Technical Program Director

A New Paradigm For Space Operations.

Who We Are:

Space Kinetic is a dual use space technology startup building a completely new architecture for space operations – one that brings the advantages of proliferated drone technology (low-cost, operationally flexible, attainable, distributed) to space missions while reducing the ecosystem's reliance on consumable fuel. In a world where many companies are focused on incrementally improving the status quo, we are focused on creating something entirely different – an architecture underpinned by new first principles to meet the opportunities and challenges of the third space age head-on. Our goal is to move away from one-to-one space architectures – where each satellite in a constellation has one (or a small # of) primary payloads attached to the bus -- and unlock a ‘one-to-many’ system, where each satellite has a large number of payloads which can be deployed from their host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster.

This is not a role for someone looking for a traditional 40-hour work week. Space Kinetic is building ambitious, first-of-its-kind technology, and that requires urgency, ownership, and a high level of commitment to changing the foundational assumptions for everything we do in space.

What You’ll Do:

We are seeking a Technical Program Director to support technical program execution, coordinate cross-functional engineering activities, and help drive aerospace development programs from planning through execution.

The Technical Program Director is responsible for leading and coordinating technical projects involving aerospace hardware development, engineering execution, manufacturing readiness, and program deliverables. This role combines technical coordination, project execution discipline, and aerospace program support to help ensure engineering development efforts move efficiently from concept through production readiness. This position requires engineering understanding sufficient to communicate effectively with technical teams, manage schedules, identify risks, and ensure projects remain aligned with customer requirements, internal milestones, and business objectives. The Project Director serves as a central point of coordination between engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, leadership, and external stakeholders.

Lead planning, coordination, and execution of aerospace engineering and hardware development projects

Develop and maintain project schedules, milestones, action trackers, and program status reporting

Coordinate closely with engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and leadership teams to ensure execution against program goals

Support technical reviews, design reviews, production readiness discussions, and milestone planning

Monitor project scope, schedule, cost drivers, and execution risks

Identify schedule impacts, technical dependencies, and program constraints early and escalate when needed

Track deliverables, action items, procurement dependencies, and critical path activities

Facilitate internal meetings and ensure follow-up actions are completed across teams

Support customer-facing updates, program documentation, and status communications as needed

Help manage contract deliverables and internal execution against awarded program requirements

Work closely with engineering teams to understand technical priorities and execution challenges

Assist leadership in translating technical development priorities into executable project plans

Support disciplined configuration management processes for hardware and software to maintain revision control, traceability, and alignment across program activities

Coordinate and monitor test-readiness activities, including technical preparation, documentation status, material readiness, and integration planning prior to test execution

Support integration activities across hardware and software elements, maintaining visibility into dependencies that affect system performance and program milestones

Demonstrate understanding of how software integrates within broader system architecture and support coordination between software and hardware development efforts

Support continuous improvement in program controls, reporting structure, and execution discipline

What It Takes:

Basic Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related technical field preferred

5+ years of project management experience supporting engineering, aerospace, manufacturing, or hardware development programs

Aerospace industry experience required

Strong understanding of engineering development processes, technical schedules, and hardware program execution

Ability to work effectively with multidisciplinary engineering teams, including mechanical, electrical, manufacturing, and software functions

Experience managing schedules, technical action tracking, and cross-functional program execution

Familiarity with hardware develop…