Senior Program Manager II (Laser Communications)

Location: Long Beach, California, United States; based at hirify.global’s global headquarters. U.S. Person status is required for ITAR/EAR compliance.

Base pay range: $153,000–$229,500 USD annually in California.

Company

hirify.global is an end-to-end space company building rockets, spacecraft, optical communication terminals, and other critical space subsystems.

What you will do

• Lead optical communication terminal programs from award through qualification, rate production, delivery, and on-orbit checkout.
• Run multiple concurrent customer programs and coordinate with Chief Engineers on link performance, data rate, SWaP, environmental qualification, and interoperability.
• Own delivery profiles, schedules, milestones, acceptance, program health, and customer commitments.
• Identify and close yield, supplier, and test-capacity risks with Operations, Supply Chain, and Product teams.
• Manage program startup, baselining, qualification reviews, export and ITAR obligations, customer acceptance, and closeout across U.S. and European sites.
• Serve as the primary customer contact, support proposals and pricing, champion customer needs, and mentor program leaders.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Physics, or Math.
• Working understanding of free-space optical or RF communications, including link budgets, pointing, acquisition and tracking, modems and coding, and space or airborne environmental qualification.
• 8+ years of experience in space, aerospace, or photonics hardware programs, including multiple full program cycles.
• Track record of leading complex hardware programs through customer delivery, schedule, risk management, and acceptance under pressure.
• Experience moving real hardware from prototype through qualification and rate-production delivery to customers.
• Experience managing program cost, EAC, and customer contract changes with finance and product teams.
• Experience delivering hardware at rate to demanding customers while maintaining trust through issues such as schedule slips, test failures, or contract changes.
• U.S. Person status is required for ITAR/EAR compliance; ability to obtain a security clearance is preferred.

Nice to have

• Experience with optical inter-satellite links or optical ground or airborne terminals.
• Experience taking low-volume optical or electro-optical hardware into high-rate production while maintaining reliability.
• Experience with commercial or defense constellation programs and primary customer interface responsibilities.
• Experience leading geographically dispersed program work with export-control and dual-use compliance.
• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Optics/Photonics, Physics, or a related field.
• Systems engineering fluency and experience with Jira, Confluence, and ERP/MRP tools.
• Use of AI tools for schedule and risk analysis, status reporting, and customer communications.

Culture & Benefits

• Fast-paced, collaborative environment focused on hardware delivery, innovation, teamwork, and working to tight deadlines.
• Company stock, employee stock purchase program with a 15% discount, and 401(k) plan with company match.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage; HSA contribution; flexible spending and dependent care accounts; paid vacation, sick time, holidays, parental leave, disability, and life insurance.
• Additional benefits include subsidized EV charging, onsite fitness centers where available, gym memberships, snacks and beverages, and employee discounts.
• The role may involve prolonged sitting, standing, walking, and computer work, with occasional exposure to moderate noise, dust, and fumes in production areas.