Technical Program Manager

About the role

We're looking for a Technical Program Manager to be the connective tissue across our engineering team. You will help drive a launch vehicle program from early development through production. This role is a hands-on coordination job where you're making sure nothing falls through the cracks.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain the integrated program schedule across propulsion, structures, avionics, and vehicle design
• Track costs against budget and flag variances early
• Run standups, syncs, and program reviews — keep them short and useful
• Be the person who notices when Team A's deliverable is blocking Team B and brokers the resolution before it becomes a problem
• Sequence work across disciplines so that long-lead items, test campaigns, and design reviews happen in the right order
• Create and maintain clear documentation: decision logs, action items, interface agreements
• Communicate status up, down, and sideways — no one should be surprised

Requirements

• 2-5 years of experience in program management, systems engineering, or technical operations — aerospace preferred but not required
• Strong technical intuition — you don't need to run CFD but you need to understand why a turbopump test matters to the vehicle schedule
• Exceptional communication skills, especially written
• Bias toward action — you chase answers, you don't wait for them
• Comfortable operating with ambiguity and incomplete information
• Experience with scheduling tools (MS Project, Smartsheet, or similar)
• Organized to a fault — nothing gets lost in your world

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience at a startup or small hardware company where you wore multiple hats
• Familiarity with rocket propulsion or launch vehicle development
• Experience cost/schedule tracking frameworks
• Background in systems engineering or integration roles

Benefits

• Salary range: $157,000 – $184,000 annually
• Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement savings plan
• Paid time off
• 10 paid holidays per calendar year
• Paid parental leave
• Relocation assistance if applicable
• Daily lunch in the office and a fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks

ITAR Requirements

Export Control Requirement: To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.