SpaceX

Sr. Program Development Manager

SpaceX$115K — $165K *
Aerospace & Defense
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred
  • 3+ years of business development or account management experience in Department of War or AI
  • Direct sales or program development experience within Department of War is a plus
  • Technical project management or systems engineering experience, preferably in government space systems
  • Familiarity with federal procurement processes and contract vehicles
  • Ability to thrive in dynamic, entrepreneurial settings with high ownership
  • Excellent communication skills to engage technical and non-technical audiences

Responsibilities

  • Develop strategy for engaging government stakeholders and drive new supercomputing projects
  • Build and maintain relationships with Department of War decision-makers
  • Identify and expand business opportunities in space sensing and supercomputing
  • Lead responses to government solicitations, emphasizing technical value
  • Conduct competition analysis and market research to identify trends
  • Support internal and external coordination across teams to enhance program development
  • Refine engagement strategies based on customer feedback and competitive landscape

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage available
  • Access to a 401(k) retirement plan
  • Short and long-term disability insurance and life insurance offered
  • Paid parental leave and professional development opportunities
  • Generous vacation policies and 10+ paid holidays per year
  • Paid sick leave in accordance with company policy
  • Employee Stock Purchase Plan with stock purchase discounts
Full Job Description
SR. GOVERNMENT PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Starshield leverages SpaceX's Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts. SpaceX Government Sales is expanding the team to support the deployment of StarshieldAI and Grok compute capabilities for the U.S. Government.

SpaceX is seeking a mission-oriented, results-driven Senior Manager to lead Government Program Development and business growth across the Department of War, focusing on government and classified supercomputing that make automated integration of global sensing a real-time decision advantage. The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of mission-aligned agentic frontier models, the ability to communicate scaled-compute applications to technical and non-technical audiences, and the depth of experience to expand our DoW footprint by identifying and advancing AI opportunities aligned with national security priorities. This position demands knowledge of government procurement processes along with the energy, initiative, and dependability to own mission-critical outcomes with new government partners.

RESPONSIBILITIES
  • Develop and execute a strategy for government stakeholder engagement, drive capture efforts, and develop a pipeline for supercomputing solutions addressing complex intelligence and operational challenges
  • Identify, build, and maintain relationships with key DoW and Service level decision-makers, program managers, and technical evaluators across space and AI portfolios
  • Identify new business opportunities and grow existing programs, finding new ways to fuse space sensing and supercomputing into quantifiable new lines of effort and revenue sources
  • Shape and lead SpaceX responses to RFIs, RFPs, Sources Sought, and other government solicitations with technical content, compliance matrices, and differentiated value propositions
  • Conduct continuous competition analysis and market research to stay ahead of developments in the opportunity landscape
  • Lead internal and external coordination across multidisciplinary teams, ensuring close coordination with engineering, mission management, finance, and contracts in the program development phase, actively preventing silos
  • Continuously refine engagement roadmap based on internal strategies, mission needs, customer feedback, and competitive analysis

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
  • Bachelor's degree
  • 3+ years of experience in business development or account management within the DoW, AI industry, or tech industrial base

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
  • Advanced degree in science, policy, business, international affairs, or another relevant field
  • Direct experience supporting sales or program development within DoW
  • Experience leading capture for start-ups, government compute companies, or cloud compute business areas
  • 2+ years of technical project management, systems engineering, or Government space systems acquisition experience
  • Experience modernizing Government AI/ML capabilities, agent workflows, generative Artificial intelligence applications, and machine lifecycle management tailored to government while meeting stringent regulatory and security standards
  • Experience partnering with cloud hyperscalers or other business-related system integrators
  • Strong organizational skills and attention to detail in managing complex government sales cycles or program development, specifically in AI/ML, data analytics, and aerospace
  • Familiarity with federal procurement processes and contract vehicles commonly used in the DoW
  • Experience operating in or supporting classified environments
  • Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to engage both technical and non-technical audiences
  • Ability to thrive in a dynamic, entrepreneurial environment; must exhibit high ownership, initiative, and accountability

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
  • This position is based in Washington DC and requires being onsite full-time - hybrid and remote work will not be considered
  • Must be willing to travel to other company sites, vendors, and customers as necessary, up to 50% travel
  • Must be able to work extended hours and weekends as needed
  • Must be able to hold a TS/SCI security clearance
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Pay Range:
Level 3: $115,000.00 - $165,000.00

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.

ITAR REQUIREMENTS:
  • To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. a7 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. a7 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

About SpaceX

SpaceX is an American aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company founded in 2002 by entrepreneur Elon Musk. The company designs, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. SpaceX has developed the Falcon 1, Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Dragon spacecraft. The company was founded with the goal of reducing space transportation costs and enabling the colonization of Mars. SpaceX has achieved several milestones in spaceflight, including the first privately-funded liquid-propellant rocket to reach orbit, the first privately-funded company to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station, and the first privately-funded company to send a human-rated spacecraft to orbit.
Learn more about SpaceX
Size
8,000 employees
Industry
Founded
2002

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at SpaceX

More Aerospace & Defense Jobs

Find similar Sr. Program Development Manager jobs: