Technical Program Manager, On-Orbit Tests

True Anomaly, Inc.; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage (100% company-paid

Time Off: PTO & holidays

Lunch provided daily

401(k) retirement plan

Dog Fridays

Equity participation

Job summary

True Anomaly, Inc. in Colorado near Denver seeks a Technical Program Manager for On-Orbit Tests. You will own end-to-end integration of major on-orbit demonstrations, coordinating with engineering, test teams, ground systems, and external partners to drive readiness and execution.

The role requires 7+ years in aerospace/test environments, strong leadership, and the ability to manage complex schedules and risks in a fast-paced setting. On-site work near Denver with potential travel.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical field as listed.
• 7+ years in aerospace, defense, or complex system testing environments.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams in high-tempo, high-consequence environments.
• Strong test operations knowledge, including planning, readiness reviews, and execution.
• Ability to manage mission campaigns at scale with structured processes and risk management.
• Excellent communication across engineering, operations, customers and partners.
• Comfort working under pressure and making decisions in dynamic test settings.
• Proven capability to deliver for teams outside direct management using cadence and escalation.

Responsibilities

• Oversee end-to-end integration of critical on-orbit test campaigns.
• Drive schedule, technical, and cost milestones; identify and mitigate risks.
• Plan and execute test procedures aligning vehicle readiness with range constraints.
• Coordinate across Engineering, Production, Supply Chain, and external stakeholders.
• Manage test facility and range logistics; ensure test readiness and cadence.
• Lead post-test data integrity activities and deliver finalized data products.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Test operations

Schedule management

Risk management

Communication

Decision making under pressure

Jira/Confluence

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field

Tools

Jira/Confluence

Job description

Technical Program Manager, On-Orbit Tests

Space is a warfighting domain. True Anomaly seeks those with the talent and ambition to build the technology that secures it.

OUR MISSION

True Anomaly delivers decisive capabilities for space superiority. We build autonomous spacecraft, advanced payloads, mission software, and space-based interceptors — enabling the U.S. and its Allies to secure the space environment and counter threats from the ultimate high ground.

OUR VALUES

• Be the offset.We create asymmetric advantages with creativity and ingenuity.
• What would it take?We challenge assumptions to deliver ambitious results.
• It’s the people. Our team is our competitive advantage and we are better together.

BENEFITS & PERKS *

• Best-in-class healthcare: 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents, with HSA/HRA options
• Generous time off: Flexible Time Off (FTO) for exempt employees, accrued PTO of up to 25 days for non-exempt employees, plus 12 paid holidays; Parental Leave; Sick Leave
• Fuel for your day: Daily catered lunch and unlimited snacks for in-office employees
• And more: 401(k) retirement plan, fitness reimbursement, and Dog Fridays
• Equity participation: Equity is included as part of our total compensation package, giving you an opportunity to share in the company’s success.

*Do not apply to fixed term and temporary roles

YOUR MISSION

This Technical Program Manager for On-Orbit Test will be responsible for the end-to-end integration of a major on-orbit demonstration of an integrated spacecraft. This role serves as the Lead Integrator and primary execution arm, from planning to execution. Critically, this role interfaces with the customer test team on a weekly basis, at minimum, serving as the immediate bridge between their external communication (requirements, asks, and everything in between) and relaying them back internally to drive to closure. This role will also be the prime interface with external Government Test Ranges and officials at different test venues to support our ground testing confidence campaign. The role requires continuous coordination across cross-functional teams, including technical (engineering, test team, ground systems, etc.) and programmatic (launch, supply chain, range operations, planners, etc.) teams.

This role is the responsible Test Campaign Mission Manager and under direction of the Sr. TPM of Missile Defense Space System Development, this role drives day-to-day test readiness, leads cross-functional coordination, and ensures all systems, teams, and environments are prepared for successful test execution. This role will provide regular status updates to leadership and elevate critical risks, issues, or decision points as needed, operating as the primary “boots-on-the-ground” leader responsible for delivering safe, efficient, and effective test execution.

What You’ll Own

• End-to-end Integration of critical technology development on-orbit test campaigns
• Driving schedule, technical, and cost of these major program development milestones, proactively identifying risks to successful execution and driving mitigation strategies across the team
• Planning, integrating, and executing test plans while ensuring alignment between vehicle readiness, ground infrastructure, and external constraints such as range availability and regulatory requirements
• Cross-functional coordination across Engineering, Production & Integration, Supply Chain, Program Management, Sr. Leadership, and external stakeholders
• Managing test facility/range coordination and logistics planning to accommodate both technical & programmatic needs
• Execution rigor, bringing cadence, status tracking, and accountability to recurring and milestone-driven work to complete these campaigns
• Following test events, ensuring the integrity and completeness of all data to lead post-test assessments with engineering, including anomaly identification and triage, to provide a finalized data product output to internal and customer leadership

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field
• 7+ years of experience in aerospace, defense, or complex system testing environments
• Experience integrating & leading cross-functional teams in high-tempo, high-consequence environments, including ground and/or flight test campaigns
• Strong understanding of test operations, including test planning, readiness reviews, and execution discipline
• Demonstrated ability to perform Mission Campaign Management at scale: structured processes and prioritization, dependency and critical-path management, schedule and risk management, and driving programs to closure across multiple concurrent efforts to accomplish a given mission
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to coordinate across engineering, operations, and external stakeholders, such as customers and industry partners
• Ability to operate effectively under pressure and make sound decisions in dynamic test environments
• Experience owning delivery for teams you don't manage, where your leverage is cadence, visibility, and escalation rather than reporting lines
• Experience working with safety-critical systems and adherence to rigorous safety and mission assurance standards
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex schedules and drive execution across multiple parallel test efforts
• Experience with Atlassian tooling (Jira/Confluence) for program tracking and documentation.
• Comfort operating in a matrixed structure: applying a defined program/portfolio methodology while taking day-to-day priorities from an embedded team.
• U.S. citizenship and eligibility to obtain and hold a U.S. security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active Security Clearance (TS, TS//SCI)
• Advanced degree (M.S. or higher) in a relevant engineering or technical discipline
• Experience with missile systems, launch vehicles, or high-performance flight systems
• Strong understanding of taking engineering requirements into executable test procedures and plans
• Demonstrated experience planning and executing integrated system tests (ground and/or flight)
• Prior experience serving as a test conductor, test director, or similar role during live test operations
• Familiarity with test range operations and coordination (e.g., government or commercial ranges)
• Experience with telemetry, instrumentation systems, and data acquisition for flight or ground tests
• Background in guidance, navigation and control (GNC), propulsion, or integrated vehicle systems
• Experience leading or supporting Test Readiness Reviews (TRRs), Flight Readiness Reviews (FRRs), or equivalent
• Demonstrated experience with configuration management and test article control in a development or production environment
• High growth potential with demonstrated leadership trajectory toward senior test or program leadership roles

COMPENSATION

• Equity + Benefitsincluding Health, Dental, Vision, HRA/HSA options, PTO and paid holidays, 401K, Parental Leave

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, location, and experience.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to maintain or obtain TS//SCI clearance
• Work Location— Successful candidates will be located near Denver or Colorado Springs. While we observe a hybrid work environment, some work must be done on site
• Work Travel —This role will require travel to test sites, estimated at 15-20% of the time.
• Work environment—the work environment; temperature, noise level, inside or outside, or other factors that will affect the person's working conditions while performing the job.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

True Anomaly is committed to equal employment opportunity on any basis protected by applicable state and federal laws. If you have a disability or additional need that requires accommodation, please do not hesitate to let us know.

To protect candidates and our company from application fraud and impersonation, we use third-party tools to verify applicant identity and detect fraudulent applications. Learn more in our Privacy Notice .

Voluntary Self-Identification

For