Director, Permitting

Director, Permitting LocationHawthorne HQEmployment TypeFull timeLocation TypeOn-siteDepartmentNon-EngineeringCompensationLevel 3$150K – $165K • Offers EquityLevel 4$165K – $185K • Offers EquityA wide range of seniority/experience levels are welcome to apply for this role. Compensation, titles and seniority will depend on candidate experience.At Reflect, you will be expected to move fast, have a lot of ownership and, most importantly, be able to effect change. If this excites you, we are interested in hearing about your best work and accomplishments across any domain and from any points in your life.About the RoleWe’re looking for a hands-on, action-biased Director of Permitting to build Reflect Orbital’s permitting function from scratch. No one has ever needed permission to reflect sunlight onto a specific plot of land before; there’s no existing playbook, no established regulatory pathway, and no precedent to lean on. You’ll be the person who invents it: securing the rights, approvals, and relationships needed for us to operate over specific customer sites, working across the FAA, FCC, state and local authorities, landowners, and international space law as we scale from our first demonstration satellite to a constellation of thousands.This is a foundational, high-ownership role that will directly shape how an entirely new industry gets regulated at a practical level.ResponsibilitiesOwn end-to-end permitting and site-operating approvals for every location where Reflect Orbital redirects sunlight, from our first customer site through nationwide scaleBuild the permitting playbook from the ground up; there isn’t one, so you’ll be defining precedent as you go Identify and engage the relevant regulatory bodies at the federal, state, and local level (FAA, FCC, state energy and land-use agencies, municipalities) and determine what “permission to operate” actually requires for a first-of-its-kind technologyBuild direct relationships with landowners, utilities, and local officials near target customer sites to secure operating rights and community buy-inNavigate emerging international space law and orbital/spectrum considerations as they intersect with ground-based light deliveryAnticipate and address light-pollution, dark-sky, and environmental concerns raised by regulators, astronomers, and communitiesPartner closely with legal, government affairs, and engineering to translate regulatory requirements into satellite and mission design constraintsTrack and manage a live pipeline of site permits as the company scales toward thousands of satellites and target sitesRepresent Reflect Orbital in front of regulators, legislators, and community stakeholdersGet on planes, show up in person, and do whatever it takes to move a permit forward; this is not a desk jobIdeal Qualifications7+ years of experience in permitting, regulatory affairs, government relations, or a related field: energy, aerospace, telecom, or infrastructure background strongly preferredTrack record of building a process or function from scratch in a fast-moving, ambiguous environmentComfortable being the first person to ask a regulator a question they’ve never been asked beforeStrong relationship-builder who can earn trust with regulators, landowners, and local officials alikeHands-on and action-biased; willing to travel, show up in person, and push permits forward one conversation at a timeExcellent judgment navigating ambiguity, politics, and competing stakeholder interestsStrong written and verbal communicator, able to represent the company credibly to regulators and the publicGenuinely excited about building the regulatory foundation for an entirely new industryEven if you don’t meet 100% of the above qualifications, we are likely still interested in hearing from you. Hiring exceptional individuals is our #1 priority, and we believe that exceptional people often have highly unusual backgrounds.We are also interested in carving out unique roles for unconventional people...