Vice President of Engineering – Spacecraft Denver, Colorado | On-site | Relocation Available We are partnering with a fast-growing space technology company developing autonomous robotic spacecraft for some of the most ambitious on-orbit missions being attempted today. With multiple spacecraft missions scheduled to launch in 2028, the company is now looking for a Vice President of Engineering to lead its engineering organization through its next phase of growth. This is a senior technical leadership position for someone who has built and flown spacecraft, understands how complex space systems come together, and is still capable of getting deep into the engineering when required. The Mission The company is developing a highly capable, modular spacecraft platform designed for complex operations from LEO through cislunar space. Its upcoming missions span: GEO satellite life extension and servicing Autonomous rendezvous and proximity operations Capture and deorbit of spacecraft Robotic assembly of infrastructure in orbit Lunar operations supporting future Artemis missions The business has approximately 55 employees today and is funded to scale toward 100, with a significant contracted backlog and several major missions moving toward flight.
The Role:
Reporting into the CTO, you will take leadership of the broader engineering organization and help build the technical structure required to deliver multiple spacecraft programs simultaneously. You will lead senior engineering leaders across spacecraft and space systems, with responsibility spanning disciplines including GNC, avionics, mechanical, propulsion, flight software, systems engineering, integration and test. This isn't a role for someone who simply delegates technical decisions. The engineering organization is intentionally lean, fast-moving and filled with talented engineers who need an experienced leader capable of mentoring, challenging and developing them while maintaining an exceptionally high technical bar. You will be expected to ask the difficult questions, interrogate engineering assumptions and identify technical risk before it becomes a problem.
What We're Looking For: We're interested in engineering leaders who have:
- Deep experience developing complex spacecraft or space vehicles
- Taken hardware through design, build, integration, qualification, test and flight
- Led multidisciplinary spacecraft engineering organizations
- Strong systems-level understanding across multiple spacecraft subsystems
- Experience developing and mentoring engineers, technical leads and engineering managers
- The technical depth to challenge subject-matter experts rather than relying entirely on them
- Operated successfully in fast-paced, high-accountability engineering environments
- Experience scaling engineering organizations while maintaining technical rigor
Experience in GNC, autonomous spacecraft, rendezvous and proximity operations, docking, on-orbit servicing or robotics would be particularly valuable.
We care more about the scope of what you've owned and built than your current job title.
You could currently be a VP Engineering, Engineering Director, Chief Engineer, Spacecraft Engineering leader or an exceptional technical leader ready to take the next step.
Why Join?
This is an opportunity to take technical leadership of an engineering organization at an important inflection point. The company has already demonstrated an ability to develop spacecraft at exceptional speed and is now moving from rapid development into the delivery of multiple increasingly ambitious missions. You'll have the opportunity to shape the engineering organization, develop its next generation of technical leaders and directly influence spacecraft that will perform complex operations on orbit.
Location: Denver, Colorado
Working model: Primarily on-site
Relocation: Available
Compensation: Negotiable but likely in the $250-$350k range + equity & bonus
