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Programs & Business

Plan, fund, sell and staff space programs: program management, scheduling, finance, contracts and export control.

Medium barrier to entryStart in a few months if you bring business or program experience from another industry$110k–$243k/yrtypical pay

Ready for the numbers? Salaries in programs & business, the companies hiring for it and today's openings.

What it is

Programs and business is the work that keeps space projects on schedule, on budget and within the rules, and that brings in the customers and people to do them. Program managers and schedulers own the plan for a satellite or rocket program, finance teams track what it costs, contracts and export control specialists handle government rules, and business development teams win launch, satellite and data contracts. Recruiters, HR and communications staff hire for the company and speak for it.

What you actually do

Build and maintain the integrated master schedule and track progress against contract milestones.
Forecast program costs, compare budget, forecast and actuals each month, and explain the variances.
Prepare proposals for government and commercial customers, managing section authors, deadlines and compliance with the customer's instructions.
Administer U.S. government contracts under the Federal Acquisition Regulation and track the contract deliverables.
Review shipments and technology releases against ITAR and EAR, and prepare export licenses.
Research prospective customers, run outreach and support sales meetings for launches, satellites and data.

A day of this work, concretely

Recover a slipping milestone

A payload delivery is running three weeks late against a contract milestone. You work with engineering to find the cause, model recovery options in the schedule and present a plan with its cost to the program lead. Then you tell the government customer early, with the recovery plan, rather than waiting for the milestone to be missed.

Write a government proposal on deadline

A request for proposals arrives with a tight due date. You turn the customer's instructions into an outline, assign sections to engineers and finance, set internal deadlines and edit the drafts into one clear document. Before submission you check that every requirement is answered and every page follows the customer's format.

Clear a shipment for export

Engineering wants to send a test unit and its drawings to a supplier abroad. You work out the export classification with the technical experts, check whether an existing authorization covers it, and if not, prepare a license request to the State Department or the Commerce Department. Until it is approved, the hardware and the technical data stay where they are.

Is it right for you?

People come from program management in defense, aerospace or other complex industries, from finance, law, sales and HR, and from engineering careers moving into management. Most roles want a bachelor's degree, and senior program manager roles ask for many years running technical programs. People who thrive write clearly, like turning messy situations into plans, and are willing to be the one who tells a customer or executive about a problem early.

You will likely enjoy it if

You like coordinating many people and deadlines toward one result.
You write clearly and can explain technical work to customers, finance staff and executives.
You are comfortable with numbers, spreadsheets and detailed rules such as contract clauses or export regulations.
You want to work in space without becoming an engineer, or you are an engineer moving into management.

What you need

Bachelor's degree in business, finance, economics, engineering or a related field, depending on the role
Several years of related experience for most mid-level roles; senior program management postings ask for many years leading complex aerospace or defense programs
U.S. person status for most roles, and often eligibility for a U.S. security clearance on government programs

Skills that help

Integrated master schedulesExcel financial modelingFederal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)ITAR and EARProposal writing and editingSQL, Power BI or Tableau

How to get started

1Pick a function: program and project management, scheduling, finance, contracts, export compliance, business development, recruiting or communications. Each has its own postings and career ladder.
2Learn how space programs run: milestones and design reviews, cost and schedule baselines, and how government contracts and statements of work are structured.
3Build the tool skills postings name: advanced Excel, a scheduling tool such as Microsoft Project or Smartsheet, and a data tool such as SQL, Power BI or Tableau.
4Without direct experience, target entry roles such as financial analyst, recruiting coordinator or business development associate, which ask for a degree and about a year of related work or internships.
5Add a credential where postings list one: the PMP for program management, which several space postings list as preferred, or a law degree for contracts and export counsel roles.
6Learn the export-control basics (ITAR and EAR), since many roles here touch them, and confirm you meet the U.S. person rule.

Common misconceptions

Myth: Business roles in space need no technical understanding.

Reality: You do not need an engineering degree, but you need to understand the hardware well enough to schedule it, price it, sell it or license it for export. Postings ask for people who work closely with engineers and can speak to technical risk.

Myth: Program management is mostly running meetings.

Reality: Space program managers own the cost, schedule and technical baselines, the risk register and the contract deliverables, and answer to the customer for all of them.

Myth: Export control is a legal formality that lawyers handle.

Reality: Trade compliance analysts work daily with engineers and supply chain to classify technology, review shipments and file licenses. A mistake can stop a shipment or cause a violation, so postings ask for hands-on experience reading the ITAR and EAR, not necessarily a law degree.

What it pays

Programs & Business work typically pays $110k–$243k/yr today, with a live median of $140k/yr across the 589 open roles that state their pay.

See programs & business pay, employers & live roles Compare pay across all work →

Frequently asked questions

Can I work in the space industry without an engineering degree?

Yes. Finance, contracts, export compliance, business development, recruiting and communications roles usually ask for a bachelor's degree in a related field plus relevant experience, not an engineering degree, though program manager roles on technical programs often prefer an engineering or technical background. Most U.S. roles still require U.S. person status, which the ITAR and security clearance guide explains. The board lists 1,115 open programs and business roles today.

Do I need a PMP to be a program manager at a space company?

Usually it is not a hard requirement: postings put years of hands-on program experience in the required list and the PMP in the preferred list. PMI's PMP handbook sets eligibility at 36 months of project leadership experience with a four-year degree, or 60 months with a high school or associate's degree, plus 35 hours of project management education. Experience on U.S. government contracts is what many space program postings ask for first.

What is the FAR and why does it matter?

The Federal Acquisition Regulation is the primary set of uniform rules that U.S. executive agencies follow when they buy goods and services, and agencies add their own supplements to it. Contracts, proposal and program staff working on NASA, Space Force or other government programs need a working knowledge of it, and government contracts manager postings ask for it by name.

How much do program and business roles in space pay?

It varies widely by function and level, from coordinator and analyst roles to senior program managers and counsel. See space industry salaries for pay by kind of work, and the programs and business roles page for what open roles post today. The guide on how to get a job in the space industry covers applying.