Technical Program Manager, Mission Integration

Who We Are GITAI is a vertically integrated space and defense company building the next generation of hardware for low-Earth-orbit missions. At our core is the space robotics technology that has defined GITAI from the beginning. A small, highly capable engineering team applies that foundation across satellite buses, in-orbit servicing robotics, and mission hardware for applications such as Earth observation. Today, a major focus of our work is supporting U.S. national security missions, particularly through proliferated LEO satellite constellations and other next-generation space systems. We design, build, integrate, and test much of our hardware in-house. Electrical, mechanical, software, manufacturing, integration, and test teams work closely together, allowing a small team to own complete systems rather than isolated components. This vertical integration helps us move quickly, learn directly from hardware, and shorten the path from architecture to a working system. We are still early. The systems, the company, and the market are all being built at the same time. Requirements change, technical problems are often ambiguous, and many answers do not yet exist. We are looking for exceptional engineers who want broad ownership, can work across disciplines, and are willing to stay close to the hardware until the mission succeeds. Your Mission Enable GITAI’s engineering teams to stay focused on engineering by owning the program coordination and external dependencies around them. The Technical Program Manager is a hands-on individual contributor role supporting GITAI’s Space-Based Interceptor program and related U.S. government missile defense initiatives. You will report to the VP of Program Management and help the program deliver against a series of contractual, technical, regulatory, integration, and launch milestones. This role has no direct reports. This is not a product management, technical authority, or people-management role. It is closer to a Mission Manager role in aerospace, focused on coordinating the work around Engineering and keeping the mission on track. Engineering leaders will own the technical direction and execution. You will own flight opportunity assessment, launch campaign coordination, mission integration, external deliverables, regulatory and government approval tracking, contract support, and stakeholder coordination. You will work across launch service providers, launch aggregators, other payload organizations sharing the launch, U.S. government customers, regulatory authorities, subcontractors, and internal teams. Success requires more than maintaining smooth relationships. You must be able to negotiate, challenge assumptions, push back on unrealistic requirements or commitments, and hold stakeholders accountable when mission execution is at risk. At its core, this role is about maximizing the output of the engineering team. You will turn complex external dependencies into clear actions, create the structure and momentum needed to keep the program moving, and enable the team to deliver each milestone with rigor and precision. What You’ll Drive Assess launch and rideshare opportunities by evaluating launch vehicle capabilities, payload constraints, target orbit, schedule, launch-site logistics, pricing, contractual terms, regulatory requirements, and mission risk. Own the program coordination for each launch campaign from flight opportunity selection through payload delivery, integration, launch readiness, and launch execution. Serve as the primary working-level point of contact across U.S. government customers, launch service providers, launch aggregators, mission partners, regulators, subcontractors, and GITAI’s internal teams. Build and maintain the integrated mission plan, including engineering milestones, external deliverables, government approvals, testing, payload integration, logistics, contract commitments, risks, and decisions. Read and interpret Payload User’s Guides and other mission document…