Technical Program Manager

A New Paradigm For Space Operations. Who We Are: Space Kinetic is a dual use space technology startup building a completely new architecture for space operations – one that brings the advantages of proliferated drone technology (low-cost, operationally flexible, attainable, distributed) to space missions while reducing the ecosystem's reliance on consumable fuel. In a world where many companies are focused on incrementally improving the status quo, we are focused on creating something entirely different – an architecture underpinned by new first principles to meet the opportunities and challenges of the third space age head-on. Our goal is to move away from one-to-one space architectures – where each satellite in a constellation has one (or a small # of) primary payloads attached to the bus -- and unlock a ‘one-to-many’ system, where each satellite has a large number of payloads which can be deployed from their host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster. This is not a role for someone looking for a traditional 40-hour work week. Space Kinetic is building ambitious, first-of-its-kind technology, and that requires urgency, ownership, and a high level of commitment to changing the foundational assumptions for everything we do in space. What You’ll Do: We are seeking a Technical Program Manager to support technical program execution, coordinate cross-functional engineering activities, and help drive aerospace development programs from planning through execution. The Technical Program Manager is responsible for leading and coordinating technical projects involving aerospace hardware development, engineering execution, manufacturing readiness, and program deliverables. This role combines technical coordination, project execution discipline, and aerospace program support to help ensure engineering development efforts move efficiently from concept through production readiness. This position requires engineering understanding sufficient to communicate effectively with technical teams, manage schedules, identify risks, and ensure projects remain aligned with customer requirements, internal milestones, and business objectives. The Project Manager serves as a central point of coordination between engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, leadership, and external stakeholders. Lead planning, coordination, and execution of aerospace engineering and hardware development projects Develop and maintain project schedules, milestones, action trackers, and program status reporting Coordinate closely with engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, and leadership teams to ensure execution against program goals Support technical reviews, design reviews, production readiness discussions, and milestone planning Monitor project scope, schedule, cost drivers, and execution risks Identify schedule impacts, technical dependencies, and program constraints early and escalate when needed Track deliverables, action items, procurement dependencies, and critical path activities Facilitate internal meetings and ensure follow-up actions are completed across teams Support customer-facing updates, program documentation, and status communications as needed Help manage contract deliverables and internal execution against awarded program requirements Work closely with engineering teams to understand technical priorities and execution challenges Assist leadership in translating technical development priorities into executable project plans Support disciplined configuration management processes for hardware and software to maintain revision control, traceability, and alignment across program activities Coordinate and monitor test-readiness activities, including technical preparation, documentation status, material readiness, and integration planning prior to test execution Support integration activities across hardware and software elements, maintaining visibility into dependencies that affect system performance and program milestones Demonstrate underst