Director – Radar Payloads

About the role

Kapta Space is seeking a Director - Radar Payloads to lead the development and delivery of our spaceborne electronically-steered radar payloads. This role involves owning the entire payload lifecycle from requirements through spacecraft integration and on-orbit checkout.

Responsibilities

• 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

• 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
• Ownership of technical performance, cost, schedule, risk, resource planning, supplier execution, and cross-functional delivery for complex engineering programs
• Excellent communication skills, with ability to clearly present technical findings and collaborate effectively across engineering functions

Qualifications

• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Top Secret/SCI security clearance
• U.S. Citizenship, Lawful Permanent Residency, Or Refugee/Asylee Status Required

Bonus

• Experience with electronically-steered or phased-array radar systems, including beam-steering, calibration approaches and general space reliability
• Familiarity with space-qualified component selection, radiation-tolerant design, COTS-to-space qualification, reliability engineering, and fault-tolerant payload architectures
• Familiarity with radar system modeling and simulation, RF/antenna tools, radar/link budgets, signal-processing performance analysis, and thermal/structural analyses
• Experience planning and executing qualification and acceptance programs for space hardware and familiarity with applicable standards such as SMC-S-016, GSFC-STD-7000, and MIL-STD-461
• Experience in defense contracting environments or ISR/target-tracking radar missions
• Prior work in small, fast-iteration aerospace teams