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Salary: USD 225,000 - 250,000 / annual
Turion Space is seeking a Program Director to lead a portfolio of spacecraft programs across their complete lifecycle—from proposal and contract negotiation through execution, delivery, and closeout. Based at the Irvine, California headquarters, you will drive execution across multiple programs while ensuring successful deliveries for national security, in-space servicing, and orbital debris removal missions.
You will serve as the primary interface with U.S. Government customers (DoD, Space Force, NASA), cultivating relationships and representing Turion on all program matters. Working cross-functionally with engineering, supply chain, assembly/integration/test (AI&T), mission operations, and leadership, you'll manage scope, schedule, budget, and customer communications. Key responsibilities include:
- Lead planning, execution, and delivery for spacecraft missions across LEO, MEO, GEO, and other orbital regimes, maintaining cost, schedule, and technical baselines
- Serve as primary government customer interface, building and maintaining strategic relationships
- Build and manage program teams and external supplier relationships to meet contractual and technical requirements
- Develop program execution strategies, master schedules, and detailed program plans across all internal functions
- Monitor and report program performance metrics, financials, risks, and opportunities to stakeholders
- Support proposal development, business capture, and contract negotiations
- Drive alignment between customer goals and internal execution, proactively identifying and mitigating risks
- Manage portfolio Estimate at Completion (EAC) using Earned Value Management System (EVMS) methodologies
- Delegate with programmatic authority while remaining hands-on and able to produce independently
This role requires someone with deep expertise in Space Domain Awareness (SpDA) and Rendezvous Proximity Operations (RPO), with proven success managing large, complex government space programs.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's degree in engineering
- 10+ years of program management, mission management, or chief engineering experience, specifically in SpDA or RPO missions
- Deep technical understanding of spacecraft design executing RPO and Non-Earth Imaging (NEI) of Resident Space Objects (RSOs)
- Proven success managing programs through all lifecycle phases: proposal, capture, planning, execution, delivery, and closeout
- Experience managing prime programs with budgets of $100M+ and teams of 40+ full-time equivalents
- Strong communication, leadership, mentorship, and stakeholder management skills
- Proficiency in Microsoft Project or similar scheduling tools
- Ability to obtain and maintain TS/SCI clearance
- Ability to travel up to 25%
- U.S. citizenship or eligible immigration status for ITAR compliance
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Experience in high-paced startup environments
- Extensive experience in early mission concept definition, full design cycle, AI&T, launch integration, and mission operations
- Prior chief engineering role with emphasis in systems engineering, mission engineering, mission architecture, or astrodynamics
- Experience on LEO or GEO surveillance, reconnaissance, or NEI programs
- Experience in rapid prototyping and hardware fielding
- Active TS/SCI clearance
