Astronaut Operations Manager

The Operations Manager, Astronaut Operations, will lead cross-functional project teams to design, implement, and scale business solutions that enable the Customer Operations organization at Virgin Galactic to grow and operate efficiently. This role requires strong organizational, operational, and project leadership capabilities, along with the ability to build and standardize business processes and technical solutions. Maintain focus on timeliness and execution of tasks and deliverables every day. Support the company strategy by holding ourselves and one another accountable for getting the work done.

Responsibilities

• Project Leadership: Lead cross-functional initiatives to deliver high-quality business solutions on time and within budget.
• Project Delivery: Coordinate across all teams involved, ensuring outputs meet requirements and deadlines.
• Business Analysis: Partner with stakeholders to gather requirements, define scope, and develop business cases.
• Solution Design: Collaborate with technical teams to design and implement solutions that support organizational objectives.
• Project Planning: Develop and manage project timelines, resource plans, and budgets.
• Risk Management: Identify, assess, and mitigate project risks to minimize impact on schedules and outcomes.
• Stakeholder Management: Communicate project progress, risks, and changes clearly to stakeholders, ensuring alignment with business needs.
• Team Leadership: Motivate, guide, and develop team members to ensure effective use of their skills and expertise.
• Quality Assurance: Ensure that project deliverables meet quality standards and identify opportunities for operational and process improvements.
• Work collaboratively to achieve goals and/or complete assigned tasks
  
  

Required Skills And Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in business, operations, or a related field.
• 5 years of experience in project management and business operations.
• PMP or Agile certification preferred.
• Strong leadership, communication, and analytical skills.
• Proficiency with project management tools (e.g., MS Project, Jira).
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Demonstrate willingness to adjust thinking and behavior.
• Ability to communicate in a manner that is timely, respectful, and open to other ideas
  
  

Preferred Skills And Experience

• Experience with change management and process improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma).
• Familiarity with data analysis and reporting tools.
• Strong understanding of business operations, processes, and systems.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and stakeholder management abilities.
• Ability to analyze complex business problems and develop effective, scalable solutions.
• Demonstrated success operating in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
  
  

The annual U.S. base salary range for this full-time position is $81,650.00–$124,600.00. The base pay actually offered will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, location, and experience and take into account internal equity. Other forms of pay (e.g., bonus or long term incentive) may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and other benefits, dependent on the position offered. For more information regarding Virgin Galactic benefits, please visit https://vgcareers.virgingalactic.com/global/en/benefits

Who We Are

Virgin Galactic is an aerospace and space travel company, pioneering human spaceflight for private individuals and researchers with its advanced air and space vehicles. We are making the dream of space travel a reality, delivering spaceflight at an unprecedented frequency, with the development of next generation space vehicles.

Export Requirements

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. Person (either a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident or a protected individual as defined 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) or be able to obtain the required authorization from either the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. Department of Commerce. The applicant must also not be included in the list of Specifically Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control. See list here.

EEO Statement

Virgin Galactic is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Virgin Galactic is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Drug Free Workplace

Virgin Galactic is committed to a Drug Free Workplace. All applicants post offer and active teammates are subject to testing for marijuana, cocaine, opioids, amphetamines, PCP, and alcohol when criteria is met as outlined in our policies. This can include pre-employment, random, reasonable suspicion, and accident related drug and alcohol testing.

Phoenix Employment Requirements

For individuals seeking employment at our Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport facility, employment is contingent upon you obtaining and maintaining a TSA authorized security badge. This includes initial and annual mandatory background checks that are governed by TSA, and conducted by the Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport badging office.