Mission Manager, Starship Crew and Cargo Programs

MISSION MANAGER, STARSHIP CREW AND CARGO PROGRAMS

SpaceX is looking for exemplary individuals capable of supporting our portfolio of Starship Crew and Cargo commercial and government programs. This includes leading programmatic development and execution of the Human Landing System (HLS) as part of NASA’s Artemis program to return humans and cargo to lunar orbit and the Moon’s surface, as well as multiple commercial and government crew and cargo missions to the Moon and Mars.

Our close-knit team serves as the main interface between SpaceX and our customers to help develop and certify the vehicles, systems, and operations needed to take humans and payloads to and from space, all while nurturing robust customer relationships. Members of the team develop many capabilities and excel across a breadth of functions including product development, systems engineering, mission management, project and contract management, proposal and sales development, requirements verification, and regulatory coordination.

Mission Managers also work together with customer program managers to ensure successful execution of the program including all contract, flight and flight test milestones. Team members have the opportunity to work with groups and technology from all areas of SpaceX, providing a critical integration role across the company and with our customers. SpaceX is opening the new space age, and we need a meticulous and persuasive self-starter to jump in and help pave the way!

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Work with internal and external stakeholders to develop and certify human spaceflight vehicles and systems for missions to the lunar/Mars surface, cislunar/deep space, and/or low earth orbit in order to ensure compliance with and verification of all customer requirements


• Collaborate with and help integrate SpaceX and customer teams to consider all necessary design and implementation trades to ensure end-to-end mission success


• Collaborate with engineering, production, and operations groups to drive readiness of vehicles, cargo, and crew while recognizing how changes impact requirements, vehicle risk, and launch dates


• Understand, develop, and summarize technical content on complex designs, trade studies, risks, and issues


• Present content to internal, customer, and executive audiences


• Coordinate and chair customer forums, boards, and reviews to ensure that deliverables are delivered on time and per the customer’s expectation; this includes taking responsibility for payment milestones


• Guide technical development and maintenance of Starship product lines to meet the end objectives of current and future customer contracts and missions


• Work with the SpaceX operations team and customer operations, including the NASA Flight Operations Directorate, to develop Crew integration and operations plans


• Serve as the Mission Manager for major flight tests and/or milestones, including carrying end-to-end responsibility for mission success


• Lead new technical projects from proposal through completion


• Ensure regulatory coordination is kept on schedule and facilitate generation of materials as required (such as export compliance, FAA launch license applications, FCC special temporary authorizations, DOT transport licenses etc.)


• Manage execution of sub-contracts, collaboration activities, and task agreements between customers


• Develop and improve program management processes to ensure successful and efficient execution of future missions


• Understand program master schedules and contracts in order to provide input for their creation, updates, and maintenance

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics or science


• 5+ years of industry experience


• 5+ years of technical project management experience


• 4+ years of experience working hands-on with hardware or software technical projects

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with direct experience negotiating technical deliverables or scope


• Significant technical knowledge and work experience in at least one engineering subsystem (e.g. avionics, GNC, propulsion, structures, mechanisms)


• Diplomacy, strong interpersonal skills, and experience working with cross-functional teams and customers


• Highly detail oriented, diligent, and hardworking


• Passion for advancing the commercial space industry


• Ability to work in a fast-paced, autonomously driven, and demanding start-up atmosphere


• Ability to coordinate and steer high-impact, cross-disciplinary conversations and decisions among senior company leadership


• Experience working with government, NASA, or commercial space programs


• Experience working with launch vehicles, spacecraft, or astronauts


• Experience working with CAD tools

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be available to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed to support critical efforts and operations


• Must be willing to travel to other launch sites, test sites, vendors, other SpaceX offices, and customer locations as needed

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:
Mission Manager: $125,000.00 - $175,000.00/per year

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, and experience.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock, stock options, or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.