Senior Manager of AI

Why LeoLabs? At LeoLabs, we’re building the living map of activity in space. Through our proprietary global radar network and AI-enabled analytics platform, we collect millions of measurements daily on more than 25,000 objects in low Earth orbit (LEO). Our radar-powered intelligence protects billions in assets, monitors adversarial behavior, and ensures safe operations for commercial and government missions. We’re not just building technology, we are redefining global security, safety, and transparency in space. As orbital activity accelerates and threats grow more complex, LeoLabs is a trusted partner for Space Domain Awareness, Space Traffic Management, and Satellite Operations for top-tier space operators and allied defense organizations. If you're looking to work on mission-critical challenges at the forefront of aerospace, national security, and AI, your impact starts here. We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated S enior Manager of AI to join our team at LeoLabs. You will play a critical role in managing our new AI team. This is a team of approximately 5 engineers and a key part of the broader, 30-person software engineering organization. The AI team is responsible for customer-facing and internal AI and data engineering initiatives. This includes agentic AI development, orbital event detection and characterization, and LeoLabs’ data lake. The team leverages services built and maintained by other teams, including radar development and operations and catalog maintenance. You will be responsible for providing leadership to a cross-functional team of AI/ML Engineers, Data Engineers, and Software Engineers. You will ensure that our AI/ML algorithms meet strict performance requirements, that our data lake meets internal and external needs, and that our organization is a leader in agentic AI. Qualifications: Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. personnel security clearance S., M.S in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, or equivalent experience Proven experience (7+ years) as a Software Engineering Manager or AI Manager in a fast-paced software development environment Hands-on, up-to-date experience with agentic AI technology. Extensive experience in building, rolling out, and maintaining cloud-based software services Experience deploying software services to US High Side networks Strong knowledge of software development and testing methodologies, best practices, and industry standards Experience working with large-scale distributed data platforms (e.g., Databricks, Spark) Solid understanding of Agile and DevOps principles Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to manage, lead, and mentor a team effectively Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate with various stakeholders Ability to work on-call outside of normal business hours during critical escalations Preferred Qualifications : Experience with cloud environments like AWS/GCP/Azure Experience with databases like Postgres/MySQL Experience with security requirements, including static and dynamic code analysis and penetration testing. Background in Math/Physics or Orbital mechanics. Within 1 month, you’ll: Complete our onboarding program designed to get you up to speed on our business, vision, and team Gain an understanding about how your role fits into LeoLabs broader organization Take over leadership of our new AI team Within 3 months, you’ll: Own the AI teams’ OKRs and roadmap Be leading, mentoring, and guiding the AI team to achieve these objectives Be actively involved with the company’s AI and software roadmap planning Within 6 months, you’ll: Have achieved significant progress in achieving the team’s key roadmap goals Play a key role in driving excellence in our company’s AI/ML algorithm performance Be regularly collaborating with stakeholders to define our AI and Data Engineering Be successfully leading one of the most critical teams in the organization Within 12 months, you’ll: Lead your team to continuously deliver on the company’s AI needs Provide regular reports on AI team performance and results to the Senior and Executive Leadership Teams Promote a healthy culture of algorithm and software excellence throughout the organization Perks and Benefits Global workforce: flexible remote/hybrid opportunities Work on complex, meaningful missions with real-world impact Unlimited paid time off for most roles Competitive salary and equity packages Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage Access to the forefront of commercial space operations and defense innovation All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identify, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.