Mission Director (Secret Clearance)

Vantor is forging the new frontier of spatial intelligence, helping decision makers and operators navigate what's happening now and shape what's coming next. Vantor is a place for problem solvers, changemakers, and go-getters-where people are working together to help our customers see the world differently, and in doing so, be seen differently. Come be part of a mission, not just a job, where you can: Shape your own future, build the next big thing, and change the world.

To be eligible for this position, you must be a U.S. Citizen. This position requires an active U.S. Government security clearance, applicants who do not currently hold the required clearance will not be eligible for consideration. Employment for cleared roles is contingent upon verification of clearance status.

Export Control/ITAR: Certain roles may be subject to U.S. export control laws, requiring U.S. person status as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

Please review the job details below.

Vantor is seeking a Mission Director in Longmont, CO to lead mission execution within our 24/7 Mission Operations Center, supporting ground operations, flight operations, mission planning, and production for our satellite constellation and ground infrastructure. This role ensures mission success, operational readiness, and clear cross-functional coordination across mission‑critical operations.

Responsibilities

• Manage an integrated ground / flight operations, planning, and production shift team of eight or more operators and engineers in support of our satellite constellation and ground infrastructure, along with other support teams as directed by management.
• Responsible for mission success and systems performance necessary to meet customer requirements in a 24/7 environment .
• Draft, validate, support, and enforce operational procedures and completion of required training.
• Maintain a high level of situational awareness of all mission planning and operations activities within the Mission Operations Center (MOC) .
• Develop and maintain relationships with various spacecraft support teams, such as spacecraft and operations engineering, management, training, production, IT, and planning teams.
• Daily coordination with the operations and engineering leadership and regional collection planning teams .
• Provide effective communication with team members, cross-departmental staff, and leaders regarding operational status, mission milestones, and incident management of business impacts and resolution .
• As a designated incident commander, focus on an anomaly from prioritization to recovery by managing resources, communicating with stakeholders and leadership, and adhering to the Incident Management policy.
• Communicat e with external customers regarding operational capabilities to include mission‑impacting anomalies, planned and unplanned maintenance activities, the impacts of the activities, and the mitigations in place to minimize the impacts .
• Interview, train, evaluate, coach, support career development and corrective actions and preventative solutions for team members .

Minimum Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. citizen and possess a current/active Secret security clearance with the ability to obtain a TS/SCI w/poly
• Bachelor's degree in business administration, engineering, or a related field. Four additional years of experience may be substituted for a degree
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in Operations Management or Technical Project Management
• Minimum of 3 years of experience troubleshooting technical issues
• Ability to accommodate 24/7 rotational shift work and support outside of regular shifts as required

Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years of leadership experience
• Experience with aerospace and/or satellite ground systems
• Troubleshooting experience for AWS-based systems
• Ability to engage with crew members and adjacent teams
• Must possess/demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Calm disposition in stressful situations
• Proficiency in Windows and Linux environments
• Ability to support time-sensitive requirements

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Pay Transparency: To support pay transparency, Vantor includes salary ranges in all U.S. job postings. Starting pay for this role will fall within the listed range and will be based on factors such as experience, qualifications, skills, location, and market conditions. Candidates who meet the minimum requirements for the role should not expect to receive compensation at the top of the range. The listed range reflects the expected pay for this position, and final offers will be determined based on each candidate's experience, expertise, and alignment with the role.

The base pay for this position within Colorado is: $93,000.00 - $123,500.00 - $135,850.00 annually.

For all other states, we use geographic cost of labor as an input to develop market-driven ranges for our roles, and as such, each location where we hire may have a different range.

Benefits: Vantor offers a competitive total rewards