Director, Permitting

Job description

At Reflect, you will be expected to move fast, have a lot of ownership and, most importantly, be able to effect change. If this excites you, we are interested in hearing about your best work and accomplishments across any domain and from any points in your life. ABOUT THE ROLE We’re looking for a hands-on, action-biased Director of Permitting to build Reflect Orbital’s permitting function from scratch. No one has ever needed permission to reflect sunlight onto a specific plot of land before; there’s no existing playbook, no established regulatory pathway, and no precedent to lean on. You’ll be the person who invents it: securing the rights, approvals, and relationships needed for us to operate over specific customer sites, working across the FAA, FCC, state and local authorities, landowners, and international space law as we scale from our first demonstration satellite to a constellation of thousands. This is a foundational, high-ownership role that will directly shape how an entirely new industry gets regulated at a practical level. RESPONSIBILITIES - Own end-to-end permitting and site-operating approvals for every location where Reflect Orbital redirects sunlight, from our first customer site through nationwide scale - Build the permitting playbook from the ground up; there isn’t one, so you’ll be defining precedent as you go - Identify and engage the relevant regulatory bodies at the federal, state, and local level (FAA, FCC, state energy and land-use agencies, municipalities) and determine what “permission to operate” actually requires for a first-of-its-kind technology - Build direct relationships with landowners, utilities, and local officials near target customer sites to secure operating rights and community buy-in - Navigate emerging international space law and orbital/spectrum considerations as they intersect with ground-based light delivery - Anticipate and address light-pollution, dark-sky, and environmental concerns raised by regulators, astronomers, and communities - Partner closely with legal, government affairs, and engineering to translate regulatory requirements into satellite and mission design constraints - Track and manage a live pipeline of site permits as the company scales toward thousands of satellites and target sites - Represent Reflect Orbital in front of regulators, legislators, and community stakeholders - Get on planes, show up in person, and do whatever it takes to move a permit forward; this is not a desk job IDEAL QUALIFICATIONS - 7+ years of experience in permitting, regulatory affairs, government relations, or a related field: energy, aerospace, telecom, or infrastructure background strongly preferred - Track record of building a process or function from scratch in a fast-moving, ambiguous environment - Comfortable being the first person to ask a regulator a question they’ve never been asked before - Strong relationship-builder who can earn trust with regulators, landowners, and local officials alike - Hands-on and action-biased; willing to travel, show up in person, and push permits forward one conversation at a time - Excellent judgment navigating ambiguity, politics, and competing stakeholder interests - Strong written and verbal communicator, able to represent the company credibly to regulators and the public - Genuinely excited about building the regulatory foundation for an entirely new industry Even if you don’t meet 100% of the above qualifications, we are likely still interested in hearing from you. Hiring exceptional individuals is our #1 priority, and we believe that exceptional people often have highly unusual backgrounds. We are also interested in carving out unique roles for unconventional people that we are excited about working with. BENEFITS Reflect Orbital’s success will hinge on our team, which is why our compensation and benefits plan is designed to reward our employees and support their families as generously as we’re able. - Broad choice of medical/dental/vision coverage, Reflect covers 100% of each base-policy - Access to HSA, FSA, and 401K - Unlimited paid time off, two-weeks per year encouraged - Healthy lunches provided daily EQUAL OPPORTUNITY Reflect Orbital is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Reflect Orbital is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status. More about Reflect Orbital: Learn more about our team here. https://www.reflectorbital.com/team