Program & Contracts Manager (m/f/d) - #2751898

About the Job

About Starflight Dynamics

Starflight Dynamics (SFDY) is a Munich-based SpaceTech company building the foundational technologies for Europe's next generation of orbital infrastructure. Founded in 2023, we develop dual-use systems for space and defence: a green, water-based orbital propulsion stack and modular platforms for in-orbit operations.Working with partners such as the University of the German Armed Forces in Munich and the BAAINBw, we're a small, ambitious team moving fast from prototype to orbit. Join us and help shape how Europe operates, and defends its interests, in space.

Mission & responsibilities

You will build the program-management and contract-administration backbone for our publicly funded work, from the first milestone plan to the last invoice.

Program execution

• Own the master schedule and milestone plan for publicly funded contracts, including German MOD, DLR and EDF activities
• Track deliverables against contract obligations and flag schedule or scope risk early
• Run the recurring program-review cadence across our technical departments

Contract administration

• Administer milestone-payment contracts end to end: invoicing triggers, deliverable acceptance and change requests
• Make sure cross-border work is invoiced correctly
• Maintain the contract register and keep obligations traceable to the underlying Statement of Work

Reporting & stakeholder management

• Prepare progress and financial-status reporting for our funding bodies
• Be the day-to-day contact for customer program offices between formal review gates

What we are looking for

Must have

• 8+ years in program or contract management, ideally in aerospace, defence, or another hardware-heavy, milestone-funded environment
• Working knowledge of German public-contract and milestone-payment structures
• Comfortable owning a schedule and a P&L-adjacent reporting line with no program-management team around them yet
• Fluent German and English, written and spoken

Nice to have

• Contract experience with German MOD, DLR or EDF-funded programmes
• Experience contributing to and writing proposals
• Understanding of different accounting and cost-calculation methods for public stakeholders

Eligibility

Willingness and eligibility to undergo a security clearance check (Sicherheitsüberprüfung, SÜG) may be required for this role, depending on project assignment.

What we offer

• A challenging position in the space industry with high responsibilities
• A permanent contract and 30 days of vacation
• Flexible hours
• Employee benefits, such as fitness programmes, mobility allowance, and shopping vouchers
• Access to the company's virtual share options programme

Diversity & Encouragement to apply

Research shows that people from underrepresented groups are statistically less likely to apply for a role unless they meet every single requirement listed. If that's you — but you're genuinely excited about building the foundations of Europe's orbital infrastructure — we'd strongly encourage you to apply anyway. We care more about drive and capability than a perfect match on paper.

We believe diversity of background and perspective drives better engineering and better decisions, and we welcome applications regardless of gender, age, nationality, disability, religion, or sexual orientation. Severely disabled applicants will be given preference where equally qualified.

Data Privacy

Information on how we process your application data can be found in our privacy notice on our website