Space Systems Lead - Optical Terminal & Flight Hardware

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

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.