditional resident, asylee or refugee (protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. At CesiumAstro, we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands-on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward‑thinking individuals to join our team.

This role is responsible for functional management of the Systems Engineering department by developing standard processes for system engineering such as requirements management, Verification & Validation plans, conceptual design, and all aspects of the Systems Engineering Lifecycle. The selected candidate will be responsible for the deployment of resources to programs, developing and maintaining processes, customer interfaces, mentoring, performance evaluation, coordinating activities, and career development of department members.

The Senior Manager of Systems Engineering leads the Systems Engineering team in the development of complex, state‑of‑the‑art space vehicles and payload systems for space and airborne applications. Systems Engineering works in close collaboration with business development, conceptual design, and other functional engineering teams on architecture concepts and enabling technologies for communications systems. The Systems Engineering team leads requirements definition and decomposition, concept of operations (CONOPS) development, verification planning, and risk assessment. Systems Engineering also serves as the primary technical contact with customers and Program Management on active programs.

Job Duties And Responsibilities

• Lead a team of skilled Systems Engineers fostering a culture of innovation, efficiency, and continuous improvement.
• Provide employee task assignments, helping employees connect their efforts to the bigger picture, creating an inclusive work environment characterized by mutual respect and valuing differences, and building a culture that motivates employees to achieve their potential.
• Drive accountability ensuring that milestones are met and that we meet customer expectations for quality and delivery.
• Set clear performance objectives, provide regular feedback, and conduct performance evaluations to support professional growth within the team.
• Partner with recruitment to ensure staffing goals are met in support of business growth.
• Ensure necessary training and certification programs align with business and employee development needs.
• Promote engagement of company culture and values within the Systems Engineering team.
• Evaluate customer/operational needs to define system performance requirements, integrate technical parameters, and ensure compatibility of all physical, functional and program interfaces.
• Support reviews of requests for proposals to support solution development and response.
• Manage process for requirements definition and decomposition, concept of operations (CONOPS) development, verification planning, and risk assessment.
• Develop designs and conduct research that results in new requirements management methodologies or results in unique approaches that mitigate assessment/review findings.
• Lead efforts in developing system engineering processes for requirements management, flowdown, and traceability.
• Develop our company methodology and definition of the baseline set of technical documents for our programs and products.

Job Requirements And Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s or Doctorate degree in applicable engineering discipline.
• 11+ years of experience in field of space communications.
• 6+ years of experience in technical lead / people management roles.
• Experience with and understanding of satellite-communications standards (NR NTN, DVB-S2x, CCSDS).
• Experience working with product/component developers and vendors who provide critical functionality to the overall system.
• Excellent written and verbal technical communication skills.
• Ability to define work direction, track milestones, and demonstrate progress on large open‑ended projects.
• Sense of urgency and the ability to convey priorities to and motivate the team.
• Work well under pressure and with competing priorities.
• You take initiative and enjoy implementing new processes and procedures.
• The ability to work well in teams, with peers, and management.
• You have the natural ability to lead and mentor others and enjoy creating a collaborative, inventive, and high‑energy dynamic environment.
• Ability to obtain and hold a U.S. government security clearance.

$218,000 - $266,000 a year

Full-time employment offers include company stock options and a generous benefits package featuring health, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life and retirement plans.

CesiumAstro is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.