Space Project Manager

Position Description: Space Project Manager

Job Summary

The Space Project Manager leads the planning, execution, control, and delivery of space systems, subsystems, or payloads. Serving as the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for clients—including space agencies, Prime integrators, defense institutions, and commercial customers—they cross-functionally coordinate design engineering, product assurance (PA/QA), industrialization, and procurement teams.

Key Responsibilities

Project Management & Governance

· Space Lifecycle Management: Drive the project through standard operational phases (Phases 0 to F) and successfully lead formal milestone gate reviews (MDR, SRR, PDR, CDR, QR, AR, and ORR).

· Scope & Change Management: Define the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and Statement of Work (SoW), and manage the engineering change control workflow (ECR / ECO / ECN) in coordination with Configuration Management.

· Schedule & Cost Control: Oversee the master project schedule (Gantt, CPM) and control budget execution using Earned Value Management (EVM) techniques.

· Risk Management: Maintain and mitigate the project risk matrix (technical, schedule, supply chain, and financial), establishing robust contingency plans.

Client, Subcontractor & Agency Interface

· Deliverables Management: Ensure the timely and compliant delivery of the contractual documentation package according to the Data Delivery Plan (DDP).

· Supply Chain Management: Negotiate and supervise key subcontracts and Long-Lead Items (LLIs), while assessing supplier industrial capabilities.

· Non-Conformance Boards: Actively participate in Material Review Boards (MRBs) for major Non-Conformance Reports (NCRs) and manage Requests for Deviation/Waiver (RFD / RFW).

Technical & Operational Leadership

· Cross-Functional Coordination: Act as the operational bridge between Systems Engineering, Product Assurance (PA), Manufacturing Operations, and Assembly, Integration and Testing / Verification (AIT/AIV).

· Resource Allocation: Ensure efficient allocation of human resources, laboratory facilities, and cleanrooms.

Candidate Profile & Requirements

Education & Certifications

· Academic Background: Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace/Aeronautical Engineering, Telecommunications, Industrial Engineering, Physics, or an equivalent technical field.

· Preferred Qualifications:

o Project Management Certification: PMP® (PMI) or IPMA (Level B/C).

o Master’s Degree or Postgraduate studies in Business Administration (MBA) or Aerospace Project Management.

Professional Experience

· Total Experience: Minimum 5–8 years of experience in the aerospace sector, with direct involvement in flight hardware or flight software development (proven Flight Heritage).

· Leadership Experience: At least 3–5 years in direct project management roles, Work Package Management (WPM), or as a Lead Systems Engineer.

Technical Knowledge & Standards

· Space Management Standards: Proficiency in ECSS management branch standards (specifically ECSS-M-ST-10 Project Planning and Implementation, ECSS-M-ST-40 Configuration Management, and ECSS-M-ST-80 Risk Management) or equivalent NASA standards.

· Space Systems Engineering: Thorough understanding of system margins and budgets (mass, power, link, pointing, volume) and environmental qualification testing (Thermal Vacuum / TVAC, Vibration, EMC/EMI).

· Software Tools:

o Project Management: MS Project, Primavera P6, JIRA.

o Requirements & Configuration Management: DOORS, Jama, PLM platforms (Windchill, Teamcenter).

Core Competencies (Soft Skills)

· Leadership & Negotiation: Ability to steer multidisciplinary, international teams without direct hierarchical authority over all members.

· Executive Communication: Excellent technical presentation and synthesis skills tailored for clients, agencies, and executive stakeholders.

· Resilience & Pressure Management: Agility in rapid decision-making when facing technical contingencies or supply chain disruptions.

· Languages: Full professional proficiency in English (C1/C2, mandatory working language for international agency reviews). Knowledge of a second European language (French, German, Spanish) is a plus.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

· SPI / CPI (Schedule / Cost Performance Index): Strict adherence to project budget and baseline schedule target (𝑆𝑃𝐼≥1.0, 𝐶𝑃𝐼≥1.0).

· Review Acceptance: Successful passage of major milestone reviews (PDR, CDR, AR) with a minimal count of open Review Item Discrepancies (RIDs).

· Client Satisfaction: Positive performance evaluations from space agencies and Prime integrators.

· Zero Catastrophic Failures: Strict compliance with Quality and Product Assurance (PA/QA) requirements.