Director, Network Infrastructure and GEP (Deputy)

Company Overview

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:

If you are passionate about space and deploying disruptive space technology, you will be excited about the Deputy Director of Network Infrastructure and Ground Entry Points (GEP) opportunity with Iridium in support of the Space Development Agency (SDA). In this role, you will provide technical and organizational leadership across Network Infrastructure and GEP functions, leading and developing a team of architects and principal engineers while driving cross-functional execution, continuous improvement, and strategic capability growth. You will be responsible for architecting and evolving scalable, secure network and ground infrastructure solutions that improve efficiency, resilience, and mission effectiveness across existing SDA programs, while also supporting new program development through early-phase architecture, requirements shaping, and integration of new capabilities into Iridium’s SDA portfolio. Success in this role requires deep experience in network infrastructure and ground systems, the ability to balance technical depth with strategic leadership, and a proven track record of guiding senior technical staff, collaborating with program leadership, and translating SDA mission objectives into executable architectures and delivery roadmaps.

 

This position requires an active/current Top Secret/SCI U.S. Security Clearance or the ability to obtain a Top Secret/SCI U.S. Security Clearance with the ability to obtain CI Polygraph (A U.S. Security Clearance that has been active in the past 24 months is considered active.)

What You’ll Do:

• Provide technical and organizational leadership for Network Infrastructure and GEP architectural and design activities
• Direct and manage a team of subject matter experts and principal engineers to ensure consistent, high-quality architectural and design outcomes
• Lead and oversee architecture analysis and design efforts across network, ground, data, and integration domains, ensuring the appropriate use of methods, standards, and enterprise-aligned content are utilized
• Evaluate alternatives and guide trade studies, making clear, defensible recommendations to leadership on critical design decisions that balance mission needs, cost, risk, and scalability
• Establish, communicate, and enforce architectural and design standards, guidelines, and reference architectures that support SDA mission objectives and long-term program sustainability
• Identify, shape, and integrate new capabilities into existing SDA programs, while supporting new program development through early-phase architecture, requirements refinement, and solution definition
• Anticipate future network and ground infrastructure needs, developing forward-looking roadmaps that improve resilience, efficiency, and mission effectiveness
• Serve as a senior escalation and decision authority for complex cross-functional issues, setting policies, procedures, and governance mechanisms to streamline operational workflows and improve service outcomes
• Collaborate closely with program management, engineering, and finance to prepare and contribute to executive-level program documentation, briefings, and decision materials, including architecture summaries, risk assessments, and capability trade-offs
• Evaluate emerging technologies and industry standards, providing strategic insight to inform investment decisions and enabling adoption of innovati