Director of Mission Management

About the role

Reflect Orbital is seeking a Director of Mission Management to oversee the development and execution of spacecraft missions. This role involves building and leading the function responsible for moving spacecraft from mission planning to orbit, coordinating launch opportunities, regulatory approvals, spectrum access, launch-provider integration, mission schedules, and external deliverables.

Responsibilities

• Own mission management across Reflect’s spacecraft portfolio, including launch planning, launch-provider integration, regulatory execution, external deliverables, launch campaigns, and mission readiness
• Develop the integrated launch and regulatory roadmap required to support Reflect’s spacecraft-production and constellation-deployment plans
• Develop launch strategies that balance schedule, orbit, cost, capacity, technical compatibility, regulatory readiness, and program risk
• Own senior relationships with launch providers, launch integrators, regulatory agencies, outside counsel, spectrum coordinators, and other critical mission partners
• Coordinate launch opportunity evaluation and support launch-service contracting, negotiations, and manifest decisions in partnership with engineering, finance, and legal
• Own Reflect’s FCC and spectrum strategy, including licensing pathways, modifications, technical exhibits, coordination, milestone compliance, reporting, and engagement with outside counsel and regulators
• Ensure each mission has a credible integrated schedule, clear ownership, complete external deliverables, active risk management, and an objective definition of launch readiness
• Build and lead a high-performing mission-management team as launch cadence increases, with clear ownership across individual missions and shared regulatory or launch functions
• Create repeatable processes that improve reliability and visibility without introducing unnecessary bureaucracy
• Identify portfolio-level launch, licensing, spectrum, and integration risks early and drive the decisions or investments required to resolve them
• Lead mission-readiness reviews and provide leadership with a clear, unvarnished assessment of schedule, regulatory status, external dependencies, and residual risk
• Translate company and constellation objectives into executable mission plans across engineering, manufacturing, test, flight software, GNC, operations, policy, and business teams
• Personalize ownership of the highest-risk external interfaces, negotiations, submissions, and mission blockers
• Communicate exceptionally well with regulators, launch providers, engineers, attorneys, executives, and commercial partners
• Maintain a focus on urgency, follow-through, and accountability without creating unnecessary bureaucracy
• Willingness to remain deeply hands-on rather than delegating the underlying mission work before the organization is ready

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in spacecraft mission management, launch integration, launch services, regulatory affairs, satellite program management, or a closely related field
• Personal experience taking multiple spacecraft missions through launch-provider integration, regulatory approval, launch readiness, and launch
• Deep familiarity with launch-provider processes, mission integration schedules, spacecraft data packages, safety reviews, interface requirements, launch campaigns, and readiness reviews
• Strong working knowledge of FCC spacecraft licensing and spectrum coordination and ability to lead the process effectively alongside technical experts and outside counsel
• Experience managing multiple missions, launch opportunities, or regulatory workstreams simultaneously and understanding how to prioritize across a portfolio
• Experience building a team, function, or operating system in an environment where the organization was growing faster than its existing processes
• Ability to move fluidly between constellation-level strategy, executive decisions, partner negotiations, detailed schedule reviews, and correcting an incomplete submission
• Enough technical fluency to challenge assumptions, recognize missing analysis, and ensure technical deliverables actually answer the requirement
• Exceptional communication skills with regulators, launch providers, engineers, attorneys, executives, and commercial partners
• Comfortable making decisions with incomplete information and distinguishing between manageable execution risk and a genuine threat to the mission
• Urgency, follow-through, and creation of accountability without producing process for its own sake
• Willingness to remain deeply hands-on rather than delegating the underlying mission work before the organization is ready

Skills

• Strong leadership and strategic planning skills
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Proven ability to manage complex projects and teams
• Technical expertise in spacecraft mission management and regulatory affairs
• Experience with launch provider processes and regulatory compliance
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks and deadlines
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills

Benefits

• Broad choice of medical/dental/vision coverage, with Reflect covering 100% of each base-policy
• Access to HSA, FSA, and 401K
• Unlimited paid time off, two weeks per year encouraged
• Healthy lunches provided daily

Equal Opportunity

Reflect Orbital is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Reflect Orbital is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.