Technical Lead, Launch Vehicle - First Stage

Technical Lead, Launch Vehicle - First Stage

Astra’s mission is to improve life on Earth from space by creating a healthier and more connected planet. Today, Astra offers one of the lowest cost-per-launch dedicated orbital launch services, and one of the industry’s leading flight-proven electric propulsion systems for satellites, the Astra Spacecraft Engine.

The Team

At Astra, we're revolutionizing space launch systems through agile, iterative development, enabling rapid advancements in our technology. Central to this approach is our Launch Product Development team, which plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of our rockets. This team engages in both immediate and long‑term analyses to determine which systems to develop and when, leads technical teams through design and development phases, manages company‑wide requirements, and conducts comprehensive engineering reviews.

Collaborating closely with diverse stakeholders within and outside Astra, the team delivers solutions grounded in physics and engineering principles, ensuring we're building the right systems to advance our mission.

The Opportunity

As a key technical leader at Astra, you’ll drive the end-to-end development of launch vehicle systems—from early concept and design through qualification, production, and flight operations. You'll lead a cross‑functional team focused on delivering flight‑ready hardware that meets cost, schedule, and performance goals. This includes owning system design, managing risk, guiding manufacturing processes, and ensuring readiness for launch.

How You'll Fulfill Your Mission

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead Design Efforts: Oversee the design and development of launch vehicle stage systems, ensuring they meet performance, reliability, and cost objectives.
• Partner: Collaborate with Engineering and cross‑functional teams to develop systems that enhance Astra's operations, providing insights to optimize team workflows.
• Build: Create designs that fulfill customer needs, informing engineering decisions to support launch system requirements.
• Collaborate: Work across Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, and Production organizations to ensure seamless product integration and alignment with design intent.
• Develop: Establish and oversee processes that maintain disciplined design and development practices for launch vehicle systems.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Own the technical lifecycle of products from development through qualification and production.
• Act as the design authority for stage development.
• Lead system design and analysis for flight systems.
  
  Deliver operational launch vehicle stage systems on time and within budget.
• Support program planning and execution, including scope, scheduling, and resource allocation.
• Identify, document, and mitigate technical risks and opportunities.
• Communicate technical status, critical paths, challenges, and solutions effectively.
• Provide technical oversight for various hardware solutions.
• Support requirement decomposition, systems engineering, design, analysis, and verification/validation.
• Manage internal and external interfaces.
• Oversee issue tracking, drawing releases, work orders, and test planning.
• Ensure designs are cost‑effective, producible, and testable.

Why We Value You

• 8+ years of product development and leadership experience
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary engineering teams across various domains, including mechanical, propulsion, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, electronics, avionics, software, and production
• Experience leading projects and making informed decisions with incomplete data
• Demonstrated technical expertise in at least two of the following areas: space‑qualified launch vehicles, propulsion systems, fluid/mechanical systems, avionics, manufacturing, systems engineering, integration, and testing
• Proficiency in Computer‑Aided Design (CAD) software, technical drawings, and Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T)
• Experience in designing parts and selecting appropriate manufacturing methods, including machining, welding, brazing, and metal forming
• Strong background in Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) principles
• Desire and capability to lead and…