Program Manager
The Program Manager will serve as the single accountable leader for one or more Mantis Space flight programs, from contract award through on-orbit commissioning and sustained operations. This role is the primary interface between the customer, the internal engineering team, and company leadership, and is responsible for delivering space power beaming capability on schedule, within cost, and to performance requirements.
The Program Manager will own the program baseline, manage cost and schedule performance, drive cross-functional execution, and maintain a clear picture of technical progress and risk across all program elements — spacecraft, ground systems, launch, and operations. The ideal candidate has direct experience leading space hardware programs in a government or commercial context, understands the technical depth required to hold an engineering team accountable, and can operate credibly at both the working level and the executive level.
About Mantis Space
Mantis Space is a venture-backed aerospace company pioneering breakthrough technologies to build the first energy infrastructure in space. Headquartered in New Mexico—the cornerstone of U.S. defense R&D and a growing hub of the nation’s Space Valley—we are building from the ground up to accelerate the next generation of satellite and orbital energy infrastructure.
Our veteran-led team brings decades of leadership across space, defense, and advanced R&D, with experience at Google, Meta, AeroVironment/BlueHalo, Terran Orbital, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Space Telescope Science Institute, and Apple. With deep expertise in optics, photonics, and space systems, we are designing and delivering the infrastructure that will power the future of orbital energy and advanced aerospace operations.
Backed by Montauk Capital, Mantis Space combines the agility of a startup with the rigor, precision, and reliability required for national security, research, and commercial innovation.
Why Join Us
Build from the ground up: Directly shape our Albuquerque lab and R&D test environment.
Make an impact: Your systems will enable critical research in optics, lasers, and energy systems for space.
Grow with us: Work alongside leading engineers, operators, and investors in a mission-driven environment.
Competitive pay, full benefits, and equity in a company shaping the future of energy and space.
- Own the program cost, schedule, and technical baseline from contract award through final delivery and on-orbit acceptance; maintain program control in a manner that supports customer reporting requirements and internal investment decisions.
- Serve as the primary customer-facing point of contact for program status, milestone achievement, deliverable submittals, contract modifications, and issue resolution.
- Lead integrated program reviews, technical interchange meetings, preliminary and critical design reviews, system integration reviews, and program milestone events with internal and external stakeholders.
- Build, maintain, and actively manage an Integrated Master Schedule that reflects realistic critical-path dependencies across hardware design, fabrication, test, integration, launch, and operations phases.
- Establish and manage program budgets, allocate resources across engineering and operations functions, track actuals against plan, and maintain accurate earned value or equivalent cost performance data.
- Identify, quantify, and actively manage program risk; maintain a living risk register, assign mitigation owners, and escalate issues that cannot be resolved within the program team.
- Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, or a related technical discipline; master's degree preferred. Equivalent experience in lieu of advanced degree will be considered for candidates with a strong space program management record.
- 8 to 14 years of progressive responsibility in space systems program management, systems engineering, or technical leadership, with at least 4 years as a program manager or deputy program manager on a space hardware program.
- Demonstrated experience managing the full lifecycle of a space hardware program from PDR through delivery or on-orbit commissioning, including customer interface, milestone execution, cost and schedule management, and deliverable accountability.
- Proficiency in integrated master scheduling, critical path analysis, earned value management or equivalent cost performance methods, and risk register maintenance.
- Hands-on familiarity with space system architectures including spacecraft bus, payload, ground systems, launch vehicle integration, and operations planning sufficient to hold technical teams accountable.
- Demonstrated ability to manage customer relationships through both routine status reporting and high-stakes technical or contractual issues.
- Experience managing government or commercial contracts, including FAR/DFARS familiarity, contract modification processes, data rights considerations, and deliverable compliance.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills; able to prepare and deliver formal program reviews, executive briefings, and written reports to technical and non-technical audiences.
- Applicants should be eligible for a U.S. government security clearance if required.
Mantis Space is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We are committed to providing a workplace that is respectful, inclusive, and focused on professional excellence. Employment decisions are made based on qualifications, merit, and business needs. We value a wide range of experiences and perspectives and believe they contribute to strong teams and effective problem-solving. We encourage qualified individuals to apply regardless of background. Mantis Space is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. If you require accommodation or assistance at any stage of the application or interview process, please let us know.