Manager, Mission Assurance

Ursa Major is seeking a Mission Assurance Manager to lead and evolve our risk and quality management strategy across propulsion development and production programs. This leadership role is accountable for building and scaling mission assurance practices that ensure the performance, reliability, and safety of our high-performance propulsion systems. You will manage a small team and work cross-functionally with engineering, test, manufacturing, and customer-facing teams to embed mission assurance into every stage of the product lifecycle—from early design through flight operations.

Key Responsibilities:

• Define and lead the mission assurance strategy across programs and product lines, aligning with company goals and industry standards.
• Develop and own risk management frameworks (e.g., FMEA, FHA, PRA) and ensure they are implemented effectively throughout design, test, and production.
• Partner with systems engineering and program leadership to proactively identify and mitigate system-level risks.
• Direct root cause and corrective action (RCCA) investigations for quality escapes, test anomalies, and mission-critical failures.
• Oversee risk registers, issue tracking systems, and the development of closure plans for mission assurance concerns.
• Champion a culture of "Test Like You Fly" by collaborating closely with test and flight teams on campaign readiness, anomaly review, and lessons learned.
• Represent mission assurance in internal gate reviews, customer meetings, and flight readiness reviews.
• Build and mentor a high-performing mission assurance team to support company growth and future programs.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related discipline (Master’s preferred).
• 6+ years of experience in mission assurance, systems engineering, or related technical roles in the aerospace or defense sectors.
• Demonstrated experience leading or managing mission assurance or quality efforts in hardware programs (propulsion preferred).
• Strong background in risk analysis methodologies and reliability engineering.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and cross-functional coordination skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience supporting DoD, NASA, or commercial spaceflight programs.
• Familiarity with standards such as AS9100, MIL-STD-882, or NASA 8739 series.
• Experience with propulsion system development, test operations, and anomaly resolution.
• Systems-level thinking with the ability to influence design decisions for risk reduction.

Colorado law requires us to tell you the base compensation range of this role, which is $155,000- $185,000, determined by your education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities. The salary range for this role is intentionally wide as we are evaluating individuals based on their unique experience and abilities to fit our needs. Most importantly, we are excited to meet you, and see if you are a great fit for our team. What we can’t quantify for you are the exciting challenges, supportive team, and amazing culture we enjoy.