--- title: 'Director, Commercial Growth at Northwood Space' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/director-commercial-growth-northwood-space-torrance-bbd2pvqm2b4w' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-10' --- # Director, Commercial Growth at Northwood Space - **Company:** Northwood Space - **Location:** Torrance, CA - **Employment:** full-time - **Posted:** 2026-09-02 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-10 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/northwoodspace/31d1c111-6722-420f-bf36-cab171a92160 ## Job description Northwood is a modern space infrastructure company bringing the benefits of space to the masses through advanced communications technology. We are building a global network of phased array ground stations that enable real-time, reliable communication for satellite missions such as national security, global connectivity, and disaster response. With a vertically integrated approach, Northwood designs, builds, and rapidly deploys scalable systems that power the next generation of space missions. If you like solving complex challenges and seeing your work deployed around the world with real impact, Northwood is the place to do it. About Northwood: Northwood is a modern space infrastructure company bringing the benefits of space to the masses through advanced communications technology. We are building a global network of phased array ground stations that enable real-time, reliable communication for satellite missions such as national security, global connectivity, and disaster response. With a vertically integrated approach, Northwood designs, builds, and rapidly deploys scalable systems that power the next generation of space missions. If you like solving complex challenges and seeing your work deployed around the world with real impact, Northwood is the place to do it. Role: Northwood Space is seeking a Director, Commercial Growth to drive growth across Northwood's commercial customer base and help shape the company's strategy in the fast-growing commercial space market. This person will lead Northwood's engagement across priority commercial accounts spanning satellite communications, direct-to-device and IoT connectivity, Earth observation, and the emerging in-space economy, and will serve as a strategic partner to leadership, product, engineering, and mission teams as we expand our footprint in these markets. The right candidate will bring a strong understanding of commercial space business models, customer priorities, and buying dynamics, and will help Northwood not only win new business, but also shape where and how the company invests, prioritizes, and delivers in support of these markets. Responsibilities: - Drive end-to-end business development and growth across Northwood's commercial customer base, from early customer engagement and opportunity shaping through contract award and follow-on expansion - Develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders across commercial space operators and adjacent industry, including executives, technical leaders, procurement, and partner organizations - Create and execute account and campaign strategies for priority commercial customers, market segments, and adjacent partners - Identify, shape, and pursue opportunities aligned to Northwood's capabilities in areas such as commercial space communications, ground infrastructure, sensing, and other critical commercial space priorities - Partner closely with product, engineering, mission management, and leadership teams to translate customer needs into company strategy, technical positioning, capture, and successful program execution - Provide insight into commercial space market dynamics, funding trends, and customer requirements to inform Northwood's product direction and long-term growth plans Basic Qualifications: - 10+ years of experience in business development, growth, capture, program strategy, or related roles supporting or serving commercial space or adjacent technology customers - Experience developing, shaping, or executing complex technical programs or opportunities relevant to commercial space customers, with knowledge of commercial space markets, business models, and buying dynamics - Ability to work in-person in Los Angeles or Washington, DC Preferred Qualifications: - Experience working with or within SATCOM, direct-to-device/IoT, Earth observation, or in-space economy companies (orbital transfer vehicles, in-space assembly and manufacturing, re-entry) - Experience supporting or operating in mission areas such as commercial space communications, ground infrastructure, sensing, or data transport - Experience engaging with commercial space operators, investors, or industry partners on business-critical needs - Experience navigating commercial procurement and contracting pathways in the space industry - Experience at an early-stage space or space-adjacent company - Established relationships across commercial space operators, prime contractors, and industry partners Additional Information: To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you 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. Northwood is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Northwood is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status. Additional Information: If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know. To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you 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. Northwood Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Northwood Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status. ## About Northwood Space ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Building a global ground network for the future of space communications — delivering vertically integrated hardware, software, and shared infrastructure that lets space missions go from concept to live data delivery in months instead of years. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series B, raised $100M in January 2026) - **Headquarters**: Los Angeles, California, United States (additional offices in Torrance, CA; Washington, D.C.; with presence in the United Kingdom and India) - **Founded**: 2022 - **Founders**: Bridgit Mendler (CEO, Cofounder), Griffin Cleverly (Co-Founder, CTO), Shaurya Luthra (Co-Founder, Head of Digital) ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Defense and Space Manufacturing; Space-to-ground infrastructure; Satellite communications. - **Target customers**: B2B and B2G — commercial satellite operators, government agencies (e.g., U.S. Space Force), and defense customers. - **Mission**: “Take space missions further, faster” by building resilient, cloud-like ground infrastructure for the next century of space operations. ## Products & Services - **Hardware (Antennas built for scale)** : Phased-array antenna systems designed for volume manufacturing and rapid deployment (hours, not months). - **Network (Shared infrastructure)** : A horizontally scalable, dynamic capacity provisioning network that eliminates single points of failure and works across multiple orbits and frequency bands. - **Software (Orchestration intelligence)** : The intelligence layer that schedules contacts, routes data, and manages the entire ground network — enabling on-demand capacity without traditional procurement cycles. ## Market Standing - **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed. - **Key Metric**: Total funding raised — **$136.4M** across four rounds (Grant $100K in 2023, Seed $6.3M in 2024, Series A $30M in 2025, Series B $100M in 2026). - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Andreessen Horowitz (led Seed, Series A, and Series B), Founders Fund (Seed), Washington Harbour Partners (led Series B and a prior round). Strategic partners include government agencies and commercial launch providers. - **Growth Signals**: - Headcount grew **117.6% YoY** to 65 employees (as of mid-2026). - 48 active job postings (+140% YoY increase). - Successfully tested next-generation phased array antennas. - Won a U.S. Space Force contract (mentioned in news snippets). - Expanded to three U.S. offices and international presence (UK, India). ## Competitive Advantages - **Vertically integrated ground stack** — from antenna hardware to network orchestration software — collapses deployment timelines from years to months/days. - **Hardware that deploys in hours** and scales like cloud computing, avoiding traditional multi-year procurement cycles. - **Resilient, shared infrastructure** designed for multiple orbits and frequency bands, reducing single points of failure. - **Strong talent pipeline** from SpaceX, Anduril, Tesla, Palantir, and other top aerospace/defense firms. ## Strategic Focus - **Scale the global ground network** by deploying more sites and increasing capacity for both government and commercial customers. - **Volume manufacturing** of antenna systems to meet surging demand. - **Deepen partnerships** with defense and intelligence agencies (National Security Space) and commercial satellite operators. - **Continue hiring aggressively** across engineering, operations, site management, and business development. ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: Values include humility, bias to action, autonomy, and exceptionalism. Teams are trusted to own their work and make decisions. - **Impact**: Work is deployed globally — antennas built in Torrance, software orchestrated from LA, sites stood up worldwide. - **Benefits**: Competitive salary, meaningful equity, comprehensive medical/dental/vision, employer-sponsored 401(k), paid parental leave, commuter benefits, sponsored clubs and quarterly events. - **Work Model**: Likely on-site for hardware roles (Torrance, El Segundo, Washington D.C.); some software roles may offer flexibility. Two main office hubs: Los Angeles (HQ) and Washington D.C. - **Engineering culture**: Fast iteration, real-world deployment, cross-functional collaboration. “If you like building quickly and seeing your work deployed in locations around the globe, we want you at Northwood.” ## Sources 1. [northwoodspace.io](https://www.northwoodspace.io/) 2. [northwoodspace.io/about-us](https://www.northwoodspace.io/about-us) 3. [northwoodspace.io/careers](https://www.northwoodspace.io/careers) 4. [LinkedIn – Northwood](https://www.linkedin.com/company/northwood-space) 5. [Crunchbase – Northwood Space](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/northwood-space) ## Other roles at Northwood Space - [Senior Network Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-network-engineer-northwood-space-torrance-gzdcd2kh8z9c) — Torrance, CA - [Head of Software](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-software-northwood-space-torrance-e08xe70z96cw) — Torrance, CA - [Director, International Growth](https://feeny.ai/job/director-international-growth-northwood-space-torrance-y9qv5d3a4d86) — Torrance, CA - [Head of Quality and Reliability](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-quality-and-reliability-northwood-space-torrance-crkadbyep88g) — Torrance, CA - [Chief of Staff to the CTO](https://feeny.ai/job/chief-of-staff-to-the-cto-northwood-space-torrance-0gmc6y3hmqjh) — Torrance, CA - [Capture Strategist](https://feeny.ai/job/capture-strategist-northwood-space-washington-6s5nreg28hen) — Washington, DC - [Mechanical Engineering Intern (2027 Summer Internship)](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineering-intern-2027-summer-internship-northwood-space-torrance-8bw3b7vr74qx) — Torrance, CA - [Software Engineering Intern (2027 Summer Internship)](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineering-intern-2027-summer-internship-northwood-space-torrance-a4p0v8ejcwv1) — Torrance, CA - [Embedded Software Engineering Intern (2027 Summer Internship)](https://feeny.ai/job/embedded-software-engineering-intern-2027-summer-internship-northwood-space-kwmveejwr37s) — Torrance, CA - [Electrical Engineering Intern (2027 Summer Internship)](https://feeny.ai/job/electrical-engineering-intern-2027-summer-internship-northwood-space-torrance-e3xapps0cg73) — Torrance, CA