Director, Operations Planning & Performance

Responsibilities

• Lead long-range mission planning, including sequencing, capacity modeling, infrastructure usage, and operational constraints.
• Own the integrated operational plan that aligns Spaceline Mission, Technical Operations, Safety, Astronaut Operations, and related mission-support teams.
• Chair or support Mission Readiness Reviews and Post Mission Reviews driving cross-functional corrective actions and improvement initiatives.
• Develop planning tools, forecasts, and models that support data-driven decision-making and scenario planning.
• Serve as the primary operational interface with NMSA for runway and airspace access, scheduling, and coordination.
• Serve as the operational lead for IROPs, ensuring safe, timely responses to disruptions such as airspace changes, vehicle readiness delays, infrastructure constraints, weather impacts, or unplanned maintenance.
• Cook up real-time decision-making across Spaceline Mission, Technical Operations, Safety, Astronaut Operations, and NMSA to restore mission schedule integrity.
• Maintain IROP playbooks, escalation pathways, and communication protocols that provide clarity during operational disruptions.
• Lead structured recovery planning, scenario modeling, and post-event analysis to improve operational resilience and reduce recurrence.
• Provide leadership with clear situational awareness during IROPs, outlining options, trade-offs, and recommended recovery actions.
• Establish and maintain mission performance dashboards, including schedule reliability, throughput, readiness metrics, and post-mission insights.
• Lead a team of Program Managers responsible for driving operational efficiency projects, performance metrics, cross-functional initiatives, and long-range planning support.
• Coach, train, and transfer expertise to your team to drive projects to completion.
• Foster a culture of open/honest communication, transparency, and accountability.
• Demonstrate management and development skills, ability to manage large projects, prioritize effectively, and communicate with stakeholders.

Requirements

• 10+ years in mission operations, integrated operations planning, airspace management, airline/aviation operations, aerospace operations, or space operations.
• Bachelor's degree in management (esp. operations), engineering, finance, or other quantitative discipline or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional operational planning or performance organizations.
• Strong analytical mindset with experience in operational modeling, forecasting, and performance metrics.
• Excellent relationship-management skills with external agencies.
• Strong technical understanding of U.S. national airspace structure, restricted airspace operations, or range operations.
• Experience scaling operations in fast-growth or first-of-kind environments.
• Demonstrate willingness to adjust thinking and behavior.
• Ability to communicate in a manner that is timely, respectful, and open to other ideas.