Mission Project Lead

Locations: Denver, CO / Los Angeles, CA / Washington, D.C. Type: Full-time, hybrid About The Company We are partnering with a fast-growing space software company developing mission-management and command-and-control technology for U.S. Government space programs. The team supports a mixture of defense, intelligence, and civil space missions, including NASA-related programs, and is looking to develop the next generation of technical program leadership as its customer base and program portfolio continue to grow. The Role We are looking for a Mission Project Lead to work closely with engineering teams and Technical Program Managers to drive the day-to-day execution of government space programs. This is not a traditional project-management position. The role is expected to remain approximately 50% technical, making it particularly well suited to a software engineer, systems engineer, systems architect, product owner, or similar technical professional who has started taking on broader ownership and coordination responsibilities. The long-term opportunity is to develop into a Technical Program Manager, taking on increasing ownership of customer programs as the company grows. What You’ll Be Doing Work directly with software and systems engineering teams to drive execution against mission priorities and milestonesMaintain visibility across technical tasks, owners, dependencies, deadlines, and completion criteriaIdentify technical, resource, and coordination blockers and drive them through to resolutionFacilitate planning sessions, stand-ups, milestone reviews, and other engineering team cadencesContinue contributing technically while taking on increasing responsibility for program executionCoordinate across engineering, product, program, and leadership teamsProvide clear updates on progress, risks, blockers, and upcoming milestonesSupport customer and government-facing discussions as your responsibilities growHelp translate program objectives into clear, actionable engineering workDevelop toward ownership of larger technical programs and eventual TPM responsibilities What We’re Looking For 3+ years of experience in a technical environment such as:Software engineeringSystems engineeringSystems architectureMission operationsSpace or ground systemsTechnical product ownershipScrum / Agile deliveryExperience taking ownership beyond your individual technical tasksStrong organizational skills and the ability to keep multiple technical activities moving simultaneouslyComfortable identifying blockers, asking questions, and following actions through to completionExperience working closely with engineering teams in an iterative or Agile environmentStrong written and verbal communication skillsComfortable collaborating across technical and non-technical teamsPrevious mentoring, technical leadership, project ownership, Scrum Master, or Product Owner experience is beneficialSpace, government, defense, or NASA program experience is advantageous but not essentialMust be eligible to obtain a U.S. Government security clearance; an active clearance is not required Ideal Profile You May Currently Be a Software Engineer, Systems Engineer, Systems Architect, Product Owner, Scrum Master, Or Technical Lead Who Enjoys Staying Close To The Engineering But Increasingly Finds Yourself: coordinating other engineers;resolving blockers;driving technical work to completion;mentoring colleagues;communicating with customers or stakeholders; andtaking ownership for delivery rather than simply completing your own tasks. If you want to remain technically involved while developing toward Technical Program Management, this role offers a clear progression path. Mission Project Lead Locations: Denver, CO / Los Angeles, CA / Washington, D.C. Type: Full-time, hybrid You May Currently Be a Software Engineer, Systems Engineer, Systems Architect, Product Owner, Scrum Master, Or Technical Lead Who Enjoys Staying Close To The Engineering But Increasingly Finds Yourself: coordinating other engineers;resolving blockers;driving technical work to completion;mentoring colleagues;communicating with customers or stakeholders; andtaking ownership for delivery rather than simply completing your own tasks. If you want to remain technically involved while developing toward Technical Program Management, this role offers a clear progression path.