Technical Program Manager

Orbitworks' mission is to make space simple for organizations that want to deploy physical and virtual missions to space. Building on the company's heritage, Orbitworks will be the first commercial firm in the United Arab Emirates to mass-manufacture satellites. The company aims to manufacture tens of satellites annually and operates out of a 50,000-square-foot facility in Abu Dhabi.

The Technical Program Manager (TPM) will play a critical role in bridging technical architecture, product development, and program execution to enable the successful deployment of Orbitworks' Customer Ground Segment and customer missions. This role is ideal for someone who combines strong technical program management experience with the ability to operate in fast-paced environments, influence without authority, and bring structure to complex engineering initiatives. Working closely with the Customer Solutions, Space Infrastructure, Business Development, and company's teams, the TPM is responsible for translating high-level system architectures and mission requirements into structured execution plans with clearly defined deliverables, ownership, timelines, and dependencies.

Key Responsibilities

Program & Technical Planning

• Translate high-level Customer Ground Segment architecture into detailed, actionable project plans with defined work packages, owners, milestones, and dependencies.
• Break down customer mission requirements into deployable technical deliverables across Orbitworks and company's infrastructure.
• Develop and maintain integrated execution plans that align engineering, infrastructure, and product development activities.

Mission Onboarding

• Support the onboarding of new customer missions by converting SLAs and technical requirements into implementation plans.
• Coordinate deployment activities across Customer Solutions, Space Infrastructure, and external partners.
• Ensure successful transition of mission preparation activities to the Customer Delivery Engineering (CDE) team.

Cross-functional Program Execution

• Drive execution across multiple engineering teams, tracking deliverables, dependencies, risks, and milestones.
• Partner with engineering leads to prioritize work, remove blockers, and maintain execution momentum.
• Coordinate internal and external stakeholders to ensure successful delivery of customer programs.

Product & External Partner Coordination

• Collaborate with company's product teams to align product capabilities and release schedules with Orbitworks customer needs.
• Support Business Development by validating technical feasibility of customer commitments and SLA requirements.
• Ensure roadmap alignment between Orbitworks and external partners.

Process Improvement & Delivery Excellence

• Champion best practices in project tracking, reporting, and documentation using Jira and Confluence.
• Improve delivery processes through automation and continuous process improvement initiatives.
• Support roadmap planning, quarterly planning cycles, and engineering review processes.
• Drive Agile delivery practices and improve visibility across software development activities.

Stakeholder Management

• Serve as the primary program contact for major initiatives.
• Provide regular updates on progress, risks, dependencies, and mitigation plans to leadership and stakeholders.
• Foster collaboration across geographically distributed teams and multiple time zones.

Required Qualifications

• Experience
  • 5+ years of Technical Program Management or Technical Project Management experience, preferably within software or complex technical environments.
  • Proven experience leading cross-functional technical programs from planning through execution.
  • Experience coordinating multiple engineering teams and managing technical dependencies.
• Technical Skills
  • Strong proficiency with Jira, Confluence, or equivalent project management tools.
  • Experience facilitating Agile software development teams (Scrum, Kanban, or similar).
  • Ability to translate complex technical architectures into structured execution plans.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a focus on operational excellence and automation.
• Professional Skills
  • Exceptional organizational and stakeholder management abilities.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including executive-level reporting.
  • Strong influencing skills without relying on formal authority.
  • Comfortable working in fast-paced, evolving environments.
  • Willingness to travel quarterly for cross-office collaboration.

Nice to Have

• Experience within the aerospace or space industry.
• Background in technical program management supporting both software and hardware development.
• Experience working in high-growth technology startups.
• Previous collaboration with international teams across multiple time zones.
• Product Management experience or close collaboration with Product organizations.
• Familiarity with cloud infrastructure, mission operations, or ground segment technologies.
• Experience with Python or automation/scripting to improve engineering workflows.
• Knowledge of systems engineering principles and technical integration programs.
• Demonstrated ability to build scalable processes in rapidly growing organizations.
• Continuous learning mindset with a track record of quickly acquiring new technical knowledge.

Preferred Background

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline (or equivalent practical experience).
• Aerospace or satellite industry experience is highly desirable but not essential.
• Strong Technical Program Management or Software Project Management background is preferred over general project management experience.
• Experience working across engineering, product, and customer-facing organizations in complex technical environments.