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Space Systems Technical Project Manager

Seattle, WA; Tukwila, WA

Space Systems Technical Project Manager

About Us:

BlackSky is a real-time intelligence company. We own and operate the world's most advanced space-based intelligence platform and provide customers satellite imagery, automated analytics and high-frequency monitoring of strategic locations, economic assets and events from around the globe. BlackSky is trusted by the most demanding allied military and intelligence organizations and commercial companies to deliver foresight into critical matters that affect national security and the economy. BlackSky's data enables governments and businesses to see, understand and anticipate change as it happens, giving them the ultimate strategic advantage so they can act quickly. Our global team works with cutting-edge technology to make a difference around the world and prides itself on being people-first, customer-focused and fun.

BlackSky is looking for a talented and creative Space Systems Project Manager who is not only comfortable with a high level of ambiguity but can also quickly translate new information into decisive action by a large team through relying on feedback from a group of stakeholders. This position requires an independent thinker and self-directed individual who is consistently striving to learn, grow, and lead. This position will manage vendors, drive trades to internal and external stakeholders, and challenge the assumptions of cost, schedule, and performance to optimize for BlackSky’s business needs. This program manager will support a team of Systems and Mechanical engineering teams and work within the broader program architecture of Satellite and Launch programs at BlackSky. The scope of this role is the design, buy, build, test lifecycle within the structures subsystem: from early concept and requirement definition through HW receipt and readiness for vehicle integration. Additionally, this role will include ownership of our launch verification and test campaigns.

This position is a critical element of the BlackSky’s Internal programs team. The ideal candidate has demonstrated the ability to manage their own efforts over a broad scope of work as an independent contributor, while forging solutions and risk mitigations from a set of critical constraints. Finally, the candidate should have a demonstrated ability and willingness to lean in, solve new problems, and operate as a team. This position spans a broad skill set of ability to manage hardware and test assets, support, execute and document testing and results, tracking program schedule, risk and system performance, review and distill data for team consumption and action. This candidate looks for problems and areas where process, support, and technical understanding can be used to find better and more efficient design and development solutions.

This position will be based out of our South Lake Union office with consistent time spent in our production facility in Tukwila. Remote candidates considered with willingness to travel to launch site up to 3 times per year for 2 weeks, as well as BlackSky production facilities as needed, but no more than 25% overall.

Responsibilities:

  • Oversee the full scope of design, buy, build, and test within the structures subsystem and launch verification and test campaigns, managing both internal and external efforts
  • Develop integrated plans and schedules, obtaining buy-in from key engineering, program management, procurement, and production stakeholders
  • Own daily tasking and deconfliction of activities within areas of responsibility
  • Support task management for the engineering team including, risk, and integrated schedule management for the program for key subsystem development of the satellite and key hardware.
  • Interface with the engineering teams to evaluate compliance with the specification and opportunities to improve the subsystem to benefit business and schedule performance.
  • Track action items and schedules across engineering teams, including maintaining accurate logs of design release status.
  • Coordinate with the procurement team to support ordering and receipt of build to print parts in support of the broader build schedules.
  • Align timeline for testing, analysis, and qualification to support structural evaluation of components.
  • Drive technical communications with the larger technical teams and engineering leadership to shape the development framework to support test, qualification, and launch planning.
  • Shepard the engineering team through key milestone reviews including, but not limited to, Preliminary Design, Critical Design, Test Readiness, and early production deliveries.
  • Support supply chain in understanding engineering changes, performance, and key dependencies for supplier test and delivery schedules.
  • Support the entire development lifecycle for optimization and identify design and decision gates along with developing the associated criteria.
  • Support qualification testing, testing review, and set up, as well as own the programmatic timeline for component testing.
  • Manage reports and support development of standard documentation with respect to satellite qualification and flight testing.
  • Interface with the full system level schedule and identify key milestones to manage risk.
  • Support development of launch schedules and planning for launch campaigns
  • Facilitate and become an expert in satellite site testing including developing training material for other team members.

Required Qualifications:  

  • Bachelor’s Degree in an engineering discipline or equivalent experience
  • Three years of direct Project Management Experience or related experience
  • Experience working on projects involving significant mechanical and wire harness part design and complex systems with hardware and integrated software dependencies
  • Highly skilled at MS project and managing schedules with critical dependencies
  • Experience working with integrated product teams
  • Experience with JIRA
  • Experience managing budgets and resource planning
  • Ability and willingness to travel up to 25% to support supplier activities and launch

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience with aerospace structures design and manufacturing projects
  • Possess strong team leadership and inter-team cooperation and organization skills
  • Experience with software systems and management of software development efforts
  • Experience presenting information to external customers a plus
  • Hardware and test lab experience a plus

Life at BlackSky for full-time benefits-eligible employees includes:

  • Medical, dental, vision, disability, group term life and AD&D, voluntary life and AD&D insurance
    • BlackSky pays 100% of employee-only premiums for medical, dental and vision and contributes $100/month for out-of-pocket expenses!
  • 15 days of PTO, 11 Company holidays, four Floating Holidays (pro-rated based on hire date), one day of paid volunteerism leave per year, parental leave and more
  • 401(k) pre-tax and Roth deferral options with employer match
  • Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Employee Stock Purchase Program
  • Employee Assistance and Travel Assistance Programs
  • Employer matching donations
  • Professional development
  • Awesome swag

The anticipated salary range for Principal level candidates in Washington is $105,000-125,000 per year. The final compensation package offered to a successful candidate will be dependent on specific background and education. BlackSky is a multi-state employer, and this pay scale may not reflect salary ranges in other states or locations outside of Washington.

BlackSky is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer All Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

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. #LI-Hybrid

EEO/AAP/ Pay Transparency Statements:

https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf

https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/OFCCP_EEO_Supplement_Final_JRF_QA_508c.pdf

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