Rendezvous & Proximity Operations (RPO) Team Lead

Company Description

Astroscale U.S. is dedicated to the global Astroscale vision of ensuring the safe and sustainable development of space for future generations.  Astroscale U.S. Inc. is a leading provider of on-orbit servicing solutions — including inspection, transportation, life extension, debris removal and refueling — for the U.S. government and commercial operators around the world. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Astroscale U.S. applies world-class rendezvous, proximity operations and docking capabilities, mission design, policy, and economics expertise to solve the complex challenges our customers face. 
 

Astroscale U.S. Inc. is currently seeking a Rendezvous & Proximity Operations (RPO) Team Lead to join our team in our Denver, Colorado location. The RPO Team provides a range of technical capability to programs across Astroscale U.S., spanning Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC), Modeling & Simulation (M&S), and Flight Dynamics (FD). In this role you will be a member of the engineering leadership, integral to developing the on-orbit servicing solutions that will deliver our vision of a sustainable space environment.

Job Description

• Lead the RPO team, providing subject matter expertise, mentorship, performance reviews, and actively maintaining a healthy culture.
• Oversee the architecture of the team’s solutions to accelerate adoption on new programs and support scalable solutions.
• Support the evaluation of RPO solutions across the development lifecycle, including Software-in-the-Loop, Hardware-in-the-Loop, and operational environments.
• Evaluate and recommend tools, technologies, and processes.
• Evaluate and perform peer reviews of RPO team artifacts.
• Resource-manage a team of RPO engineers, including assignment of team members to given programs in conjunction with the program manager.
• Facilitate the planning, tracking, and scheduling of program deliverables in coordination with the program teams.
• Collaborate with the wider program engineering team, engineering team leads, business leadership, customers, and third-party organizations.
• Support capture and new business with applying solutions to new customer needs.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience leading a team of engineers within the flight dynamics or guidance, navigation and control domains.
• Experience with RPO solution development life cycle processes and technologies.
• Experience of principles and techniques for developing, modifying, debugging, releasing, and maintaining RPO solutions for mission-critical aerospace applications.
• Understanding of current RPO system tools and frameworks.
• Experience working on space vehicle GNC and FD design, spanning new system concept development, modeling & simulation of the operational environment, verification & validation, and operations.
• Collaborative communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Experienced professional with greater than 12 years’ experience in software development, preferably within aerospace or defense, and demonstrated team lead experience.
• Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree or PhD in science, technology, engineering or math, or equivalent experience.

Additional Information

If you’re passionate about our mission and believe you’d be an outstanding addition to our team, don’t worry about checking every single box—or having a background solely in aerospace or defense. At Astroscale U.S., we’re committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and open-minded environment. We embrace a wide range of perspectives, experiences, and ways of thinking. If you’re excited about contributing to our work and think you’d thrive in this role, we encourage you to apply.

Salary range: $150,000 – $190,000. The salary range represents the low and high end of the Astroscale U.S. Inc. salary range for this position. Actual salaries will vary and may be above or below the range based on various factors including but not limited to experience, knowledge, and ability as applicable to the role.

The application deadline is April 26, 2026.

Please note Astroscale U.S. is a U.S. Government registered, export control compliant company, as such applicants should be a U.S. person or U.S. citizen.
Astroscale U.S. Inc. is an E-Verify employer.