Director of Mission Products & Payload Integration

Turning Space into a Transportation Layer for Earth Who We Are: Eras of humanity can often be defined by a dominant transportation mode - horse drawn chariots, ocean going boats, or aircraft. These were spurred by a small group of people rigorously focused on building technology to achieve faster access to more of the world. We seek to usher in a new era of humanity defined by universal access to the whole globe free of borders and the presence of a routine way from space to Earth. To do this, we are building highly maneuverable re‑entry vehicles that can loiter in orbit before precision landing back on Earth. Position Overview We're looking for a Director or Senior Director of Mission Products & Payload Integration to lead this new organization. You'll sit at the intersection of engineering, product, mission design, and customer needs — defining and building the technical products that make Arc valuable: payload bay architectures, mounting solutions, trajectory and mission design offerings, and the avionics and software interfaces that make payload integration seamless. This is a strategic and hands‑on leadership role. The ideal candidate combines deep aerospace engineering judgment with strong product instincts, customer empathy, and the ability to lead high‑performing teams. You should have a strong sense for what hypersonic test customers, defense customers, and advanced payload developers will want to fly — and how their payloads need to interface mechanically, electrically, thermally, and digitally with Arc. Key Responsibilities: Product & Roadmap Leadership Define and own the technical roadmap for Arc's mission product layer — payload integration, mission design, and customer‑facing capabilities Identify new product opportunities driven by customer demand across hypersonic testing, defense, space systems, materials, sensors, communications, and other advanced aerospace fields Drive roadmap execution through engineering, from concept through flight Payload Bay & Accommodation Own Arc's payload bay design strategy and accommodation approach Define standard payload envelopes, mounting solutions, modular interface concepts, and environmental constraints Develop separation and deployment options and customer‑specific integration approaches Partner with vehicle engineering to translate customer needs into robust, manufacturable, flight‑ready interfaces Mission Design & Analysis Lead development of customer‑facing mission design capabilities: trajectory design, mission analysis, flight environment characterization, launch vehicle integration, and CONOPS development Collaborate across GNC, flight software, avionics, structures, thermal, propulsion, recovery, business development, and program teams Payload Interface Ecosystem Define the avionics, software, data, and customer interface ecosystem that enables efficient payload integration Deliver payload electrical interfaces, command and data handling, and telemetry access Build mission planning tools, software APIs, test equipment, integration documentation, and customer onboarding workflows Customer Engagement Serve as one of Arc's primary technical voices with customers — communicating capabilities, shaping mission concepts, and advancing customer objectives Work directly with business development to identify patterns across customer payloads and translate them into scalable product offerings Team Building & Leadership Recruit, manage, and develop a multidisciplinary team owning mission products end‑to‑end Team may include mission designers, systems engineers, payload integration engineers, mechanical engineers, avionics/software interface engineers, and technical product leads Set technical direction, manage priorities, and build a culture of creativity, accountability, and excellence Required Qualifications: 10+ years of applicable experience Deep aerospace engineering background across spacecraft, launch vehicles, re‑entry vehicles, missiles, hypersonics, aircraft, or advanced defense systems Proven experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams through complex product development, system integration, test, and flight operations Experience with payload integration, mission design, systems engineering, avionics or mechanical interfaces, launch integration, or flight test programs Technical depth to make sound architectural decisions across mechanical, electrical, software, thermal, GNC, trajectory, and operational domains Strong product instincts — ability to turn ambiguous customer needs into clean, repeatable technical offerings Understanding of how aerospace customers think about payloads, test objectives, mission assurance, flight environments, data collection, and integration risk Excellent communication skills, especially translating complex engineering into clear customer‑facing options Our office headquarters is located in Playa Vista, CA. This position requires in‑office presence. The California annual base salary for this role is currently $180,000 - 260,000. Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual pay will be determined on a case‑by‑case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job‑related skills, relevant education and experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity. ITAR Compliance: To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here. 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