Senior Technical Program Manager, AEOS Orbital Program
Axiom Space · Houston
OVERVIEW
Axiom Space is a human space exploration company, building era-defining space infrastructure and delivering technology-driven solutions that will empower civilization to transcend Earth. Beginning with Axiom Station, successor to the International Space Station, the company is pioneering a next-generation orbital settlement that will foster groundbreaking innovation and research in microgravity and drive the global space economy of tomorrow. Today, guided by the vision of leading humanity's expansion off planet, Axiom Space is the principal provider of commercial human spaceflight services and developer of advanced spacesuits for the Moon and beyond. For more information about Axiom Space, visit www.axiomspace.com.
Axiom Space fosters a work environment inclusive of all perspectives. We are the pioneers of commercial space, leading the transformation of low-Earth orbit into a global space marketplace. Our mission-driven team is seeking a bold and dynamic Senior Technical Program Manager who is fueled by high accountability, execution horsepower, and driven to understand our world, science/technology, and life itself, for the benefit of all on Earth and beyond.
POSITION SUMMARY
Axiom Space is building the future of human spaceflight and orbital infrastructure, and the work is as complex as it sounds. We’re looking for a resilient, high-energy Senior Technical Program Manager to own end-to-end delivery of our orbital compute program: a secure, radiation-tolerant compute payload and its Linux- and Rust-based software stack, running GPU-accelerated AI/ML workloads and post-quantum secure communications.
You’ll drive the program from concept and prototype through environmental qualification, payload integration, and on-orbit demonstration, coordinating hardware, software, security, and systems engineering teams alongside external suppliers and integration partners. In an environment of rapid iteration and significant ambiguity, you’ll own the integrated master schedule, critical path, cost, dependencies, and risk, and serve as the connective tissue between the engineering teams and company leadership. This position reports to the Chief Technology Officer and is based at our Houston-area engineering hub.
KEY DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
- Own end-to-end delivery of the orbital compute program, from concept and prototype through environmental and radiation qualification, payload integration, and on-orbit demonstration
- Build and maintain the integrated master schedule and critical path across parallel hardware and software workstreams, including long-lead procurement, board bring-up, qualification, payload integration, and launch and on-orbit milestones
- Coordinate delivery across multiple engineering groups you do not directly manage, aligning them to a shared program plan, interface definitions, and milestone set
- Own program-level risk, dependency, and tradeoff management, proactively identifying critical-path bottlenecks and driving issues and escalations to resolution
- Manage external suppliers, vendors, and integration partners, including scoping statements of work, tracking deliverables, and owning interface and integration milestones
- Lead development and upkeep of interface control documents, concepts of operations, and program baselines, translating mission and customer requirements into appropriately scoped system work
- Own cost and schedule performance, including basis-of-estimate development, budget tracking, and earned-value-style reporting against baseline
- Hold credible technical tradeoff discussions with senior engineers across compute hardware, Linux/Rust software, GPU-accelerated AI/ML, and secure and post-quantum communications
- Partner with engineering and product leadership to scope efforts, set priorities, coordinate release and test cadences, and build the business cases that inform prioritization and investment
- Communicate progress, status, and emerging issues to stakeholders and leadership
- Implement and maintain agile project management methodologies throughout the project lifecycle
- Perform other duties as assigned
QUALIFICATIONS:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Education & Experience
Required
- BS in engineering, a physical science, or a related technical discipline
- 8+ years of technical program or project management delivering complex engineering programs, with increasing scope and responsibility
- Demonstrated ownership of scope, schedule, cost, risk, and critical-path management on hardware or integrated hardware-and-software programs
- Experience coordinating cross-functional engineering teams, suppliers, and subcontractors toward integrated technical, cost, and schedule baselines
- Hands-on engineering or technical background sufficient to read design documents and reason credibly about system architecture, interfaces, and the development lifecycle
- Working knowledge of earned-value management, bases of estimate, and program financial tracking
- Proficiency with modern program-tracking and collaboration tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence) and Agile delivery
Preferred
- Experience delivering spacecraft, payload, or other space and aerospace systems, or comparably regulated, mission-critical hardware
- Familiarity with secure or regulated development environments (ITAR/EAR)
- Familiarity with edge compute, GPU/AI-ML, or secure-communications systems
- Advanced degree, such as in engineering management
Skills & Attributes
- Track record of making things happen in ambiguous, fast-moving environments
- Sound judgment and a proactive approach to solving hard problems
- Strong organizational skills, delivering high-quality results under tight deadlines
Core Skills
- Passion for space and the mission
- Entrepreneurial, growth mindset
- High EQ and ability to collaborate within teams and cross-functionally
- Tech-solutioning in using systems and tools to move smarter and faster
- Influence without authority — driving cross-functional teams to deliver
Axiom Space is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Axiom Space does not discriminate on the basis of race, regional color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.