Chief Engineer, Space Vehicles and Satellites

Job description

At ispace U.S., we’re not just going to the Moon—we’re redefining how we get there. Our missions push the boundaries of human and robotic exploration, driven by our belief: “Expand our Planet. Expand our Future.” By providing cost-effective lunar transportation, we are pioneering a future where space is within reach for scientific discovery, commercial ventures, and sustainable exploration. With locations in Japan, Luxembourg, and the United States, ispace is rapidly growing and leading the way in lunar exploration and development. Our U.S. branch is based in Englewood, Colorado, and focuses on high-capacity payload lunar landers designed to support future lunar missions. Our team is made up of innovators, problem-solvers, and visionaries committed to making space more accessible and fostering the next generation of space exploration. Let’s go to the Moon together! Our team is growing, and we are actively seeking talented individuals who share our passion for space. We're hiring a **Chief Engineer** to own the technical architecture behind our lunar landers and satellite delivery programs. We need someone who can own the technical architecture across the board, satellites and spacecraft buses included, and serve as the single point of technical authority for the vehicle across every team and partner that touches it, internal and external. You'll work directly with our teams in Colorado, Japan, and Luxembourg, as well as outside partners and suppliers, to keep the whole program integrated end to end. A big part of this job is relationship-based, not just technical. Whoever takes this on needs to build trust fast, with the team, with customers, and across cultures. This role also requires occasional travel to Japan, customers, and vendor sites to build and maintain those relationships directly. ### Key Responsibilities - Serve as the company's technical design authority and systems subject matter expert for a series of spacecraft, satellites/buses, and component-level space flight hardware - Establish vehicle performance requirements, spacecraft architecture, and configurations, and assess vehicle readiness level - Maintain an in-depth understanding of innovations in spacecraft design and development to ensure ispace remains cutting edge - Identify common challenges across program teams and facilitate collaboration to ensure technical topics are addressed robustly and consistently - Own the process for technical reviews, working to continuously improve product performance and reliability - Facilitate capture of technical lessons learned and ensure processes and design guidance tailored from industry meet best practices - Assure appropriate configuration control and documentation of the spacecraft and all technical content - Provide accountability for technical risk, system modeling and simulations, system performance, system architecture, and trade studies - Collaborate with software, hardware, supply chain, and integration teams - Take extreme ownership of the project, driving from concept through integration and launch - Collaborate with business development as a technical resource for capture pursuits ### Basic Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent - 12+ years of spacecraft design, systems engineering, or other relevant space mission experience, including at least 5 years in a technical leadership role - Thorough understanding of the full design lifecycle, including requirements, V&V, ICDs, CONOPS, design integration, test, and sustainability - Advanced knowledge of industry best practices and fundamentals of spacecraft design, construction, testing, and operations - Ability to quickly grasp technical concepts and understand complex technical and program interdependencies - Strategic mindset with the ability to link technology to business - Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively across the organization and convey decisions, direction, and results clearly - Direct experience with satellite and/or spacecraft bus design, systems engineering, or integration, in addition to broader spacecraft experience - Demonstrated ability to build rapport across the team, globally, and with customers, and to work effectively across different cultures - Must be willing to travel internationally ### What Will Make You Stand Out - Master's or PhD in Mechanical, Electrical, or Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent - Previously served as Chief Engineer on a space program - Experience working on government or military programs - Experience with contract and supplier technical negotiations - Rapid prototyping experience - Knowledge of integrated software/hardware verification and test - Proficiency in Solidworks, Femap, NASTRAN (or equivalent), Confluence, and JIRA - Experience with complex spacecraft design and integration