Jobs at Cowboy Space Corporation

Lead and build Cowboy Space's export compliance program (ITAR/EAR/OFAC). Own classification, licensing, TCPs, denied-party screening, audits, training, and partner with engineering, supply chain, and leadership to enable compliant international operations.

Manage optics lab operations, safety, and documentation while supporting optical system builds, precision alignment, integration, and verification. Operate test equipment (OSAs, power meters, oscilloscopes, BER testers, beam profilers), execute formal test procedures, support field demos and environmental testing, and coordinate facilities and laser safety compliance.

Design, implement, and validate spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control algorithms. Build high-fidelity simulations and state estimators, integrate with sensors/actuators and flight software, support HIL testing, launch preparation, on-orbit operations, and flight-data analysis to improve system performance.

Own platform firmware, board bring-up, and BMC management for custom high-performance compute hardware. Implement FPGA/CPLD logic for power/reset sequencing, develop OpenBMC-based management stacks, support Redfish/IPMI, debug CPU/GPU/PCIe hardware–software interactions, and build fault recovery, secure boot, and remote firmware update systems for orbital deployment.

Lead mission and program execution across cross-functional teams by managing schedules, risks, resources, and milestones. Drive decision-making and problem-solving to resolve complex technical and operational issues, establish accountability, remove blockers, and ensure timely delivery of mission objectives in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment.

Provide high-level administrative support to the Chief Operating and Chief Legal Officer: manage complex calendars and communications, organize legal documents and contracts, track action items and deadlines, coordinate travel and expenses, prepare for board and leadership meetings, partner cross-functionally, and improve legal operational efficiency while handling confidential information.

Own full-cycle recruiting for technical, manufacturing, operational, and business-critical roles. Source passive candidates, build pipelines, manage ATS hygiene, coordinate interviews, drive candidate experience, partner with hiring managers and leadership, and close competitive hires for deep‑tech and aerospace roles.

Lead mechanical design of spacecraft components from concept through flight-ready production. Design structures, mechanisms, and thermal solutions; perform FEA and thermal analysis; prototype, test, and validate hardware; support integration, environmental testing, and launch readiness; troubleshoot failures and work with suppliers to scale production.

Lead and operate Talent Acquisition across the company: own full-cycle recruiting for technical, manufacturing, operational, executive, and business roles; manage recruiters and external agencies; build recruiting infrastructure, ATS workflows, analytics, dashboards, and hiring processes; and source senior, hard-to-fill technical talent during rapid growth.

Design, develop, and integrate spacecraft subsystems (structures, power, thermal, avionics). Lead system-level trade studies, CAD/FEA modeling, integration and environmental testing, prepare technical documentation and ICDs, and support PDR/CDR and cross-functional teams through integration and test campaigns.

Perform system-level modeling, simulation, and trade studies across spacecraft subsystems (structural, thermal, radiation, power, MMOD, optics, etc.). Provide analysis-driven requirements, verification strategies, test correlation, and design recommendations. Collaborate cross-functionally, maintain documentation and models, support environmental qualification and on-orbit performance predictions, and present findings in design reviews.

Own onsite workplace operations and employee experience, coordinate onboarding and internship programs, support People operations and cross-functional logistics, ensure candidate and visitor hospitality, and improve People processes during rapid startup growth.

Design, develop, and test high-reliability, low-latency flight and mission software across embedded and ground systems. Implement C&DH, FDIR, secure communications, simulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing, maintain documentation, and support CI/CD and cross-team integration for satellite operations.

Design, build, test, and operate launch vehicle systems and flight hardware across disciplines including structures, avionics, propulsion, fluids/thermal, integration, manufacturing, and ground/launch operations. Work spans design, integration, test, and operations in a fast-paced, hands-on environment with ownership over mission-critical aerospace hardware.

Lead architecture, development, and deployment of onboard compute software for satellites. Define technical vision, build a software team, design real-time distributed and fault-tolerant systems, optimize for constrained power/thermal environments, integrate with hardware/GNC/RF teams, and establish testing, HIL simulation, and in-orbit operations.

Lead prediction and management of aerodynamic heating for launch vehicle ascent and re-entry. Run viscous, reacting-flow CFD, define aeroheating environments and boundary conditions, size TPS, manage aeroheating databases, plan and correlate ground/flight tests, and communicate results across multidisciplinary teams.

Design, simulate, and validate guidance, navigation, and control systems for an orbital-class launch vehicle. Develop 6-DOF dynamics simulations, implement control algorithms in Python/C++, analyze trajectories and dispersions, perform HIL and Monte Carlo testing, and support launch and mission operations.

Design, build, and test software for spacecraft and ground systems across the full stack. Develop flight and real-time control software, simulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing frameworks, integrate with hardware teams, support system bring-up and on-orbit operations, and create tooling for automation and mission operations in resource-constrained, high-reliability environments.

Lead development and analysis of launch and spacecraft trajectories, orbital propagation and station-keeping, mission design and contingency planning, flight dynamics simulation tooling, and cross-disciplinary systems investigations to validate guidance and control profiles.

Work across spacecraft engineering disciplines—design, build, integrate, test, and operate satellite systems (avionics, power, thermal, structures, GNC, payloads, flight software and ground systems). Hands-on, mission-critical hardware responsibility in a fast-moving startup environment.