Technical Program Manager, Avionics

ArcTern Ventures; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 174,000 - 199,000; Full time

Job summary

Muon Space is seeking an Avionics Technical Program Manager to lead end-to-end planning, production, acceptance testing, and delivery of flight PCBA units for next-generation satellite constellations.

The role requires on-site work at our San Jose, CA office with ramp-up for 5x/week initially, then transitioning to a hybrid 3x/week schedule. You will coordinate hardware development, supply chain, and testbeds across multiple missions.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in technical program management, engineering leadership, or hardware production management delivering complex electronic assemblies, electronics systems, or aerospace hardware.
• Hands-on technical background in electrical engineering, computer engineering, embedded systems, or avionics testing.
• Proven track record managing PCBA production lifecycles—from design releases and fab/assembly procurement through functional board bring-up and acceptance testing.
• Demonstrated experience managing programs with a complex critical-path supply chain
• Familiarity with hardware/software integration environments, testbeds, or Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) simulators used for flight software development.
• Familiarity with program management scheduling tools such as Smartsheets, Microsoft Project, or similar software.
• U.S. Citizenship required (program is ITAR-restricted).

Responsibilities

• Hardware Delivery: Own the complete delivery pipeline and schedule for fully tested, flight-ready PCBA units to AI&T for spacecraft vehicle integration.
• Testbed Fleet Support: Deliver complete, validated PCBA units to HITL testbeds to support ongoing Flight Software development, verification, and mission simulations.
• UAT Execution: Drive the planning, resource allocation, and schedule execution of Unit Acceptance Testing for all flight avionics entering AI&T.
• Program Metrics & Reporting: Track, analyze, and report UAT performance metrics—including schedule variance, test bed readiness, yield rates, technical performance, and risk posture.
• Release Timeline Planning: Partner with engineering teams to establish, maintain, and execute PCBA release timelines across current and future satellite constellation blocks.
• Cross-Functional Coordination: Drive end-to-end execution across cross-functional teams spanning EE design, PCBA fabrication, assembly, functional testing, and vehicle AI&T.
• Procurement Tracking: Track procurement, long-lead component acquisition, and assembly status for all custom PCBs and mounting hardware.
• Issue Resolution: Proactively identify, track, and drive resolution of supply chain bottlenecks, component obsolescence, lead time spikes, and test fallout issues.

Skills

Technical program management

Electrical engineering

Hardware production management

PCBA production lifecycle

HITL testing

Supply chain management

Smartsheets / scheduling tools

Python scripting

Linux CLI

ERP / PLM tools

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Jira

Arena

SAP

ERP/PLM

Job description

About the role

Muon seeks an Avionics Technical Program Manager to lead the end-to-end planning, production, acceptance testing, and delivery of flight electronic assemblies for our next-generation satellite constellations. This is a high-visibility, high-impact role at the intersection of electrical engineering, hardware manufacturing, flight software, and Assembly, Integration, and Test (AI&T).

The Avionics TPM will serve as the primary operational owner for transforming engineered printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs) into complete, tested units ready for spacecraft integration and software development testbeds. The role spans hardware development, supply chain coordination, unit testing execution, and fleet-scale delivery across multiple concurrent missions.

This position is hybrid and requires working on-site in our San Jose, CA office three days per week.

Please note: This role will need full time on-site (5x/week) for the first six months for a ramp up period and then can transition to hybrid schedule (3x/week)

Responsibilities

• Hardware Delivery
  • Avionics Unit Delivery: Own the complete delivery pipeline and schedule for fully tested, flight-ready PCBA units to AI&T for spacecraft vehicle integration.
  • Testbed Fleet Support: Deliver complete, validated PCBA units to Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) testbeds to support ongoing Flight Software (FSW) development, verification, and mission simulations.
• Unit Acceptance Testing (UAT) & Qualification
  • UAT Execution: Drive the planning, resource allocation, and schedule execution of Unit Acceptance Testing (UAT) for all flight avionics entering AI&T.
  • Program Metrics & Reporting: Track, analyze, and report UAT performance metrics—including schedule variance, test bed readiness, yield rates, technical performance, and risk posture.
• Cross-Functional Execution & Release Planning
  • Release Timeline Planning: Partner with engineering teams to establish, maintain, and execute PCBA release timelines across current and future satellite constellation blocks.
  • Cross-Functional Coordination: Drive end-to-end execution across cross-functional teams spanning EE design, PCBA fabrication, assembly, functional testing, and vehicle AI&T.
• Supply Chain & Risk Management
  • Procurement Tracking: Track procurement, long-lead component acquisition, and assembly status for all custom PCBAs and associated mechanical enclosures/mounting hardware.
  • Issue Resolution: Proactively identify, track, and drive resolution of supply chain bottlenecks, component obsolescence, component lead time spikes, and test fallout issues.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in technical program management, engineering leadership, or hardware production management delivering complex electronic assemblies, electronics systems, or aerospace hardware.
• Hands-on technical background in electrical engineering, computer engineering, embedded systems, or avionics testing.
• Proven track record managing PCBA production lifecycles—from design releases and fab/assembly procurement through functional board bring-up and acceptance testing.
• Demonstrated experience managing programs with a complex critical-path supply chain
• Familiarity with hardware/software integration environments, testbeds, or Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) simulators used for flight software development.
• Familiarity with program management scheduling tools such as Smartsheets, Microsoft Project, or similar software.
• U.S. Citizenship required (program is ITAR-restricted).

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience in satellite or aerospace AI&T, avionics manufacturing, or satellite constellation volume production.
• Working knowledge of space-grade PCBA standards (e.g., IPC-J-STD-001GS/Space Addendum, IPC-A-610, NASA-STD-8739).
• Experience managing environmental/acceptance testing campaigns for electronics (e.g., thermal cycling, functional screening, vibe/shock testing).
• Proficiency with ERP/PLM and tracking tools (e.g., Jira, Arena, Agile PLM, SAP, or similar toolsets).
• PMP certification or equivalent program management credentials.
• Experience operating the Linux command line interface and writing scripts with the Python programming language.

Salary

The salary range for this role is $174,000 - $199,000, plus a competitive equity grant and comprehensive benefits package. Final compensation will be determined based on skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location as assessed during the interview process.

About Muon Space

Founded in 2021, Muon Space is an end-to-end Space Systems Provider that designs, builds, and operates LEO satellite constellations delivering mission-critical data. Our revolutionary, integrated technology stack enables customers to optimize every dimension of their missions for faster time-to-orbit and superior constellation remote sensing performance. Our state-of-the-art facility in the heart of Silicon Valley is optimized for manufacturing spacecraft and rapid, flexible payload integration at scale. From climate monitoring to national security, Muon Space is dedicated to delivering Earth Intelligence for a safer and more resilient world.

Taking Care of Our Team

At Muon salary is only part of our total compensation package. In addition to salary, full-time employees receive equity compensation as well as benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401k retirement plan, short & long term disability and life insurance. We also offer three weeks paid vacation for new employees, along with 12 paid holidays, unlimited sick time and paid parental leave.

Our mission embraces the entire planet and we believe our team should too. Muon is dedicated to creating a diverse and dynamic company and workforce. We believe in equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or gender identity. We value diversity in the workplace, and that starts with our applicants. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't check all the boxes, and we look forward to reviewing your application! In addition, if you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

Muon is currently registered and able to hire in the following states:
AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IA, ID, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA

ITAR/EAR Requirements

This position requires access to export controlled information. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicable to that information, applicant must either be (A) a U.S. person, defined as a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, (B) eligible to access the export controlled information without a required export authorization, or (C) eligible and reasonably likely to obtain the required export authorization from the applicable U.S. government agency. The Company may, for legitimate business reasons, decline to pursue any export licensing process.