Sr. Manager of Flight Software Engineering

Please review the job details below.

Intuitive Machines is seeking a Sr. Manager of Flight Software Engineering to join our leadership team in Palo Alto, CA or Houston, TX.

Position Summary:

Lead a team of 10-15 embedded software engineers through the complete software development lifecycle for the 300-product line spacecraft, providing strategic technical direction and ensuring delivery excellence across the portfolio. The 300-product line comprises spacecraft designed for proliferated low-earth orbit (LEO) constellations, featuring multiple satellites launched and operated together for military and commercial applications.

In this role, you will drive flight software development and delivery in alignment with program scope and schedule, provide technical leadership for embedded real-time systems, ensure software quality and mission assurance, manage resource allocation and capacity planning for current and future projects, and oversee the team's budget and financial performance.

Key Responsibilities:


Technical Leadership and Resource Management

• Provide technical direction and oversight for embedded flight software development across multiple concurrent spacecraft programs for the 300 product line.

• Plan, allocate, and monitor human resources to ensure efficient execution of flight software development for current programs; including technical scoping of work for the team's sprint cycles in alignment with program needs.

• Collaborate with the right stakeholders, including SW Chief Engineers to perform root cause corrective actions on engineering investigations to deliver a robust product.

• Conduct staff meetings and one-on-one sessions to foster a culture of active collaboration, empowerment, accountability, and adherence to delivery schedules across the Flight Software team

• Mentor and develop team members to build technical capabilities and leadership skills

Capacity Planning:

• Support product development, programs, IRAD (Internal Research and Development), and new business pursuits for the 300-product line

• Provide supply and demand forecasts for functions requiring applicable support

• Balance workload across the team to optimize productivity and prevent resource constraints

Budget Management

• Serve as Cost Account Manager (CAM) with responsibility for team budget oversight

• Collaborate with Finance monthly to monitor expenditures, forecast costs, and ensure financial targets are met

Monitoring and Reporting

• Deliver executive-level briefings to management that clearly communicate overall status, schedule progress, issue identification with resolution action plans, and financial adherence to budgets

• Maintain transparent communication channels with stakeholders across the organization

Product Line Leadership

• Identify and recommend technology development opportunities aligned with future business forecasts and market trends

• Drive process improvement initiatives for continuous improvement and synergies with other product lines and teams

• Contribute to strategic planning for the 300-product line evolution

Process Compliance and Quality Assurance

• Develop and maintain control systems to ensure compliance with quality and reliability standards

• Implement best practices and processes to deliver the highest quality flight software products

• Ensure adherence to aerospace industry standards and regulatory requirements

Minimum Requirements:

• Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science or another engineering or STEM discipline.

• Minimum of 15 years engineering experience including 5 years as a manager or in a lead role with demonstrated capabilities in project management

• Previous experience in real time embedded software development in the aerospace industry

Preferred Qualifications

• 5 years of experience in software development and production, dynamics and control analysis and design
• Recent relevant experience operating in SAFe, Scaled Agile Framework
• Worked on satellite software development from inception to launch
• Experience with large-scale satellite software development projects
• Experience with CMMI-3

In support of pay transparency at Lanteris Space Systems, we disclose salary ranges on all U.S. job postings. The successful candidate's starting pay will fall within the salary range provided below and is determined based on job-related factors, including, but not limited to, the experience, qualifications, knowledge, skills, geographic work location, and market conditions. Candidates with the minimum necessary experience, qualifications, knowledge, and skillsets for the position should not expect to receive the upper end of the pay range.

• The base pay for this position within Colorado is: $142,000.00 - $236,000.00 annually.

• The base pay for this position within New Jersey is: $142,000.00 - $236,000.00 annually.

• The base pay for this position within Delaware is: $142,000.00 - $236,000.00 annually.

• The base pay for this position within the Washington, DC metropolitan area is: $156,000.00 - $260,000.00 annually.

• The base pay for this position within California is: $163,000.00 - $271,000.00 annually.

For all other states, we use geographic cost of labor as an input to develop market-driven ranges for our roles, and as such, each location where we hire may have a different range.


We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, health and welfare insurance, and 401(k) to eligible employees. More information on our benefits will be shared with candidates as they move forward in the recruitment process.
Additionally, this position is incentive eligible with a target based on contribution, company performance, and/or individual results achieved; the specific incentive plan and target amount will be determined based on the role and breadth of contributions.

The application window is three days from the date the job is posted and will remain posted until a qualified candidate has been identified for hire. If the job is reposted regardless of reason, it will remain posted three days from the date the job is reposted and will remain reposted until a qualified candidate has been identified for hire.


The date of posting can be found on the Lanteris Space Systems Career page at the top of each job posting.

To apply, submit your application via the Lanteris Space Systems Career page.

Lanteris Space Systems values diversity in the workplace and is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.