Director of System Engineering

Director of Radar Payloads (Phased Array Antennas)

Location: Redmond, WA

Salary: Competitive base salary (DOE) + equity grants + comprehensive benefits package

About the Company

You'll join a venture-backed, early-stage space technology company based in the Seattle area, breaking new ground in Geospatial Intelligence.

The company's technology centers on a proven, scalable electronically-steered radar for spaceborne applications, including earth observation using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) techniques, as well as advanced defense missions such as ground and air target tracking.

This is an outstanding opportunity to work on novel, cutting-edge technology that is pushing the boundaries of Geospatial Intelligence as we know it today.

About the Role

As Director – Radar Payloads, you'll own end-to-end development and delivery of the company's spaceborne electronically-steered radar payloads. You'll direct multidisciplinary teams spanning RF/microwave, antennas, digital/FPGA, firmware/software, power, mechanical/thermal, systems, AI&T, and manufacturing, and you'll be accountable for technical performance, cost, schedule, risk, qualification, spacecraft integration, and delivery — serving as a key interface to customers, suppliers, partners, and program leadership.

You'll have real ownership here, not just technical sign-off, but the mandate to build the team and the hardware program together, on a mission-critical system moving at a fast, early-stage pace.

Day to day, you'll:

• Own radar payload architecture and technical baseline across the electronically-steered aperture, RF front-ends, digital/FPGA processing, timing, power, thermal/mechanical, and control electronics.
• Lead full payload lifecycle execution from requirements and architecture through design reviews, prototype builds, qualification/acceptance, AI&T, spacecraft integration, and on-orbit checkout.
• Recruit, lead, and mentor a multidisciplinary payload team; set priorities, staffing, technical ownership, expectations, and a culture of accountability and innovation.
• Partner with Systems Engineering, radar algorithms, software/firmware, GNC, spacecraft, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and operations to achieve mission-level performance.
• Own payload V&V, calibration, and flight-readiness strategy, including RF/beam performance, timing, reliability, environmental qualification, and end-to-end radar testing.
• With the Program Management Office, own integrated plans, budgets, schedules, technical milestones, risks/opportunities, and recovery actions to meet cost, schedule, and performance commitments.
• Drive manufacturability, testability, reliability, cost, and production readiness; lead the transition from prototype builds to repeatable manufacturing and acceptance testing.
• Serve as the payload technical focal point for customers, suppliers, subcontractors, spacecraft partners, and test facilities; lead reviews, trades, issue resolution, and supplier performance.

Requirements to Be Successful

• BS in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, or a related STEM discipline; MS or PhD preferred.
• 10+ years of experience developing complex RF, radar, communications, or space payload hardware, including flight or mission-critical systems.
• Demonstrated experience as a senior/principal technical leader owning the architecture and delivery of complex multidisciplinary payload or RF systems through major lifecycle milestones.
• 6+ years of engineering leadership/management experience leading multidisciplinary teams, including staffing, mentoring, performance management, and execution accountability.
• Deep technical expertise in radar system architecture and performance, RF/microwave systems, electronically-steered/phased-array antennas, RF front-ends, high-speed digital/FPGA processing, mixed-signal electronics, timing/synchronization, and power electronics.
• Strong system-level understanding of embedded firmware/software, PCB design, signal/power integrity, EMI/EMC, mechanical/thermal design, and spacecraft electrical/mechanical interfaces.
• Proven success taking complex flight hardware from architecture and design through integration, environmental qualification, acceptance testing, manufacturing handoff, and spacecraft/field deployment.
• Demonstrated ownership of technical performance, cost, schedule, risk, resource planning, supplier execution, and cross-functional delivery for complex engineering programs.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to clearly present technical findings and collaborate effectively across engineering functions.

This role requires U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent residency, or refugee/asylee status, and eligibility to obtain and hold an active U.S. DoD Top Secret/SCI security clearance.