Director, Space Engineering

Iridium is an award-winning satellite communications company operating the world's only truly global voice and data network, delivering reliable connectivity anywhere on Earth. For more than 20 years, Iridium has powered mission-critical communications for governments, businesses, aviation, maritime, and the rapidly expanding Internet of Things.

Now part of Iridium, Aireon is the world’s only space-based air traffic surveillance system, providing real-time visibility of aircraft over oceans, the poles, and remote regions. Together, Iridium and Aireon are helping build a safer, more connected, and more efficient future for global aviation.

Join our team and help shape how the world stays connected. We foster a collaborative, inclusive culture where employees are empowered to innovate, grow professionally, and make a meaningful impact.

Iridium is seeking an experienced and motivated Director, Space Engineering to join our Technology Development and Operations team. As the Director, Space Engineering, you will lead the technical and operational activities required to maintain the space segment of the Iridium system. You will provide leadership and direction for the Space Engineering department by ensuring the space segment maintains high levels of performance, reliability, and availability.

You will lead a team of engineers responsible for maintaining and enhancing the payload (both K and L-Band), spacecraft computers, and bus subsystems of the current space segment while supporting the continued optimization of network performance. You will partner with development, operations, and business teams to ensure engineering requirements are met, operational needs are incorporated into future system enhancements, and technical risks are effectively managed.

You will also support launch activities, satellite operations planning, trade studies, regulatory compliance efforts, and the development of future space segment capabilities.

• Build and lead a high-performing team of satellite subsystem engineers by setting clear objectives, assessing performance, coaching and developing employees, planning succession, and aligning workforce capabilities with current and future space-segment needs.

• Be accountable for the technical integrity, lifecycle planning, and engineering support required to sustain the performance, reliability, availability, and safe operation of Iridium’s space segment.

• Foster collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement across the engineering organization.

• Own the space-segment lifecycle engineering plan, including identifying and prioritizing constellation risks, directing mitigation strategies, and providing recommendations to executive leadership on actions required to sustain long-term constellation health.

• Direct Space Engineering analysis for system architecture evaluations, trade studies, and anomaly investigations, and ensure department recommendations for current and future space systems are technically sound, operationally feasible, and appropriately risk-informed.

• Establish and govern department engineering standards, technical review practices, configuration expectations, and operational support processes that ensure consistent, high-quality engineering decisions and work products.

• Represent Space Engineering in cross-functional planning and technical governance forums, ensuring operational requirements, lifecycle risks, and lessons learned are incorporated into future system enhancements and development priorities.

• Serve as a senior technical representative for space-segment matters in selected customer, partner, and regulatory discussions, coordinating technical positions and commitments with accountable…