Vice President of Programs & Operations

Job description

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING Quindar is seeking a Vice President of Programs & Operations to lead mission execution across the company as we scale programs across commercial and national security customers. This role is responsible for ensuring that Quindar consistently delivers mission-ready deployments to customers operating satellites in complex operational environments. The VP of Programs & Operations will own the systems, leadership, and execution infrastructure required to deliver customer programs reliably and at scale. The successful candidate will operate as an internal execution leader, partnering closely with the CEO and leadership team to translate company strategy into operational delivery across engineering, product, and customer programs. This role is particularly focused on supporting government and national security missions, ensuring Quindar can deliver reliable operational capability to customers operating in demanding environments. RESPONSIBILITIES Government and Customer Program Execution - Own execution of customer programs across commercial and government missions - Ensure delivery of program milestones, mission deployments, and operational readiness - Serve as the executive owner responsible for successful program delivery - Coordinate directly with government and commercial stakeholders to ensure mission success MISSION DEPLOYMENT AND CUSTOMER ONBOARDING - Establish repeatable processes for integrating the Quindar platform into customer mission environments - Lead operational planning for new satellite missions and customer integrations - Reduce time required to onboard new missions onto the Quindar platform - Ensure integrations meet reliability, security, and operational requirements PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND CROSS-TEAM EXECUTION - Build and lead a program management organization responsible for coordinating delivery across engineering, product, and customer stakeholders - Implement structured program reviews, execution tracking, and delivery reporting - Drive cross-team accountability to ensure programs execute on schedule OPERATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND SCALING - Develop operational processes for deploying Quindar across multiple customer environments - Establish operational dashboards and reporting to provide visibility into program health and delivery timelines - Identify operational bottlenecks and implement systems that increase delivery speed and reliability STRATEGIC OPERATIONAL PLANNING - Partner with company leadership to ensure operational readiness for new customer programs and mission deployments - Translate company growth plans into operational requirements for staffing, infrastructure, and execution - Support expansion into new government and commercial mission environments TEAM LEADERSHIP - Recruit and lead program management and operational staff as the company grows - Establish a culture of ownership, urgency, and accountability across operational teams - Build the operational infrastructure required to support large-scale satellite mission deployments QUALIFICATIONS Required Experience - 10+ years of experience leading programs, operations, or delivery organizations - Currently possesses and is able to maintain an active U.S. TS/SCI with Poly - Experience working in a fast-paced organization or startup - Demonstrated experience delivering complex software or software/hardware systems - Experience supporting government, aerospace, or national security programs - Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams delivering mission-critical systems - Experience building operational processes in fast-growing organizations PREFERRED BACKGROUND - Experience in aerospace, satellite operations, defense technology, or national security programs - Experience working with government customers including DoD or intelligence community organizations - Experience managing complex deployments across multiple stakeholders - Experience scaling operational infrastructure in high-growth technology companies ITAR REQUIREMENTS - To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here https://www.pmddtc.state.gov/ddtc_public/ddtc_public?id=ddtc_kb_article_page&sys_id=24d528fddbfc930044f9ff621f961987. WHY YOU'LL LOVE WORKING AT QUINDAR - We work in a cutting edge industry and you will get the opportunity to be part of a small team with a large direct impact on the success of our customers’ space missions! - We take work life balance very seriously. We require employees to take 15 days off but provide unlimited PTO and follow most US federal government holidays. - Mental health is just as important as physical so we provide quarterly health & wellness benefits. - Comprehensive health insurance for you and your family with 100% coverage for employees. - We encourage employees to save for retirement and provide 4% 401(k) matching. - Annually we have a 4-day company offsite. Previous locations include San Francisco, Nashville, Denver, Santa Fe, New Orleans, San Diego, Bozeman, and New York City. - Our culture and company is evolving. You will be key in creating the next major or minor version!