Project Manager - Avionics, GNC & Flight Software

Here at The Exploration Company, we are building spacecrafts for humanity. The Avionics, Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC), and Flight Software (FSW) functions are central to the safe and reliable operation of the vehicle. Together, they provide the electronic systems, control capabilities and software that guide Nyx through its mission - from launch and on-orbit operations to docking, re-entry and recovery. We are looking for a motivated and experienced Project Manager — Avionics, GNC & Flight Software to coordinate the development and delivery of these critical domains within the Nyx program. Your Mission As Project Manager for Avionics, GNC and Flight Software, you will be responsible for coordinating the execution of these work packages and ensuring that their development remains aligned with the overall Nyx program objectives. You will work closely with Avionics, GNC and FSW technical leads, systems engineering, propulsion, mission operations, verification and integration teams. Your role will be to create transparency on scope, schedule, interfaces, risks and decisions, while supporting the teams in delivering robust and well-verified capabilities for the vehicle. This is a highly cross-functional role for someone who enjoys working at the interface between technical teams, program management and mission execution. Key Responsibilities • Own and coordinate the project planning for the Avionics, GNC and FSW work packages within the Nyx program. • Translate program objectives and major milestones into clear plans, priorities and deliverables for the relevant teams. • Coordinate the development lifecycle from requirements definition and architecture through implementation, integration, verification and release across Avionics, GNC and FSW. • Maintain visibility of scope, schedule, dependencies, risks, opportunities and resource needs across the Avionics, GNC and FSW activities. • Coordinate closely with the Avionics, GNC and FSW technical leads to monitor progress, identify blockers and support timely decisions. • Ensure that technical, program and interface dependencies between Avionics, GNC, FSW, systems engineering, propulsion and mission operations are identified and actively managed. • Support the planning and execution of avionics integration, software and hardware-in-the-loop activities, simulations, system integration and mission rehearsals. • Coordinate inputs to design reviews, development reviews, qualification activities and other program milestones. • Track the preparation and closure of requirements, verification activities, test results, documentation and technical actions. • Identify schedule and delivery risks early, define mitigation actions with the relevant owners and escalate unresolved issues when required. • Support the management of changes to scope, requirements, interfaces and priorities, ensuring that their impacts are understood. • Prepare clear progress updates, decision material and status reports for program and project reviews. • Facilitate regular coordination meetings and ensure that actions, decisions and commitments are recorded and followed through. • Contribute to resource and capacity planning for the GNC and FSW activities. • Support coordination with external partners, suppliers and customers when relevant to the project scope. • Contribute to the continuous improvement of project-management processes, planning practices and reporting routines within the Nyx program. What You Bring • Experience in project or program management within aerospace, space systems, aviation, automotive, robotics, embedded systems or another safety and reliability critical environment. • A good understanding of spacecraft avionics, GNC, flight software, embedded software or closely related technical domains. • Experience coordinating complex technical work packages involving multiple teams and interfaces. • Practical experience managing plans, milestones, dependencies, risks, actions and technical deliverables. • The ability to understand technical topics sufficiently to ask the right questions, identify impacts and support informed decisions. • Experience working across requirements, design, implementation, integration, testing and verification activities. • Strong organizational and communication skills, with the ability to bring structure and transparency to complex projects. • A proactive approach to identifying risks, raising issues early and driving actions to closure. • The ability to work effectively with technical experts while maintaining focus on program objectives and delivery commitments. • Experience with project-management, planning, requirements-management or engineering tools. • A degree or equivalent experience in aerospace engineering, software engineering, systems engineering, project management or a related field. • Professional fluency in English. Additional European languages are a plus. What Makes You Special You are technically curious and comfortable working with experts in avionics, GNC, flight software and other disciplines. You can move between detailed technical discussions and program-level decision-making without losing sight of the overall objective. You bring structure without creating unnecessary bureaucracy. You are proactive in identifying dependencies and risks, clear in your communication and persistent in following actions through to closure. You know how to challenge constructively, support technical teams and escalate decisions when the program needs clarity. You are motivated by the opportunity to contribute to a complex space vehicle and understand that reliable GNC and flight software are built through close collaboration, disciplined engineering and continuous verification. Why you should join us! What makes us special here at The Exploration Company and why we think you will enjoy working here is: • We’re Agile - we make decisions fast whilst keeping our goals and systems in mind • We’re Open and Collaborative - we are transparent about risks and obstacles, so that we can cooperate to overcome them • We have a lot of Fun - we refuel our energy knowing we are democratising space. It’s a wonderful and rare opportunity, are YOU up for the challenge? We'd love to hear from you if you wish to be a part of our journey. Please submit your CV now for immediate consideration and we will be in touch shortly. The Exploration Company is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. Relocation assistance is provided for those willing to relocate including visa sponsorship where applicable. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check, which will be subject to the country, role, and project you applied for. By submitting your application, you acknowledge and agree that any offer of employment may be conditional upon successful condition of this check. The Exploration Company partners with Zinc Work Limited located in the UK (Zinc), a third-party provider, to ensure this process as efficient and transparent as possible. If applicable, you will receive an email from Zinc upon acceptance of your offer with a link to a secure portal where you can provide the required information to Zinc. Find Jobs in Germany on Arbeitnow