Space Systems Lead

Azora; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous equity

Competitive healthcare

401(k)

Unlimited PTO

Job summary

Azora seeks a senior leader to head the space segment development, owning architecture, requirements, and verification for flight terminals and avionics. You will guide a multidisciplinary team from concept through launch and on-orbit commissioning.

You will drive design reviews, environmental qualification, and risk management, while interfacing with launch providers and hosted payload partners. This role is based in Tempe, AZ or the Bay Area with some travel.

Qualifications

• Strong systems engineering foundation including requirements management, budgets (mass/power/link), V&V planning and risk management.
• Direct experience with environmental qualification and AIT of flight hardware.
• Demonstrated technical leadership of multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end space segment architecture: optical terminal, avionics, structures, thermal, power, and interfaces to host spacecraft or bus.
• Lead requirements development and flow-down from mission and link-budget level to subsystem and component specifications.
• Drive the design review cadence (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR) and the verification and validation program, including environmental qualification (vibration, shock, TVAC, EMC, radiation).
• Manage technical interfaces with launch providers, bus manufacturers, and hosted payload partners, including ICD development and negotiation.
• Build and lead the space systems team: systems engineers, AIT engineers, and technicians; establish processes proportionate to a startup (tailored ECSS/NASA standards, not bureaucracy).
• Own risk management, parts and materials assurance strategy (EEE parts, radiation lot testing), and reliability analysis for the flight program.
• Plan and lead assembly, integration, and test (AIT) campaigns and launch site operations; oversee on-orbit commissioning and anomaly resolution.
• Support business development with technical input to proposals, customer engagements, and program schedules/costing.

Skills

Systems engineering

Requirements management

V&V planning

Risk management

Technical leadership

AIT experience

Education

BS/MS in Aerospace/Electrical/Optical Engineering or related field

Job description

Role

Lead the development of Azora's space segment: the flight terminals and supporting avionics that carry our optical communications technology to orbit. You will own the space system architecture, requirements, and verification program – and build and lead the multidisciplinary team taking flight hardware from concept through launch and on-orbit commissioning.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end space segment architecture: optical terminal, avionics, structures, thermal, power, and interfaces to host spacecraft or bus.

• Lead requirements development and flow-down from mission and link-budget level to subsystem and component specifications.

• Drive the design review cadence (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR) and the verification and validation program, including environmental qualification (vibration, shock, TVAC, EMC, radiation).

• Manage technical interfaces with launch providers, bus manufacturers, and hosted payload partners, including ICD development and negotiation.

• Build and lead the space systems team: systems engineers, AIT engineers, and technicians; establish processes proportionate to a startup (tailored ECSS/NASA standards, not bureaucracy).

• Own risk management, parts and materials assurance strategy (EEE parts, radiation lot testing), and reliability analysis for the flight program.

• Plan and lead assembly, integration, and test (AIT) campaigns and launch site operations; oversee on-orbit commissioning and anomaly resolution.

• Support business development with technical input to proposals, customer engagements, and program schedules/costing.

Required Qualifications

• BS/MS in Aerospace, Electrical, Optical Engineering, Physics, or related field.

• 8+ years in spacecraft or space payload development, with at least one program taken through full qualification and launch.

• Strong systems engineering foundation: requirements management, budgets (mass, power, link, pointing), V&V planning, and risk management.

• Direct experience with environmental qualification and AIT of flight hardware.

• Demonstrated technical leadership of multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Preferred

• Experience with optical payloads, laser communication terminals, or precision pointing systems in space.

• Familiarity with smallsat/NewSpace development models and hosted payload integration.

• Knowledge of radiation effects and mitigation for electronics and optics.

• Experience interfacing with government customers and programs (NASA, ESA, DoD/SDA) and associated review processes.

• Prior startup or small-team experience scaling engineering processes.

Location

This is an onsite/hybrid role based in Tempe, AZ or the Bay Area, CA – hardware work that’s hard to do remotely. Some travel expected for field deployment and vendor/manufacturing visits.

Benefits:

• Generous equity

• Competitive healthcare (including options for vision and dental)

• 401(k)

• Unlimited PTO

EEO & Reasonable Accommodations

• Azora is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

• If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know by contacting [e-mail]

Export Control

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicants must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful permanent resident (iii) protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or (iv) be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Salary ranges are based on the following criteria:

• Final salary is based on geographic location, experience, skills, and qualifications.

About this Company

Azora is building high-bandwidth communications infrastructure for environments where fiber can’t reach. This work spans LEO spacecraft constellations, lunar exploration missions, GEO satcom, deployable optical ground for defense, and data centers both on- and off-world. To enable rapid global proliferation Azora is developing compact and modular optical terminals small enough to deploy from a backpack, and space terminals that support high speed optical links from LEO out to the Moon.