Vice President of Engineering

Katalyst is an American technology company focused on dynamic space operations.  We are building a fleet of dual-use multipurpose robotic space vehicles to create the future where maneuvering, upgrading, refueling, resupply and exploration are as routine as they are on Earth. Getting to space and overcoming the gravity well is only half the story. What you do there is the future. We are not building the trains. We are building the machines that lay down the tracks. By developing the foundational capabilities that make sustained, responsive operations possible, we enable a new era of space exploration that strengthens national security and ensures freedom of action in an increasingly contested domain.

Working at Katalyst is intense, hands-on, and deeply rewarding. You’ll take real ownership and see your work move from concept to operations in an environment where the problems are hard and the impact is real. We value humility, craftsmanship, and doing things the right way, even when it’s harder. You’ll work closely with thoughtful, driven teammates who push each other to do their best. 

What You’ll Do 

• Own the effectiveness of Katalyst’s engineering organization and the technical quality of its spacecraft, payload, software, and mission-delivery work across parallel programs. 

• Set a clear engineering operating model that defines decision rights, technical ownership, review expectations, interface management, configuration discipline, risk escalation, and the minimum process required to move quickly without losing rigor. 

• Lead, develop, and hold accountable engineering managers, directors, chief engineers, and senior technical leaders; build an organization where strong leaders can make decisions independently and teams know what excellent execution looks like. 

• Ensure major spacecraft architectures and technical baselines are coherent, traceable, and executable across systems, structures, avionics, power, GNC, propulsion, software, payloads, manufacturing, integration, test, and mission operations. 

• Drive disciplined technical decision-making across competing mission objectives, customer needs, schedule, cost, reliability, manufacturability, and risk; personally engage when cross-program or irreversible decisions require executive technical judgment. 

• Establish an engineering rhythm that creates visibility into technical maturity, critical risks, staffing constraints, design changes, verification readiness, and program blockers without turning the organization into a reporting bureaucracy. 

• Partner closely with Program, Product, Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Finance, and executive leadership to align engineering capacity and technical priorities to company strategy and customer commitments. 

• Raise the bar for requirements, interfaces, design reviews, analysis, verification, test, anomaly resolution, configuration management, and flight readiness while preserving Katalyst’s bias toward hands-on ownership and speed. 

• Build the engineering talent system: organizational design, hiring priorities, succession planning, performance management, technical career paths, mentorship, and leadership development for a rapidly scaling deep-tech organization. 

• Create mechanisms for lessons learned from prototype builds, environmental test, integration, launch, flight operations, and anomalies to become durable improvements in architecture, process, tools, and team capability. 

• Represent engineering with customers, external partners, technical reviewers, and other high-stakes stakeholders; communicate complex technical posture, risk, and tradeoffs clearly and credibly. 

What We’re Looking For 

Required 

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline; advanced degree is preferred but not required. 

• 10+ years of experience developing complex aerospace, spacecraft, defense, robotics, autonomous, or other mission-critical hardware/software systems, including substantial engineering leadership responsibility. 

• Demonstrated accountability for an engineering organization or major multi-disciplinary technical function through design, integration, qualification, and operational delivery. 

• Direct end-to-end ownership of one or more spacecraft missions through system integration, environmental qualification, launch, and on-orbit operations. 

• Breadth across spacecraft hardware and software disciplines, with enough depth to engage credibly in architecture, interfaces, verification, test, and anomaly decisions. 

• Direct experience leading engineering managers and senior technical leaders across multiple disciplines; proven ability to scale leadership rather than relying on personal heroics. 

• Deep systems-level technical fluency and the judgment to challenge assumptions, identify architectural risk, evaluate tradeoffs, and know when to go deep versus delegate. 

• Experience establishing technical baselines, requirements/interface discipline, design-review practices, configuration/change control, verification strategy, and risk-management mechanisms for complex systems. 

• Experience balancing multiple programs or product lines with shared engineering resources, competing priorities, changing requirements, and aggressive schedules. 

• Strong executive communication skills with the ability to translate engineering reality into clear decisions for technical teams, program leaders, customers, and company leadership. 

• Track record of hiring and developing exceptional technical leaders, building succession depth, and addressing performance gaps directly and constructively. 

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment where ownership, urgency, humility, and exceptionally high standards are essential. 

Your Ideal Background 

Preferred  

• Experience transitioning from early demonstration or R&D missions into repeatable follow-on spacecraft or product execution. 

• Experience building or materially reshaping an engineering organization in a startup, new-space, high-growth, or other low-structure environment. 

• Experience with government and/or national-security space programs, customer-facing technical reviews, proposal/capture support, or mission assurance expectations. 

• Direct experience with GNC, rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO), intercept, or interplanetary missions. 

• Experience partnering with manufacturing, supply chain, quality, test, and operations to move complex flight hardware from development into disciplined execution. 

Additional Requirements: Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed. 

Compensation and Benefits: Your 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. The anticipated salary range for this role is $214,000 - $284,000 annually.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at Katalyst. You will also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of the Employee Stock Option and Equity Plan, as well as a relocation bonus and other discretionary bonuses. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, and unlimited Paid Time Off.

At Katalyst our work on projects involving the U.S. Department of Defense requires adherence to International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), 22 C.F.R. Parts 120-130, which requires compliance with U.S. export laws before allowing employees to perform certain positions. Currently, our available roles necessitate access to ITAR-controlled information, and as a result, Katalyst would have to ensure any non-US person is authorized access to ITAR information before the commencement of employment. We are committed to equal employment opportunities and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.