Program & Operations Manager - Space & Defense

This position requires access to export-controlled technology. Only U.S. citizens or nationals are eligible.

IRPI is at the forefront of space exploration technology, pioneering flight hardware that sustains life and enables discovery beyond Earth. We bridge the gap between first-principles research and operational reality, delivering critical systems for NASA and commercial partners from fluids and propellant management to crew-sustaining technologies like air revitalization, thermal management, PLSS subsystems, waste processing, filtration, bioreactors, and fire safety. As a lean, high-performance team of engineers and scientists, we pair high-fidelity analysis with hands-on design, build, and test to solve multidisciplinary problems and expand the boundaries of human presence in space.

About the Role

This role is best suited for someone who has supported technical teams in hardware, engineering R&D, aerospace/defense, or complex program environments and who can operate effectively with ambiguity and high ownership.

As our lean, tight-knit engineering company prepares for its next phase of growth, we are looking for a highly organized Business Operations Manager to take ownership of our operational infrastructure. Your mandate is to take the administrative heavy lifting off the founders' plates, optimize our existing systems for scale, and serve as the connective tissue of our expanding team.

Your primary focus will be bringing rigorous visibility to our most critical areas: project schedules, resource capacity planning, and project financials. By building upon our current tracking dashboards and managing the daily workflows of proposals, contracts, and facility expansion, you will free up our leadership to focus on high-level strategy and our engineers to focus on technical execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Program & Schedule Coordination: Own and maintain the master schedule for all active contracts and internal initiatives. Track milestones, manage deliverable calendars, run weekly project sync meetings, and ensure visibility across all programs.
• Proposal Submission Coordination: Manage the administrative and compliance aspects of proposal preparation. Maintain a library of boilerplate content, manage submission checklists, assemble proposal packages, and ensure all government forms are compliant.
• Contract Administration & Documentation Control: Manage contract documentation workflows and maintain strict organizational discipline. Route NDAs for signature, maintain deliverable records, track submission confirmations, and ensure proper archiving.
• Facilities & Vendor Coordination: Oversee operational logistics related to facilities, vendors, and company assets. Coordinate facility expansion activities, manage building service providers, oversee IT hardware/software inventory, and maintain relationships with external IT vendors.
• Process Improvement & Automation: Build scalable internal systems that reduce administrative overhead. Identify inefficiencies, document standard operating procedures, and leverage modern software tools to automate repetitive tasks, allowing the company to scale without adding unnecessary bureaucracy.

Bonus Points

• Resource & Utilization Tracking: Proven ability to build and maintain capacity planning dashboards. You know how to track team utilization rates and forecast bandwidth bottlenecks before they impact project deliverables.
• Project Financials: Experience tracking project budgets, calculating burn rates, and generating actionable "Budget vs. Actual" (BvA) reports to help leadership monitor project profitability.
• Tech & AI Stack: Proficient with Microsoft 365 (Teams, SharePoint, Planner). Crucially, you must demonstrate the ability to leverage AI/LLM tools to accelerate drafting, automate repetitive admin, and keep the team lean.
• GovCon Fluency: Proven history managing operating budgets and project finances. Familiarity with Federal contracting (SBIR/STTR), DCAA compliance, and government deliverables is a major advantage.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Operations, Engineering, or similar (OR equivalent professional experience).

• Relevant Experience: 5+ years in business or program operations within a technical, regulated environment (Aerospace, Defense, R&D, Hardware Startups, or Engineering Services). Experience in a sub-50 person company is highly preferred.
• Project Discipline: Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent, deadline-driven workstreams. You are highly organized, detail-oriented, and capable of tracking 10+ active threads simultaneously without constant oversight.
• Systems Builder Mindset: Proven ability to turn loosely defined processes into structured workflows. You do not simply execute existing systems—you improve them and document them so they scale.
• Communication & Integrity: Exceptional written communication skills and high discretion. You will handle sensitive information including contracts, intellectual property, and internal documentation with absolute professional judgment.

Bonus Points

• Tech & AI Stack: Proficient with Microsoft 365 (Teams, SharePoint, Planner). Crucially, you must demonstrate the ability to leverage AI/LLM tools to accelerate drafting, automate repetitive admin, and keep the team lean.
• GovCon Fluency: Proven history managing operating budgets and project finances. Familiarity with Federal contracting (SBIR/STTR), DCAA compliance, and government deliverables is a major advantage.

Benefits

Compensation & Perks

• Salary: $100,000 – $135,000 (commensurate with experience and demonstrated capability)
• Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical and dental insurance coverage for you and your family.
• Retirement: SIMPLE IRA with employer matching to support your long-term financial security.
• Time Off: Generous paid time off, sick leave, and holiday schedule to recharge.
• Family Support: Paid parental leave and flexibility to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
• Performance Rewards: Annual bonus opportunities tied to company profitability and individual impact.
• Mission Impact: You aren't just filing papers; you are building the infrastructure that enables deep-space exploration and life-support technology.

How to Apply

Please submit your resume and a cover letter.

• Cover Letter (Highly Recommended): We value clear, high-bandwidth communication. Please use your cover letter to tell us about a specific time you brought order to chaos—whether that was fixing a broken financial process, managing a complex move, or automating a painful workflow.
• Note: If you have a portfolio of work (e.g., writing samples, process documentation, or a project post-mortem), feel free to include it, though it is not required.

Equal Opportunity Employer

IRPI is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, or any other legally protected category.