Director – Enterprise Systems & Software

The journey to space starts with the engines.

Ursa Major is bringing a new model to propulsion and defense technology: one where performance and access are no longer constrained by legacy systems. We design, build, and deploy advanced propulsion systems that power national security missions, hypersonic capabilities, and the future of space access.

Our mission requires an extraordinary team—one that will mold tomorrow’s critical technologies while deploying today’s best. We are an intrinsically motivated team with a passion for solving complex technical problems and empowering each other every day, knowing that there is always room for growth.

About The Role

Reporting directly to the Head of Digital Operations, the Director of Enterprise Systems & Software (ESS) is a strategic executive technology leader responsible for establishing central ownership, governance, and architectural rigor across Ursa Major's entire internal enterprise digital landscape.

This role officially transitions core enterprise system ownership out of legacy, ad-hoc structures (previously managed under Digital Manufacturing) and establishes a dedicated department built on extreme system ownership. You will lead a high-performing team of dedicated Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) across core enterprise platforms (PLM, ERP, MES, Data/BI) alongside our internal Software Engineering organization (which builds custom internal web applications, including our engine testing solution and enterprise integration middleware). Day 1 leadership scope includes inheriting an established team (1x Product Owner, 2x Senior Software Developers, and a Manager of Digital Manufacturing transitioning to lead Enterprise Systems Integrations) alongside hiring dedicated Systems Engineers/Architects across PLM (Windchill), ERP (Odoo), MES (Critical Manufacturing), Atlassian, and Data Science/Analytics.

As Ursa Major scales from 380 to 500+ employees and prepares for public-company operations, you will lead the evolution of our ERP (Odoo) into a public-company-ready platform. Over time, your organization will systematically absorb and professionalize adjacent business-critical systems—such as HighQA, Jama, Ignition, and Atlassian—building an integrated digital thread across ISA-95 levels and laying the technical foundation for a fully operational Digital Twin across our manufacturing facilities by EOY 2027.

Responsibilities:

• Establish centralized ownership and serve as the executive authority for all business-critical enterprise platforms, enforcing to internal stakeholders that ESS provides dedicated SME ownership, administration, and support.
• Lead the strategy to systematically absorb, integrate, and govern critical A&D enterprise tools, including HighQA (quality/inspection), Jama (requirements management), Ignition (SCADA/HMI), and Atlassian (collaboration) thereby creating single-point accountability for the software that runs the business.
• Define system boundaries and single-source-of-truth data authority across PLM (Windchill), ERP (Odoo), MES (Critical Manufacturing), and shop-floor SCADA (Ignition) to eliminate data friction, manual rework, and audit risks.
• Establish the strategic technical roadmap and execution plan to connect engineering design, materials planning, shop-floor execution, and engine test data into a fully integrated Digital Twin environment before EOY 2027.
• Assume complete ownership of our ERP ecosystem (Odoo), transitioning it out of legacy Digital Manufacturing management, and architect its core inventory, Work-in-Progress (WIP) tracking, Average Costing mechanics, and financial reporting structures to support public-company standards.
• Direct and mentor a multi-disciplinary department comprising Enterprise Systems Architects (PLM, ERP, MES, Atlassian), Data Scientists/Analysts, Software Engineers, Product Owners, and Integration Leads.
• Guide the transition of our Digital Manufacturing Manager into leading a dedicated Enterprise Systems (ES) Integrations team, ensuring robust API middleware and secure data pipelines connect all internal systems.
• Oversee internal software development initiatives, including our custom web-based engine testing platform, internal web portals, and operational tools.
• Serve as the strategic digital partner across our geographic manufacturing footprint—aligning software and systems workflows across our Longmont headquarters, Berthoud (liquids manufacturing), Galeton (solids manufacturing), and Youngstown, OH (additive manufacturing) sites.
• Collaborate with executive leaders across Propulsion Engineering, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Finance, and IT to unblock operational bottlenecks and align digital tooling with business velocity.
• Partner with Finance to structure enterprise system implementations and internal software projects to qualify for internal-use software capitalization, building balance sheet asset value.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 10+ years of progressive technical leadership experience in enterprise systems architecture, software engineering, or IT/Digital Operations, with at least 4+ years in director-level management roles.
• Deep domain experience within aerospace, defense, automotive, or high-complexity discrete manufacturing environments understanding shop-floor realities across hardware assembly, liquid/solid propulsion, or additive manufacturing.
• Demonstrated experience overseeing enterprise platforms across PLM (PTC Windchill), ERP (Odoo, SAP, NetSuite), MES (Critical Manufacturing, Apriso), and domain-specific tools (HighQA, Jama, Ignition).
• Proven track record taking ownership of fragmented or legacy ERP environments and building scalable financial, costing, and inventory structures capable of supporting public-company audits and reporting.
• Comprehensive understanding of ISA-95 framework levels, manufacturing data flows, and architecting connected enterprise environments (Digital Twin).
• Demonstrated experience leading teams building custom internal web applications, APIs, or middleware integrations.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Direct familiarity with PTC Windchill, Odoo ERP, Critical Manufacturing MES, HighQA, Jama, Inductive Automation Ignition, and Atlassian Cloud environments.
• Familiarity with CMMC Level 2, NIST SP 800-171, and ITAR compliance boundaries within enterprise software ecosystems.
• Bachelor's or master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or an engineering discipline.

Primary Location: Hybrid based out of our Longmont, CO office, with regular on-site presence at our Berthoud, CO (liquids manufacturing) and Galeton, CO (solids manufacturing) facilities, and periodic travel to Youngstown, OH (additive manufacturing).

Colorado law requires us to tell you the base compensation range of this role, which is $180,000 - $224,000, determined by your education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities. What we can’t quantify for you are the exciting challenges, supportive team, and amazing culture we enjoy. 

Classification: Full-time Exempt