Manager, Commercial & Civil Launch Services

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Alabama, +3 more states.

📋 Description

• Oversee the initial intake and assessment of commercial and U.S. civil launch-service opportunities, including engagements with NASA and other U.S. non-defense civil entities.

• Manage NDA status verifications, initiation, and routing; facilitate early-stage customer communications and meetings; identify any gaps in information; and handle follow-up actions and internal responses.

• Assist in customer discovery sessions and preliminary capability discussions while effectively communicating Alpha's launch-service capabilities and limitations.

• Collect and organize details regarding customer payload, orbit, launch window, quantity, cadence, schedule, acquisition strategy, payload-integration method, and decision-making processes.

• Coordinate initial technical feedback with Mission Management and convert customer requirements into structured internal requests.

• Conduct research on potential clients and create concise company profiles that include business models, credibility, launch history, Firefly relationships, programs, launch providers, and competitive landscape.

• Formulate recommendations for pursuit, deferral, non-pursuit, or engagement with senior leadership, and prepare opportunity briefs that outline decisions, risks, assumptions, and suggestions.

• Assist with rough-order-of-magnitude estimates, proposals, Statements of Work, capture materials, and customer-response documentation.

• Deliver status updates, leadership briefings, and portfolio summaries; present findings and recommendations.

• Keep track of customer, market, and competitive trends relevant to Alpha commercial and U.S. civil launch services.

• Implement enhancements for customer intake, opportunity assessment, internal transitions, onboarding, tracking, and proposal preparation.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, systems engineering, another relevant engineering field, or a closely related technical discipline.

• 5+ years of pertinent professional experience in aerospace, space systems, launch services, business development, mission management, customer-facing engineering, or similar aerospace roles.

• Solid understanding of launch vehicles and launch services, encompassing orbital mechanics, mission design, trajectory considerations, launch-vehicle performance, propulsion fundamentals, payload integration, and launch operations.

• Experience collaborating directly with customers or external stakeholders to conduct discovery, comprehend mission requirements, pose informed questions, and translate needs for both technical and business teams.

• Familiarity with the business-development and capture lifecycle, which includes opportunity assessment, market and competitive analysis, capture gates, pursuit decisions, and proposal support.

• Proven business and technical judgment in evaluating customer credibility, mission suitability, procurement maturity, strategic alignment, risks, and next steps.

• Exceptional written, verbal, customer-facing, and technical communication skills.

• Capability to operate independently under broad guidance, manage uncertainty, prioritize conflicting demands, and advance multiple customer opportunities simultaneously.

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, including record-keeping, tracking actions and deadlines, coordinating across time zones, and safeguarding sensitive information.

• Ability to collaborate effectively across technical and business teams and coordinate efforts without direct authority.

• Proficiency with modern business-development, opportunity-management, collaboration, remote-work, and document-management tools.

• Willingness to travel approximately 25 percent of the time and up to 50 percent when necessary.

• Capability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Secret security clearance.

• Eligibility to meet Firefly export-control requirements.

• U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent residency, protected-individual status, or eligibility to secure the necessary U.S. Department of State authorizations for ITAR compliance.

• Desired: 10+ years of relevant experience.

• Desired: Master's degree, MBA, or another relevant advanced business degree.

• Desired: Active U.S. Government Secret or Top Secret security clearance.

• Desired: Direct sales or business-development experience in launch services, particularly with Alpha-class or comparable launch vehicles.

• Desired: Experience with commercial satellite operators or manufacturers, NASA, or other U.S. civil-space clients.

• Desired: Experience with proposals, Statements of Work, launch-service or satellite contracts, aerospace service agreements, commercial terms, or civil-government solicitations.

• Desired: Experience in developing rough-order-of-magnitude estimates, pricing packages, business cases, or customer-response documents.

• Desired: Experience enhancing customer onboarding, opportunity management, proposal, or internal transition processes.

• Desired: Experience preparing and presenting opportunity recommendations to senior leadership.

🏝️ Benefits

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans with low deductibles.

• Parental leave.

• Educational reimbursement.

• Short-term disability coverage.

• Flexible paid time off options.