Engineering Manager, Software (Modeling and Simulation)

Location: Fully onsite in Denver, Colorado or Long Beach, California; candidates must be based in or able to commute to the selected office daily.

Base salary: $160,000–$250,000 per year, plus equity and benefits.

Company

hirify.global develops autonomous spacecraft, advanced payloads, mission software, and space-based interceptors for space superiority and defense.

What you will do

• Build, grow, and lead a team of modeling and simulation engineers.
• Provide technical direction for modeling architecture, validation strategies, integration approaches, and design decisions.
• Define the team roadmap, objectives, priorities, resource allocation, and quarterly delivery goals.
• Develop high-fidelity physics-based models and digital twin capabilities supporting spacecraft design, testing, and operations.
• Manage cross-functional dependencies, communicate progress and risks, and drive continuous improvement in engineering processes.
• Recruit, onboard, mentor, evaluate, and develop engineers into technical leaders.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in aerospace, mechanical, or systems engineering, physics, applied mathematics, or a related technical field; a Ph.D. or equivalent professional experience with a bachelor’s degree is also accepted.
• 8+ years of experience in modeling, simulation, or aerospace engineering, including at least 4 years of people management and leadership of teams of 4+ engineers.
• Strong foundation in spacecraft system modeling and simulation, with depth in areas such as orbital mechanics, attitude dynamics, thermal analysis, power systems, or propulsion.
• Experience with physics-based modeling, simulation frameworks, and validation methodologies for complex aerospace or defense systems.
• Demonstrated ability to build and develop engineering teams, manage stakeholders, define processes, and drive execution in ambiguous environments.
• U.S. citizenship and eligibility for DoD Secret or TS/SCI clearance are required. ITAR compliance requires U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent residence, protected individual status, or eligibility to obtain the required authorizations.

Nice to have

• Experience managing geographically distributed or hybrid teams and leading full product development lifecycles from concept through operations.
• Background in spacecraft flight dynamics, mission design, GNC algorithm development, digital twins, space domain awareness, proximity operations, or constellation management.
• Experience with agile methodologies, sprint planning, resource planning, capacity modeling, and multi-quarter initiatives.
• Experience partnering with product management to define requirements and prioritize features.

Culture & Benefits

• Company-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage with HSA/HRA options.
• Flexible Time Off for exempt employees, up to 25 accrued PTO days for non-exempt employees, 12 paid holidays, parental leave, and sick leave.
• 401(k) retirement plan, fitness reimbursement, and equity participation.
• Catered daily lunch and unlimited snacks for in-office employees.
• Values emphasize creativity, ambitious problem-solving, teamwork, and technical excellence.