Director, Solutions/Conceptual Design

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At CesiumAstro, we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands-on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking individuals to join our team.

We are looking to add a Director, Solutions/Conceptual Design to our team. In this role you will lead the organization responsible for developing the company’s end-to-end technical solutions for new customer opportunities and strategic pursuits. The Director oversees a team of Communication Systems Architects who combine deep domain expertise with broad systems knowledge to define differentiated, technically credible, and executable solutions.

As a senior technical leader within Product & Solutions, the Director works closely with Product, Business Development, customers, and Engineering to translate mission needs into complete system architectures. The organization owns the technical solution from early concept and customer engagement through capture, proposal, contract definition, and transition to execution.

The Director ensures the architecture team looks beyond individual engineering disciplines to optimize the complete solution, balancing mission performance, technical risk, cost, schedule, product reuse, and competitive differentiation. The Director also helps shape product and technology strategy by identifying common customer needs, emerging capabilities, and architectural investments that can be leveraged across future opportunities.

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Build, develop, and lead a high-performing team of Communication Systems Architects responsible for defining complete technical solutions for customer opportunities and strategic pursuits.
• Ensure each pursuit has a clearly identified technical architect accountable for the end-to-end solution from customer need and CONOPS through architecture, requirements, proposal, and transition to execution.
• Partner with customers and Business Development to understand mission objectives, operational needs, CONOPS, performance requirements, and constraints and translate them into differentiated system solutions.
• Lead and review architecture-level trades across antennas, RF, digital processing, communications algorithms, firmware, software, networking, and system interfaces to optimize overall mission performance.
• Partner with Business Development and Product leadership to assess opportunities, support pursue/no-pursue decisions, identify technical discriminators, and establish the technical strategy required to win.
• Ensure proposed architectures, requirements, technical approaches, performance analyses, risks, assumptions, and development strategies form a credible and compelling technical solution.
• Drive development of system requirements, interfaces, performance allocations, CONOPS, architecture definitions, verification approaches, and key analyses necessary to establish a technically sound baseline.
• Identify recurring customer needs and architectural capabilities that should influence product roadmaps, technology investments, and future product development. Drive reuse of existing and in-development products where they provide the best system solution.
• Ensure architectures appropriately balance performance and differentiation with technical maturity, cost, schedule, risk, manufacturability, and the company’s ability to execute.
• Work closely with Product Development & Assurance to translate technical architectures into executable program plans, including scope, requirements, development activities, Make/Buy decisions, risks, assumptions, cost, and schedule.
• Ensure technical solutions are transitioned cleanly from pursuit into the engineering and program execution organizations with clear requirements, architecture, interfaces, key trades, risks, assumptions, and customer commitments.
• Establish architecture standards, technical review practices, analysis methods, and decision frameworks that drive consistency and technical excellence across pursuits.
• Mentor architects and senior technical leaders to develop both deep technical expertise and the system-level breadth, customer engagement skills, and business judgment required to own complete solutions.

JOB REQUIREMENTS AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Telecommunications Engineering, or a related technical field with 11 - 15 years of related experience, Master's degree in a related field with 9 - 12 years of related experience, or PhD in a related field with 7 - 10 years of related experience in communication systems engineering, system architecture, complex communications systems, payload development, mission systems, or a related engineering discipline.
• 5+ years of progressive technical leadership or management experience in system architecture, Chief Engineer, communication systems engineering, or equivalent technical leadership roles.
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary technical teams and owning end-to-end system architectures spanning multiple engineering disciplines.
• Advanced technical expertise in at least one communications domain such as communication theory, RF/microwave, antennas and phased arrays, digital communications/DSP, FPGA/digital processing, or communications software.
• Demonstrated experience leading technical solutions for customer pursuits, proposals, or new business opportunities

CesiumAstro considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills. Full-time employment offers include company stock options and a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life, disability and retirement plans. CesiumAstro is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
Please note: CesiumAstro does not accept unsolicited resumes from contract agencies or search firms. Any unsolicited resumes submitted to our website or to CesiumAstro team members will be considered property of CesiumAstro, and we will not be obligated to pay any referral fees.