Iridium is an award-winning and innovative satellite communications company with bragging rights to the only network that offers voice and data connectivity anywhere in the world.   For over 20 years, Iridium’s unique network and services have supported critical communications needs for individuals, businesses, and the evolving Internet of Things.

At Iridium, we understand the importance of staying connected and the limitations of traditional communications networks. People across the globe, including first responders, humanitarians, global militaries, scientific researchers, and lone workers, as well as ships, aircraft, and remote operations all rely on Iridium to stay connected. We take our responsibility for providing these essential communications very seriously and pride ourselves on offering a reliable lifeline when needed.  Likewise, Iridium is committed to providing an exciting and innovative workplace, where employees are challenged to think outside the box and collaborate on new, bold ideas and solutions.  Our talented teams are passionate about their work and the impact our company makes around the world.  Iridium fosters an empowering and inclusive culture that allows employees to genuinely be their best selves.   We are looking for others who want to join this truly unique company that celebrates our employees and provides the opportunity to truly make a difference in the world.

What We’re Looking For:

Iridium is seeking a motivated Constellation Architect to join our System Architecture Team. As a Constellation Architect, you’ll be responsible for developing the vision for Iridium’s constellation technologies (including plans for 3GPP 6G technologies) to support our worldwide services. In this role, your primary focus will be setting the path for how to evolve our global system to increase our capacity and market adoption while retaining our existing customer base, including considerations regarding 3GPP 6G technologies. You’ll be successful in this role if you enjoy developing a long term strategy for how various constellation designs and standards-based technologies can be leveraged to expand our offered services and system capacity and are ready to help lead the organization embrace that vision.

What You’ll Do:

• Conceptualize incremental evolutionary opportunities and greenfield approaches, including steering the standards process to support our needs in supporting existing services and new services
• Analyze, evaluate, and determine approaches for migrating to new architectures to support our long-term strategic goals
• Play a key role in vetting constellation technology trades & spectrum options as well as setting architectural patterns for new developments
• Ensure constellation, spectrum and service options are well-communicated and well-documented to ensure the system architecture is evolvable and sustainable
• Manage competing constraints for both long-term goals and operational requirements when architecting solutions
• Provides subject matter expertise to ensure architectural plans are well-communicated and well-documented to ensure the system architecture is evolvable and sustainable
• Implements improvements by setting objectives and effectively managing multiple priorities

What You’ll Need to Succeed:

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science or related field OR equivalent relevant experience in lieu of degree
• 12+ years of relevant experience in developing and architecting space-based solutions
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to convey abstract, complex system deployment concepts clearly, simply and confidently
• Be a strategic thinker who demonstrates good judgment and decisiveness
• Be able to analyze a situation or problem and come up with effective solutions
• Can easily form relationships with executive leadership and encourage cross-functional team building
• The ability to thrive in a dynamic environment by handling multiple tasks according to deadline and budget limitations
• Be proactive in finding new and enhanced ways of doing things and sharing your knowledge with others
• Ability to analyze a situation or problem, generate compelling architectural options, and support a team decision process to balance long-term goals with short-term constraints and operational concerns
• Translate loosely formed customer desires into well formed system and service requirements
• Can thrive in a dynamic environment by handling multiple tasks and managing shifting priorities
• Passionate about transforming our current system to meet emerging market needs and applying emerging technologies to ensure the next-generation constellation is both reliable and agile.
• Understanding of orbital dynamics for LEO constellations to evaluate design opportunities.
• Working knowledge RF link budget parameters and implication of constellation design options on link budget parameters
• Experience with precise timing and location services and interrelationship between constellation designs and service offerings

Things That Would be Great if You Brought to the Table:

• Experience in the 3GPP standardization process
• Working knowledge of Iridium BLK1 and/or BLK2 LEO constellation designs or other LEO constellation design experience
• Active security clearances helpful

We’ll also need you to:

• Be able to travel up to 15% to various Iridium sites
• US Citizenship required

This position primarily works in the company office or in a home office. The position is largely sedentary with the majority of the position sitting in a chair and working with a computer. The role uses basic office equipment including a phone, video, computer, keyboard, mouse, and printer.

Iridium is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or status as a protected veteran. EOE of Minorities/Females/Vets/Disability and other protected categories.