Senior Satellite Tasking Project Manager

Vantor is forging the new frontier of spatial intelligence, helping decision makers and operators navigate what’s happening now and shape what’s coming next.  Vantor is a place for problem solvers, changemakers, and go-getters—where people are working together to help our customers see the world differently, and in doing so, be seen differently. Come be part of a mission, not just a job, where you can: Shape your own future, build the next big thing, and change the world.

Please review the job details below.

The Senior Satellite Tasking Project Manager (12-month contract) leads the delivery of satellite tasking and collection management services for a strategic customer contract. This role is accountable for ensuring collection orders are planned and executed in accordance with customer priorities, contractual service level agreements, satellite collection capacity, and applicable image quality standards.

The Senior Satellite Tasking Project Manager leads daily operational planning, monitors collection performance, manages customer expectations, coordinates with flight operations and other technical teams, and directs the resolution of issues affecting collection success or product quality. The role also supervises the Satellite Tasking Project Manager and drives the development of metrics, procedures, and automation that improve collection yield and operational efficiency.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead daily satellite tasking and collection management operations, including prioritization, work assignment, schedule coordination, and operational coverage.
• Translate customer collection requirements into executable collection plans that account for customer priorities, imaging parameters, collection geometry, satellite capacity, and expected product quality.
• Optimize image collection schedules to maximize collection yield while meeting contractual service level agreements and customer deadlines.
• Review collection orders and tasking decisions to confirm that required parameters, priorities, and quality expectations have been correctly incorporated.
• Monitor collection execution, product delivery, collection success, image quality indicators, and service level agreement performance.
• Develop and maintain operational metrics, dashboards, and statistics related to collection success, collection yield, order completion, product quality, and schedule performance.
• Provide regular operational reports and performance briefings to customer and internal stakeholders.
• Serve as the primary operational interface with the customer, ensuring priorities, expectations, constraints, and potential service impacts are clearly communicated.
• Collaborate with flight operations to understand operating constraints, planned activities, and technical conditions that may affect collection schedules or product quality.
• Lead the identification, triage, escalation, and resolution of technical or procedural issues affecting tasking, collection, processing, or product delivery.
• Conduct or oversee root cause analysis for unsuccessful collections, quality deficiencies, service level agreement misses, and recurring operational issues.
• Analyze satellite collection and operational data to identify patterns, correlations, capacity constraints, and opportunities to improve tasking performance.
• Lead continuous improvement and automation initiatives that increase operational efficiency, reduce manual effort, and improve the consistency of recurring tasking routines.
• Develop, maintain, and enforce operating procedures, escalation paths, quality controls, and reporting standards for the satellite tasking team.
• Train, mentor, and provide day to day leadership to the Satellite Tasking Project Manager and other assigned personnel.
• Coordinate with customer, flight operations, product, engineering, processing, and delivery teams to maintain effective end to end collection operations.
• Support operational emergencies, priority collection requests, and time sensitive customer requirements outside normal business hours when required.

Requirements and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in remote sensing, geospatial science, geography, geographic information systems, aerospace engineering, or a related field, or equivalent relevant professional experience.
• Minimum of five years of relevant professional experience in remote sensing, satellite imagery operations, collection management, satellite tasking, mission planning, or a related operational environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading operational teams, technical projects, or customer delivery activities.
• Strong understanding of remote sensing fundamentals, satellite imagery, image processing, collection geometry, sensor constraints, and factors affecting image quality.
• Experience translating customer requirements into operational plans, schedules, and measurable delivery outcomes.
• Experience managing service level agreements, operational performance metrics, customer reporting, and issue escalation.
• Strong project management experience, including planning, prioritization, risk management, stakeholder coordination, and status reporting. Project Management Professional certification or equivalent project management credential preferred.
• Proficiency with GIS tools such as QGIS or comparable geospatial software.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze operational data, identify performance trends, and develop data informed recommendations.
• Strong problem solving skills and the ability to make timely decisions in a dynamic operational environment.
• Ability to prioritize and direct multiple concurrent activities while maintaining attention to quality, schedule, and customer commitments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical and operational information to customers, leadership, and technical teams.
• Full professional proficiency in Japanese and English, both written and spoken.
• Ability and willingness to support operational emergencies and priority customer requirements outside normal business hours.

EEO Policy: Vantor is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace. We believe in fostering an environment where all team members feel respected, valued, and encouraged to share their ideas. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.