Senior Program Manager

The Mission

Space is the infrastructure layer for humanity’s next industrial revolution. While reusable rockets have opened the door, true economic transformation requires orbital logistics that are as accessible and reliable as commercial aviation. At Lux Aeterna, we’re building that future by developing the first fully reusable satellite platform built for reliable reentry, recovery, and rapid redeployment, transforming space from a one-way street into a two-way highway for innovation and commerce.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a Senior Program Manager to own execution of our next flight mission and the programs that ride on it. This role owns the plan that delivers those programs from contract award through requirements definition, development, integration, flight, and closeout.

You will partner closely with our leadership, operations, and engineering teams. As new business is captured, you are the person who turns a signed contract into a credible, resourced, schedule-backed plan and who stays with it through delivery. You are the customer's day-to-day counterpart at Lux Aeterna and the internal owner who makes sure the engineering and operations teams know exactly what is needed, when, and why.

Programs do not stay still, and neither does this role. We are looking for an adaptable program manager willing to adjust to the phase that the program is in. Early in a program you are defining requirements, shaping scope, and building the plan. In development you are clearing the path and updating the plan so there is a clear plan that engineering and operations can execute against. Through integration, test, and flight you are managing deliverables, gates, and the customer relationship. The person who thrives here is the one who can read which phase the program is actually in and change how they work accordingly.

This is a unique opportunity to:

• Own a government flight program end to end, from award through mission execution and closeout
• Be the connective tissue between capture and delivery, working alongside the leadership team as new contracts come in
• Define the standard workflows, templates, and cadences that let us run several missions at once instead of one at a time
• Work directly with technical leadership on a first-of-kind reusable spacecraft

Why Lux Aeterna?

• Pioneering Technology: We're developing the first reusable satellite platform with controlled return capability, fundamentally transforming space from a one-way journey to a two-way highway
• Real Impact: Your work will enable new industries in space manufacturing, research, and logistics while pioneering sustainable space infrastructure
• Speed & Autonomy: We maintain parallel hardware development streams and empower engineers to innovate rapidly while upholding rigorous aerospace standards
• World-Class Team: Work alongside experts from leading aerospace companies and research institutions, building technology that will reshape humanity's access to space

The Role

• Own the integrated plan, schedule, and critical path for the next flight mission and assigned government programs, and drive them through their review gates (SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, FRR, MRR)
• Run program cadence, risk management, and change control. You are expected to surface issues early and close decisions rather than tracking them
• Own program-level reporting that leadership and customers both trust: status, risk, schedule, and cost-to-complete
• Serve as the day-to-day interface for government customers — define and negotiate requirements, translate them into scope with owners and exit criteria, and hold the line when requirements and the plan diverge
• Own contract deliverables end to end (CDRLs, data packages, review packages, milestone submittals) and keep scope, funding, and schedule reconciled against the contract
• Break program commitments into sequenced, resourced work with unambiguous need dates, catching long-lead items and test facility constraints early, and drive cross-functional execution across GNC, FSW, GSW, avionics, structures, test, and operations
• Define the lightweight standard workflows and templates that make each new mission faster to stand up than the last, and grow the program management function alongside the Principal Program Manager

Required Qualifications

• BS in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Systems Engineering, or equivalent technical field (or equivalent practical experience)
• 7+ years in aerospace or other high-stakes hardware programs, with a strong core of program/project management experience
• Demonstrated ownership of an integrated schedule and critical path on a flight or comparable hardware program
• Direct experience managing a government customer relationship and contract deliverables on a funded program
• Track record of running cross-functional teams without formal authority and getting senior engineers to commit and deliver
• Strong technical fluency. Looking for someone comfortable reading ICDs, requirements, and engineering analyses, and pushing back when the plan and the physics disagree
• Demonstrated ownership of program risk management and cost-to-complete
• Excellent written communication: schedules, status, risk, and customer-facing reporting that people actually trust
• Ability to shift working style as a program moves between phases, and to run more than one program at different phases at the same time
• High composure under pressure and sound judgment with incomplete information
• Comfort with ambiguity and bias toward action over analysis paralysis
• ​​​​​​​Must qualify as a "U.S. person" under 22 C.F.R. §120.62

Desired Experience

• Program management on an orbital, launch, or reentry program
• Experience executing under non-traditional government contracting vehicles such as OTAs, SBIR/STTR, BAAs, CSOs, and familiarity with how each shapes deliverables and reporting
• Experience with DoD, DARPA, AFRL, NASA, or Space Force customers as the delivering contractor
• Active or previously held security clearance
• Experience supporting capture and proposal efforts. Supporting creation of schedules, BOEs, and execution plans that survive through completion
• Experience standing up program management processes and tooling from zero, and scaling them across multiple concurrent programs
• Working knowledge of FAA Part 450, range safety, and related aerospace safety standards (SSCMAN 91-710, AFSPCMAN, NASA STD)
• Familiarity with hardware development lifecycles, integration and test campaigns, and review gates
• ​​​​​​​Early-stage startup or new-program experience, especially in hardware or deep-tech companies

Compensation

The base salary range for this role is $140,000 – $225,000 per year. This range reflects what Lux Aeterna genuinely expects to pay for this position. Employees are also eligible for equity in the company.

Benefits

Lux Aeterna offers a benefits package of medical, dental, and vision insurance; paid time off and company holidays; and a 401(k) retirement plan.

​​​​​​​Location & Work

We are based in Denver, CO and believe in the power of in-person collaboration. We are onsite 5 days/week by default, but flexible when life requires it. This role will include travel to customer sites, vendor and partner facilities, and the launch site in the run-up to flight.

This position is contingent on pending government contract award, and any offer will be extended once funding is confirmed.

Certain roles may involve access to export-controlled technical data. To comply with U.S. export-control laws, access may be limited to individuals who qualify as a “U.S. person” under 22 C.F.R. §120.62 or who otherwise may lawfully receive such access.