Full-Time
Senior Legal Counsel
Updated on 8/1/2026
Sierra Space
1,001-5,000 employees
Develops space vehicles, stations, propulsion systems
Compensation Overview
$227.6k - $313k/yr
Centennial, CO, USA + 1 more
More locations: Louisville, CO, USA
In Person
 Legal & Compliance (1) |
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- A Juris Doctor degree from an accredited law school.
- Active bar membership in good standing in relevant jurisdictions.
- A minimum of 8–12 years of progressive legal experience, with a combination of law firm and in-house experience strongly preferred; aerospace, defense, or heavily regulated industry experience is highly desirable.
- A proven track record of providing strategic legal counsel that influences business outcomes at the executive level and the ability to independently manage complex, multifaceted legal matters with minimal supervision.
- Demonstrated leadership in managing cross-functional legal projects and guiding teams through complex initiatives.
- Exceptional legal writing, negotiation, and advocacy skills, with the ability to distill complex legal issues into clear, actionable guidance for diverse stakeholders at all organizational levels.
- Strong business acumen, with the ability to balance legal risk against commercial objectives and deliver pragmatic, business-focused counsel.
- Strategic and anticipatory thinking, with the ability to identify emerging legal and business issues before they become problems.
- Exceptional judgment, analytical rigor, and creative problem-solving abilities in high-pressure, ambiguous situations.
- Strong executive presence and leadership capabilities, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive organizational change.
- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build compelling legal arguments and deliver persuasive presentations to executive- and board-level audiences.
- The ability to manage competing priorities, work effectively under pressure, and consistently meet critical deadlines.
- An unwavering commitment to ethical standards, professional responsibility, and integrity.
- A proactive, solutions-oriented approach that anticipates legal needs and delivers business-enabling counsel.
- A collaborative and relationship-focused work style, with the ability to build trust and credibility across all organizational levels and with external stakeholders.
- The ability to embody company values and hold oneself and others accountable to high standards of professional excellence.
- Provide strategic legal counsel that directly influences executive decision-making on matters affecting company operations, risk management, growth initiatives, and long-term business strategy.
- Lead the drafting, review, and negotiation of complex, high-value commercial contracts and agreements, including master supplier agreements, technology licensing arrangements, joint venture structures, strategic partnerships, and commercial real estate transactions.
- Lead or play a key advisory role in mergers and acquisitions, capital markets activities, and other strategic business transactions, providing comprehensive legal oversight from due diligence through integration.
- Serve as a strategic advisor on employment law matters, providing counsel on executive compensation, workforce restructuring, and complex human resources initiatives with significant legal or business impact.
- Develop, implement, and continuously improve company-wide policies and procedures; assess effectiveness and drive enhancements aligned with evolving business needs.
- Manage and provide strategic direction to outside counsel relationships; evaluate performance, control costs, and ensure alignment with business objectives.
- Design, implement, and lead comprehensive compliance programs tailored to aerospace industry regulations; drive continuous improvement and proactively address emerging compliance risks.
- Advise senior leadership on corporate governance best practices; prepare materials for and support Board of Directors and committee meetings on sensitive and strategic matters.
- Proactively monitor legal and regulatory developments affecting the aerospace and defense sectors; translate implications into actionable guidance and strategic recommendations.
- Develop and execute enterprise-wide legal risk mitigation strategies; build scalable frameworks that support organizational growth.
- Translate complex regulatory requirements into pragmatic operational plans and business processes; partner with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless implementation.
- Champion a culture of ethics, integrity, and accountability throughout the organization; serve as a role model for professional excellence.
- Provide legal mentorship and guidance to junior legal staff; may supervise direct reports or coordinate legal workstreams.
- Deep expertise in multiple legal disciplines, including complex commercial transactions, corporate governance, sophisticated employment matters, corporate and securities law, commercial real estate, intellectual property strategy, and regulatory compliance frameworks.
- Substantial experience advising on capital markets transactions and mergers and acquisitions, including public and private securities offerings, complex debt financings, public and private company acquisitions, joint ventures, spin-offs, and corporate restructurings, with proven ability to navigate intricate regulatory frameworks, manage deal teams, and provide strategic legal counsel that shapes transaction outcomes.
- Comprehensive, current knowledge of laws, regulations, and legal frameworks specific to aerospace and defense, including International Traffic in Arms Regulations and Export Administration Regulations export controls, Federal Acquisition Regulation and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement procurement regulations, Federal Communications Commission licensing, Federal Aviation Administration regulations, and emerging commercial space law and policy.
- A track record of successfully managing outside counsel across multiple matters and practice areas, including setting clear expectations, evaluating quality, and optimizing legal spend.
- Strong financial and budget management acumen, including experience managing significant legal budgets while maintaining rigorous quality standards.
- Experience designing and implementing enterprise-wide compliance programs, conducting comprehensive risk assessments, and leading remediation efforts.
- Experience providing counsel to boards of directors, audit committees, and executive leadership on governance, fiduciary duties, and high-stakes strategic matters.
Sierra Space develops space systems for government, commercial, and research customers, including space vehicles, space stations, and related life-support and propulsion technologies. The Dream Chaser is a reusable spaceplane that lands on conventional runways to move cargo and crew to and from orbit; space stations provide a platform for long-duration research and commercial activity in microgravity; VORTEX propulsion and life-support systems power missions and sustain crews. It combines a runway-landing spaceplane with ongoing space-station development and integrated systems, offering end-to-end space infrastructure rather than focusing on a single component. Its goal is to expand sustainable human spaceflight and commercial activity in space while delivering Earth-focused benefits.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
Series C
Total Funding
$2.3B
Headquarters
Louisville, Colorado
Founded
2021
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Jeff Schrader’s CFO role sharpens capital allocation and execution discipline across programs.
- Defense-tech positioning expands access to national security, classified, and government procurement budgets.
- Two operating areas enable cross-selling propulsion, subsystems, and spacecraft integration to existing customers.
What critics are saying
- Dream Chaser still lacks revenue-scale operations and depends on NASA milestone execution.[1][5]
- Orbital Reef depends on Blue Origin coordination, delaying station-infrastructure revenue and market validation.
- An $8 billion valuation raises financing pressure if program wins lag over the next year.
What makes Sierra Space unique
- Runway-landing Dream Chaser is NASA-selected for ISS cargo transport.[2][5]
- Sierra Space pairs spacecraft, satellites, and subsystems within one defense-tech portfolio.[1][12]
- Thirty-plus years of spaceflight heritage supports bids needing proven hardware and mission credibility.[3][4]
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Life Insurance
401(k) Retirement Plan
401(k) Company Match
Paid Vacation
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↓ -2%1 year growth
↓ -4%2 year growth
↓ -2%Astrion hires former Sierra Space CEO vice as new leader. Astrion's new CEO Tom Vice previously led Sierra Space in a four-year period that included Series A and B capital rounds. Astrion photo. Stay Connected Find opportunities - and win them. April 3, 2026 Brightstar Capital Partners formed Astrion in 2023 and the company has been on an aggressive expansion push since. Astrion has hired a new chief executive in Tom Vice, the former Sierra Space CEO and a four-decade veteran of the aerospace-and-defense sector. Vice also will hold the title of executive chair and his appointment is effective immediately, Astrion said Thursday. Vice succeeds Dave Zolet, who has led the engineering and technical services provider since it launched in 2023. Astrion is owned by the private equity firm Brightstar Capital Partners, which formed the company through the merger of ERC and Oasis Systems. Astrion has since embarked on an aggressive expansion push that included the purchase of Axient in the summer of 2024. Only a few months before that transaction, Zolet told our WT 360 podcast that the company was pushing toward $1.5 billion in annual revenue and prioritizing the development of a culture he called the "Astrion Way." In a LinkedIn post on his departure, Zolet touted Astrion as a 6,000-employee company today with annual revenue north of $1 billion. Vice will pick up that groundwork laid out as Astrion focuses on programs across defense, homeland security, critical infrastructure, space operations and allied missions. Astrion touts its core service lines as including systems engineering, threat analysis, modeling and simulation, testing and evaluation, and training. "Astrion's strength starts with its people - a talented team with deep mission understanding, strong customer relationships, and a proven record of execution," Vice said in a release. "We are building on that foundation with focus, urgency, and resolve - strengthening what we do best today while expanding the operational capabilities, integrated solutions, and innovative technologies we bring to our customers." Vice led Sierra Space in a four-year tenure that included $1.7 billion in Series A and B capital rounds, as well as the capture of several national security and defense programs. He is also a former CEO of Aerion Corp., an aerospace company founded in 2003 that sought to build supersonic jets before it shut down in 2021. Prior to Aerion, Vice spent three decades at Northrop Grumman including his last four years there as president of its aerospace systems segment. His tenure in that role included the capture of the Air Force's Long-Range Strike Bomber program in 2015. Astrion also announced Thursday its hire of Eric Brown, formerly a vice president at Lockheed Martin, as president of space operations and allied missions. Conn Doherty, a former executive at RTX and Chaos Industries, also has joined Astrion as chief growth officer.
Sierra Space has appointed Jeff Schrader as chief strategy officer, where he will guide the company's strategic growth initiatives, including corporate development, mergers and acquisitions strategy, and major contract planning. Schrader brings over 25 years of aerospace and defence experience. Most recently, he served as vice president of strategy and business development at Lockheed Martin Space, leading a team supporting a $13 billion business area. He previously led SEAKR Engineering and Blue Canyon Technologies with a combined workforce exceeding 1,000 employees, and held leadership positions at RTX and General Dynamics. The Colorado-based defence-tech space company designs and manufactures satellites, spacecraft and space subsystems for national security, civil and commercial customers.
The week's 10 biggest funding rounds: space tech, AI infrastructure lead fundraises. March 6, 2026 Want to keep track of the largest startup funding deals in 2025 with our curated list of $100 million-plus venture deals to U.S.-based companies? Check out The Crunchbase Megadeals Board. This is a weekly feature that runs down the week's top 10 announced funding rounds in the U.S. Check out last week's biggest funding deal roundup here. The first week of March was a relatively brisk period for large startup funding rounds, led by three deals of $500 million or more in the space tech and AI infrastructure sectors. In addition, we saw some good-sized deals around healthcare, neuroscience and enterprise software. 1. Sierra Space, $550M, space tech: Sierra Space, a space and defense tech company that designs and manufactures satellites, spacecraft and space subsystems, secured $550 million in equity funding led by LuminArx Capital Management. The financing sets an $8 billion valuation for the 5-year-old, Louisville, Colorado-based company. 2. (tied) Ayar Labs, $500M, AI infrastructure: Ayar Labs, a producer of co-packaged optics for use in AI infrastructure, landed $500 million in Series E funding led by Neuberger Berman. The financing sets a $3.75 billion valuation for the 11-year-old, San Jose, California-based company. 2. (tied) Vast, $500M, space tech: Long Beach, California-based Vast, a startup developing next-generation space stations, announced it has raised $500 million in fresh funding. The financing includes $300 million in Series A equity and $200 million in debt, with Balerion Space Ventures as lead investor. 4. Findhelp, $250M, care platform: Findhelp, developer of a platform to coordinate care across health systems, governments, benefits providers and other entities, secured $250 million in investment from TPG's The Rise Fund. Founded in 2010, Austin-based Findhelp describes its mission as connecting people to help and support systems. 5. Science Corp., $230M, neurotech: Alameda, California-based Science Corp., a biotech startup focused on brain-computer interface technologies, announced it has closed on a $230 million Series C fundraise. Lightspeed Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, Y Combinator, IQT and Quiet Capital were among the investors participating in the syndicated round. 6. Cart.com, $180M, e-commerce: Cart.com, provider of an e-commerce platform and logistics services for brands to sell across digital channels, picked up $180 million in growth equity investment. Springcoast Partners led the financing for the Houston-based company. 7. Grow Therapy, $150M, mental health care: Grow Therapy, a New York-based platform for providing mental health care, raised $150 million in Series D funding led by TCV and Goldman Sachs Growth Equity. 8. Cognito Therapeutics, $105M, neuroscience: Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Cognito Therapeutics, a developer of therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, secured $105 million in Series C funding. Morningside, IAG Capital Partners and Starbloom Capital led the financing. 9. Nominal, $80M, engineering software: Nominal, a self-described provider of tools for engineers to test and operate critical technology, picked up $80 million in new funding. Founders Fund led the financing, which set a $1 billion valuation for the Austin-based company. 10. Sage, $65M, health software: New York-based Sage, provider of a software platform for senior living and skilled nursing, raised $65 million in Series C funding led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives. Methodology. We tracked the largest announced rounds in the Crunchbase database that were raised by U.S.-based companies for the period of Feb. 28-March 6. Although most announced rounds are represented in the database, there could be a small time lag as some rounds are reported late in the week. Stay up to date with recent funding rounds, acquisitions, and more with the Crunchbase Daily. March 5, 2026 Science Corp., a biotech startup focused on brain-computer interface technologies, announced Thursday that it has closed on a $230 million Series C... March 5, 2026 San Francisco-based Denki, which has built AI-powered software for financial auditors at public companies, has raised $4.1 million in funding, the... March 5, 2026 February closed with the largest startup investment of all time - OpenAI's $110 billion financing - but did not bring a jump in overall deal count... March 4, 2026 Over 127,000 workers at U.S.-based tech companies were laid off in mass job cuts in 2025, per a Crunchbase News tally, and the layoffs have continued... April 3, 2025 Discover and act on private market opportunities with predictive company intelligence.
Sierra Space valued at $8 billion as investors double down on defense, space tech. March 5 (Reuters) - Sierra Space said on Thursday it has raised $550 million in a Series C funding round that values it at $8 billion, as investor appetite for national security assets grows amid geopolitical tensions and strong interest in commercial space infrastructure. Space companies with government contracts and proven production capacity are seeing more capital flow, amid a broader push toward space-based data centers and orbital infrastructure. Investors are also closely watching SpaceX's expected initial public offering, which could reshape the competitive landscape in the sector. Sierra Space said the funding round was led by LuminArx Capital Management, with participation from existing backers including General Atlantic, Coatue, Moore Strategic Ventures and Andalusian Private Capital. The Louisville, Colorado-based company has sought to position itself as a key supplier of satellites, space transportation systems and defense technologies to U.S. national security customers. It had raised $290 million in a Series B round in 2023 which valued the company at $5.3 billion. The space company said the fresh capital would support expanded production capacity and development of solutions for defense and intelligence missions. "As we scale, our priority remains strengthening national security capabilities while delivering the discipline, reliability, and performance our government and commercial partners depend on," CEO Dan Jablonsky exclusively told Reuters. Space-based assets are playing an increasingly central role in intelligence gathering, secure communications and other critical defense missions as governments seek greater resilience and real-time data. Sierra Space has won cornerstone contracts including a $450 million award to build more than four satellites for a national security customer and a Space Development Agency contract with a potential value of up to $740 million. Beyond satellites, the company is developing the reusable Dream Chaser spaceplane, designed to ferry cargo, and eventually crew, to low Earth orbit. It completed key manufacturing milestones in 2025, with a demonstration flight planned for late 2026. (Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)
Sierra Space has raised $550 million in a Series C funding round led by LuminArx Capital Management, valuing the spacecraft manufacturer at approximately $8 billion. Existing investors also participated in the round. Based in Louisville, Colorado, Sierra Space was formed in 2021 as a commercial spinout of Sierra Nevada Corporation. The company initially focused on its Dream Chaser reusable spaceplane for ISS cargo missions, with a demonstration flight planned for late 2026. Sierra Space has recently expanded into defence markets, securing contracts to build missile-tracking satellites for the Space Development Agency. The funding will support the company's national security space efforts and manufacturing expansion in Colorado. The round follows the recent appointment of Dan Jablonsky as chief executive officer.