Senior Manager of AI

At LeoLabs, we’re building the living map of activity in space. Through our proprietary global radar network and AI-enabled analytics platform, we collect millions of measurements daily on more than 25,000 objects in low Earth orbit (LEO). Our radar-powered intelligence protects billions in assets, monitors adversarial behavior, and ensures safe operations for commercial and government missions. We’re not just building technology, we are redefining global security, safety, and transparency in space. As orbital activity accelerates and threats grow more complex, LeoLabs is a trusted partner for Space Domain Awareness, Space Traffic Management, and Satellite Operations for top-tier space operators and allied defense organizations.

About the role

We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Senior Manager of AI to join our team. You will play a critical role in managing our new AI team, which consists of approximately 5 engineers and is a key part of the broader, 30-person software engineering organization. The AI team is responsible for customer-facing and internal AI and data engineering initiatives, including agentic AI development, orbital event detection and characterization, and LeoLabs’ data lake. The team leverages services built and maintained by other teams, such as radar development and operations and catalog maintenance.

You will provide leadership to a cross-functional team of AI/ML Engineers, Data Engineers, and Software Engineers. Your responsibilities will include ensuring our AI/ML algorithms meet strict performance requirements, our data lake meets internal and external needs, and our organization remains a leader in agentic AI.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a cross-functional team of AI/ML Engineers, Data Engineers, and Software Engineers.
• Ensure AI/ML algorithms meet strict performance requirements.
• Maintain and enhance LeoLabs’ data lake to meet internal and external needs.
• Drive excellence in agentic AI development and deployment.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to define AI and data engineering roadmaps.
• Deploy software services to US High Side networks.
• Work on-call outside of normal business hours during critical escalations.

What you'll accomplish

• Within 1 month:
  • Complete our onboarding program to get up to speed on our business, vision, and team.
  • Understand how your role fits into LeoLabs' broader organization.
  • Take over leadership of our new AI team.
• Within 3 months:
  • Own the AI team’s OKRs and roadmap.
  • Lead, mentor, and guide the AI team to achieve these objectives.
  • Actively participate in the company’s AI and software roadmap planning.
• Within 6 months:
  • Achieve significant progress in the team’s key roadmap goals.
  • Play a key role in driving excellence in our company’s AI/ML algorithm performance.
  • Regularly collaborate with stakeholders to define AI and data engineering initiatives.
  • Successfully lead one of the most critical teams in the organization.
• Within 12 months:
  • Lead your team to continuously deliver on the company’s AI needs.
  • Provide regular reports on AI team performance and results to senior and executive leadership teams.
  • Promote a healthy culture of algorithm and software excellence throughout the organization.

Requirements

• Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. personnel security clearance.
• B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of experience as a Software Engineering Manager or AI Manager in a fast-paced software development environment.
• Hands-on, up-to-date experience with agentic AI technology.
• Extensive experience building, rolling out, and maintaining cloud-based software services.
• Experience deploying software services to US High Side networks.
• Strong knowledge of software development and testing methodologies, best practices, and industry standards.
• Experience working with large-scale distributed data platforms (e.g., Databricks, Spark).
• Solid understanding of Agile and DevOps principles.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to manage, lead, and mentor a team effectively.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate with various stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with cloud environments like AWS, GCP, or Azure.
• Experience with databases like Postgres or MySQL.
• Experience with security requirements, including static and dynamic code analysis and penetration testing.
• Background in Math, Physics, or Orbital mechanics.

Benefits

• Global workforce: flexible remote/hybrid opportunities.
• Work on complex, meaningful missions with real-world impact.
• Unlimited paid time off for most roles.
• Competitive salary and equity packages.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage.
• Access to the forefront of commercial space operations and defense innovation.