Virtual Mission Execution Lead

Wanna join the adventure?

Loft’s mission is to to simplify access to space, streamlining the process to develop and deploy mission tasking to our space infrastructure.

We’re pushing the boundaries of agile space development and rapid mission deployment with our Virtual Missions - missions that combine data gathered from Loft’s diverse set of on-orbit sensors with real-time data processing made possible with edge computing for faster and more actionable insight generation from space.

As the Virtual Missions Execution Lead, you will lead the team responsible for developing and executing these Virtual Missions on behalf of our customers and strategic development partners. Additionally, you’ll partner with our Product and Program Management teams to ensure capabilities and features needed for these missions are developed on time and seamlessly integrated into our mission deployment customer experience. You’ll also have oversight of our Virtual Mission Managers and Virtual Mission Systems Engineering functions and direct management of the individuals in those roles.

The ideal candidate will have a dedication to excellence, excitement for space operations, and a passion for customer success.

You’ll provide extreme clarity to our internal teams, focusing their efforts on efficient solutions to achieve mission success. You will use your leadership skills, technical aptitude, and programmatic judgement to drive win-win solutions. Your ability to predict issues and see around corners will help us stay ahead of the curve and mitigate risks. And you’ll partner with our Customer Operations team to ensure a smooth transition from mission development to on-orbit operations and, ultimately, achieve mission success.

About the Role:

• Oversight of Virtual Mission deployments, ensuring timely execution of Virtual Missions while maintaining high customer sentiment
• Lead operational planning for our Virtual Mission customer offering, connecting larger strategy to clear objectives and specific execution efforts
• Work with Product teams to ensure required features and capabilities are developed in a timely manner to support customers and development partners
• Provide structure, process, and operating standards for the Virtual Mission Management and Virtual Mission Systems Engineering functions

Must Haves:

• 5+ years of Technical Program Management experience in complex, multi-disciplinary environments, ideally in the satellite industry
• 3+ years of hands-on experience in Systems Engineering, leading system architecture activities and technical tradeoffs
• 3+ years of direct people management
• Familiar with both Waterfall and Agile program management methodologies in an aerospace environment
• Demonstrated broad knowledge of satellite missions, constellation operations, and either remote sensing or Earth observation missions
• Demonstrated experience working with external customers or development partners

Nice to Haves:

• Demonstrated ability to directly manage multi-function technical teams
• Experience leading organizational transformation
• Experience with containerized software development
• Familiarity with edge computing and cloud computing frameworks and applications

Some of Our Awesome Benefits:

• Equity, we want you to have an active role in our success
• Up to 35 days of Paid Time Off (vacations & RTT ) and flexible working hours, we want you to be at your best
• Health and life insurance, we care about your health
• Lunch Vouchers, because let’s be honest, we love food! (we even have a slack channel about it #loft-gourmand)
• Cross-office travel opportunities between San Francisco, Colorado, and Toulouse to learn from our differences
• Company and team off-sites and many other events to work & celebrate together
• Relocation assistance to Toulouse when applicable

*Research shows that while men apply to jobs where they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other marginalized people tend to only apply when they meet 100% of the qualifications. At Loft, we value respectful debate and people who aren’t afraid to challenge assumptions. We strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don’t check all the boxes.*

Who We Are

Loft Orbital builds “shareable” satellites, providing a fast & simple path to orbit for organizations that require access to space. Powered by our hardware & software products, we operate satellites, fly customer payloads onboard, and handle entire missions from end to end - significantly reducing the lead-time and risk of a traditional space mission.

Our standard interface enables us to fly multiple customer payloads on the same satellite, with capabilities such as earth imagery, weather & climate /science data collection, IoT connectivity, in-orbit demonstrations, and national security missions. Our customers trust us to manage their space infrastructure, so they can focus on what matters most to them: operating their mission and collecting their data.

At Loft, you’ll be given the autonomy and ownership to solve significant challenges, but with a close-knit and supportive team at your back. We believe that diversity and community are the foundation of an open culture. We are committed to hiring the best people regardless of background and make their time at Loft the most fulfilling period of their career.

We value kind, supportive and team-oriented collaborators. It is also crucial for us that you are a problem solver and a great communicator. As our team is international, you will need strong English skills to better collaborate, easily communicate complex ideas and convey important messages.

With 6 satellites on-orbit and a wave of exciting missions launching soon, we are scaling up quickly across our offices in San Francisco, CA | Golden, CO | and Toulouse, France.

*As an international company your resume will be reviewed by people across our offices so please attach a copy in English.*