Job Description

Join TrustPoint and Build the World's First Commercial GPS System in Space

GPS is a ubiquitous global utility in modern society; knowing one's location is critical for government, commercial, and personal applications. Still, today's solutions for determining location are inaccurate, slow, unencrypted, and susceptible to jamming and spoofing. These shortcomings make GPS insufficient for tomorrow's safety-critical and high-precision applications, a problem TrustPoint intends to solve. 

TrustPoint is developing a fully commercial next-generation GPS service to provide significant performance, security and reliability improvements for GPS users. This includes better accuracy, quicker Time to First Fix, and anti-spoof and anti-jam capabilities. The improvements will support US Government position and timing service resiliency as well as enable next-generation commercial applications like drone delivery, self-driving cars, urban air mobility, and augmented reality. The $260B annual GNSS Hardware, Software and Data Services market is ripe for disruption and TrustPoint intends to lead that revolution with our commercial infrastructure and services. 

The Position

With locations outside Washington DC and in Silicon Valley, TrustPoint is currently seeking a Full-Time Director of Space Systems in our Herndon, Virginia office to lead the development, integration, and deployment of our next-generation commercial Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). You will be responsible for building and managing a world-class space engineering team, driving the full lifecycle of our LEO PNT satellite development—from initial design trades and prototype development to manufacturing, testing, and operational deployment. In this role, you will oversee system architecture, ensure manufacturability at scale, and coordinate with internal teams, suppliers, and government stakeholders to achieve mission success. Additionally, you will cultivate a data-driven, results-oriented engineering culture while implementing efficient cross-functional communication systems. As an early leader in a rapidly growing company, this position offers significant upward mobility and an opportunity to shape the future of space-based PNT solutions.

We'll Expect You To…

• Build and Lead a World-Class Team – Attract, recruit, and retain top-tier space systems engineers to develop cutting-edge satellite technology.
• Lead Supply Chain Partnerships and Relationships – Ensure TrustPoint secures and retains top tier spacecraft bus and component suppliers and vendors.
• Drive Full Lifecycle Development – Own the end-to-end design, testing, manufacturing, and deployment of TrustPoint's next-generation LEO PNT satellites, ensuring rapid prototyping and operational readiness.
• Execute on System Architecture and Integration – Lead initial design trades, prototype development, subsystem integration, and mission operations for both demonstration and full-scale satellite deployments.
• Optimize for Manufacturability, Scalability, and Operational Automation – Develop strategies to enable mass procurement/production of low-SWaP, cost-effective microsatellite payloads and systems while ensuring mission reliability and performance. In coordination with Ground and Mission Ops leads, ensure design for autonomous operations.
• Coordinate Space Missions Across Stakeholders – Work across internal teams, external partners, government stakeholders, and suppliers to align mission goals and execution timelines.
• Foster a Data-Driven, Results-Oriented Culture – Implement rigorous test methodologies, performance validation frameworks, and operational feedback loops to continuously improve system capabilities.
• Enable Cross-Functional Collaboration – Establish streamlined communication and processes across software, hardware, payload, and operations teams to accelerate system development and deployment.

You'll Need to Have…

• B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field (M.S. or Ph.D. preferred).
• 10+ years of experience in satellite system development, integration, and operations, including leadership roles.
• Proven ability to build, lead, and scale high-performing engineering teams for space system development.
• End-to-end expertise in space system development, having led spacecraft through all phases—design, manufacturing, integration, testing, launch, and operations.
• Hands-on leadership style—equally comfortable designing, modeling in CAD, and leading technical teams as you are turning a screwdriver in the lab.
• Experience managing component vendors, launch providers, and mission operations, ensuring seamless satellite deployments.
• Strong buy vs. build decision-making skills for satellite subsystems, balancing cost, performance, and scalability.
• Ability to estimate staffing needs, manage development timelines, and adapt to engineering uncertainties.
• Deep understanding of manufacturability and scalability, enabling rapid production of cost-effective LEO microsatellites.
• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail, able to manage both high-level system architecture and fine-grained technical execution.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work cross-functionally across teams and with external stakeholders.
• Ability to travel up to 20% for partner, supplier, and launch integration activities.

We'd Like to See…

• Experience working in a fast-paced startup environment, particularly in space technology.
• Hands-on experience with GNSS, RF payloads, or PNT technologies.
• Strong background in satellite mission planning, operational readiness, and anomaly resolution.
• Familiarity with DoD, NASA, or commercial spaceflight standards and regulatory compliance.
• Active U.S. security clearance or the ability to obtain one.

Cultural Fit

• Thrive in a start-up environment.
• Effective communication style that instills a culture of optimism and positivity.
• Sense of humor and ability to proactively problem solve.
• Encourages colleagues to think and plan strategically while executing well tactically.
• Works well with all company levels and disciplines (i.e. Legal, HR, etc.).
• Willing to “roll up sleeves” in a new venture, working closely with colleagues.

Compensation and Benefits

The selected candidate will be competitively compensated with salary, equity (stock options), bonus and standard benefits.

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