Sr Director, Constellation Programs

Vantor; Westminster (CO); On-site; USD 195,000 - 286,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with company match

Mental health resources

Student loan repayment assistance

Adoption reimbursement

Pet insurance

Job summary

Vantor is seeking a Senior Director, Constellation Programs in Colorado to lead strategic program efforts across spacecraft, payload, software, and operations. You will shape roadmaps, align stakeholders, and drive execution to deliver capabilities within schedule and budget.

The role requires deep systems thinking, broad technical understanding, and the ability to influence across engineering, product, and executive teams to achieve mission outcomes for our constellation portfolio.

Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. citizen and able to obtain a security clearance.
• 15+ years leading complex technical programs or portfolios across multiple disciplines.
• Experience at the $100M+ scale is strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of hardware, software, systems engineering, product development, and operations.
• Ability to build alignment across engineering, space systems, product, operations, finance, supply chain, legal, customers, and external partners.
• Working knowledge of program financial management, including cost forecasting, estimates to complete, and assessment of cost and schedule performance.
• Strong executive communication skills, including the ability to distill complex issues and present recommendations clearly.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic program leadership for Vantor’s constellation as an integrated mission and product capability.
• Collaborate with engineering, product, and operations to align roadmaps and priorities, capabilities, investments, architecture, and tradeoffs.
• Drive execution to deliver on target cost and schedule across the constellation investment portfolio.
• Engage with leaders across functions to understand system capabilities and constraints and adapt direction as needed.
• Define a shared vision for the constellation and ensure teams stay aligned around capabilities and mission outcomes.

Skills

Executive leadership

Program management

Cross-functional leadership

Strategic thinking

Technical integration

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, CS or equivalent

Job description

Please review the job details below

Vantor is forging the new frontier of spatial intelligence, helping decision makers and operators navigate what’s happening now and shape what’s coming next. Vantor is a place for problem solvers, changemakers, and go-getters—where people are working together to help our customers see the world differently, and in doing so, be seen differently. Come be part of a mission, not just a job, where you can: Shape your own future, build the next big thing, and change the world.

To be eligible for this position, you must be a U.S. Person, defined as a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, Asylee, or Refugee.

Export Control/ITAR: Certain roles may be subject to U.S. export control laws, requiring U.S. person status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

Senior Director, Constellation Programs

Senior Director, Constellation Programs will provide strategic program leadership for Vantor’s constellation as an integrated mission and product capability. This leader will collaborate and connect spacecraft and payload hardware, flight and ground software, communications, system integration, satellite operations, and product development to advance Vantor’s mission.

Working closely with Vantor’s C-suite and functional leaders, the Senior Director will help define what mission success means today and what the constellation must deliver in the future.

The Senior Director will collaborate with leaders and functions to align on roadmaps and priorities, capabilities, investments, architecture, and tradeoffs. They will identify how decisions in one area impact the broader mission, surface gaps and dependencies, and build alignment around the outcomes the constellation must achieve.

This strategic, cross-functional role requires strong technical understanding, business acumen, and influential organizational effectiveness. The Senior Director will engage with engineering, product, and operations teams to understand system capabilities and constraints, while helping senior leaders assess options and adapt direction as technology, customer needs, and business priorities change.

Success means a defined, executable, and shared vision for the constellation and keeping teams aligned around the capabilities and mission outcomes Vantor needs today and in the future. The leader will have direct leadership responsibility for driving the execution organizations to deliver on target cost and schedule across the constellation investment portfolio.

Leadership Attributes for Success

• Curious: Seeks to understand unfamiliar domains, asks thoughtful questions, and learns quickly.
• Comfortable with ambiguity: Makes progress without having every answer and adapts as new information or priorities emerge.
• Influential: Builds trust, creates alignment, and moves decisions forward across organizational boundaries.
• A clear thinker: Connects complex information, identifies what matters most, and frames choices and tradeoffs simply.
• Hands-on: Engages directly with the details and owns the execution plans, while maintaining a broad strategic perspective.
• Problem Solver: Partners across execution teams and identifies and mitigates risks. Has the ability to see around the corner to anticipate where challenges may arise and build off-ramps and contingency plans to enable desired outcomes.

Minimum Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. citizen and able to obtain a security clearance.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, computer science, or another relevant technical discipline, or equivalent demonstrated technical experience.
• 15+ years of experience leading complex technical programs, portfolios, or mission capabilities across multiple disciplines or functions.
• Demonstrated success setting direction for large, integrated programs or portfolios; experience at the $100M+ scale is strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of how hardware, software, systems engineering, product development, and operations combine to deliver an integrated capability.
• Ability to build alignment across engineering, space systems, product, operations, finance, supply chain, legal, customers, and external partners.
• Working knowledge of program financial management, including cost forecasting, estimates to complete, and assessment of cost and schedule performance.
• Strong executive communication skills, including the ability to distill complex issues and present recommendations clearly.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with satellite constellations or similarly complex mission systems, including familiarity with spacecraft and payload development or acquisition; ground and communications systems; integration and verification; launch and deployment; commissioning; and mission operations.
• Experience connecting technical architecture and system dependencies to product direction, customer needs, and operational objectives.
• Experience shaping long-term capability roadmaps, investment priorities, or portfolio strategies in a technically complex environment.
• Experience managing technical baselines and configuration decisions that affect interfaces, cost, schedule, verification, deployment, product capability, or mission performance.
• Experience with major suppliers, subcontractors, long-lead procurements, production dependencies, or external development partners.
• Background in commercial space, aerospace, autonomy, robotics, advanced manufacturing, automotive or motorsports, energy systems, or another high-performance engineering environment.
• MBA and experience with a leading strategy consulting firm advising aerospace, defense, or space clients.
• PMP or equivalent program-management certification is beneficial but does not substitute for demonstrated technical and strategic leadership.

Pay Transparency

To support pay transparency, Vantor includes salary ranges in all U.S. job postings. Starting pay for this role will fall within the listed range and will be based on factors such as experience, qualifications, skills, location, and market conditions. Candidates who meet the minimum requirements for the role should not expect to receive compensation at the top of the range. The listed range reflects the expected pay for this position, and final offers will be determined based on each candidate’s experience, expertise, and alignment with the role.

• The base pay for this position within Colorado is: $195,000.00 - $260,000.00 - $286,000.00 annually.

Benefits

Vantor offers a competitive total rewards package that goes beyond the standard, including a robust 401(k) with company match, mental health resources, and unique perks like student loan repayment assistance, adoption reimbursement and pet insurance to support all aspects of your life. You can find more information on our benefits at: https://www.Vantor.com/careers

Additionally, this position is incentive eligible with a target based on contribution, company performance, and/or individual results achieved; the specific incentive plan and target amount will be determined based on the role and breadth of contributions.

The date of posting can be found on Vantor's Career page at the top of each job posting.

EEO Policy

Vantor is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace. We believe in fostering an environment where all team members feel respected, valued, and encouraged to share their ideas. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.