Head of IT

San Carlos, California

San Carlos, California

Full time

On-site

Operations

About Cowboy Space Corp.:

Cowboy Space Corp. is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our satellites operate in Low Earth Orbit to collect sunlight and enable a new class of capabilities—from transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), to powering on-orbit compute, to delivering secure, high-bandwidth optical data. By rethinking how energy and data are generated and distributed in space, we’re unlocking entirely new ways to operate both in orbit and on Earth.

Founded in 2024 by Baiju Bhatt (co-founder of Robinhood), Cowboy Space Corp. is backed by leading investors and built by a team from top aerospace and defense organizations. We’re moving quickly to solve complex technical challenges and build a new category of space infrastructure.

About the role:

The Head of IT will define and execute the company’s IT strategy across corporate systems, engineering infrastructure, mission operations support, cybersecurity, and compliance. This leader will ensure our IT architecture supports secure satellite development, ground segment operations, regulatory requirements, and rapid global scaling. This is a highly cross-functional leadership role, reporting to the COO/CLO but partnering with Engineering, Security, Finance, and People teams to build resilient, secure, and scalable systems in a highly regulated environment. This is both a strategic and hands-on leadership role in a rapidly scaling hardware company, and is in-person at our San Carlos, CA HQ.

Responsibilities:

• Define and execute the company-wide IT roadmap aligned with business and mission objectives

• Build and lead a high-performing IT team (infrastructure, applications, support, security)

• Develop IT governance, policies, and standards

• Manage IT budget planning and vendor relationships

• Design and operate secure and scalable hybrid infrastructure

• Support high-performance compute environments for satellite design, simulation and testing

• Ensure high availability for mission-critical systems and operations

• Implement disaster recovery and business continuity planning

• Own enterprise cybersecurity strategy across corporate, production, and mission environments

• Implement zero-trust architecture and endpoint security

• Ensure compliance with relevant frameworks (e.g. ITAR/EAR)

• Oversee ERP, HRIS, collaboration, identity management, and productivity tools

• Support scaling processes across Finance, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing

• Drive automation and process optimization initiatives

• Partner with software and hardware engineering to support secure development environments

• Ensure secure data pipelines for satellite telemetry and payload data

• Manage MSPs, cloud providers, and security vendors; negotiate enterprise contracts and SLAs

• Serve as executive point-of-contact for IT-related audits and due diligence

Basic Qualifications:

• 10+ years of progressive IT leadership experience

• Experience scaling IT in a high-growth startup or technology company from early architecture to defense-level compliance

• Deep expertise in cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)

• Strong background in cybersecurity and compliance

• Experience supporting engineering organizations (DevOps, high-performance compute, secure SDLC)

• Proven ability to build teams and operate strategically and tactically

• Experience in defense or other regulated industries; familiarity with export controls (ITAR/EAR)

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience preparing for or maintaining SOC 2 / ISO 27001 audits

Compensation and Benefits:

The salary range for this position is $150,000 - $2550,000 annually. The actual base salary offered will depend on factors such as job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity.

• Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

• Employees and their eligible dependents may enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance

• 401(k) retirement savings plan

• Paid time off

• 10 paid holidays per calendar year

• Paid parental leave

• Relocation assistance if applicable

• Daily lunch in the office and a fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks

ITAR Requirements:

• Export Control Requirement: To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.

Disclaimer:

This job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at Cowboy Space Corp.’s discretion.

Cowboy Space Corp. is an equal employment opportunity employer. We consider individuals for employment or promotion according to their skills, abilities and experience. Cowboy Space Corp. is committed to complying with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, age, national origin, ancestry, physical, mental or developmental disability, sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and medical conditions relating to pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding), veteran status, military status, marital or registered domestic partnership status, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics), genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, as well as any other category protected by federal, state or local laws.