---
title: 'Proposal and Capture Specialist at Space Kinetic'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/proposal-and-capture-specialist-space-kinetic-el-segundo-c9hadsk5p65s'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-06'
---

# Proposal and Capture Specialist at Space Kinetic

- **Company:** Space Kinetic
- **Location:** El Segundo, CA
- **Compensation:** $90k–$125k
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-03-02
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-06
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/spacekinetic/jobs/5136645008

## Job description

A New Paradigm For Space Operations.

Who We Are:

Space Kinetic is a dual use space technology startup building a completely new architecture for space operations – one that brings the advantages of proliferated drone technology (low-cost, operationally flexible, attainable, distributed) to space missions while reducing the ecosystem's reliance on consumable fuel. In a world where many companies are focused on incrementally improving the status quo,  we are focused on creating something entirely different – an architecture underpinned by new first principles to meet the opportunities and challenges of the third space age head-on.  Our goal is to move away from one-to-one space architectures – where each satellite in a constellation has one (or a small # of) primary payloads attached to the bus -- and unlock a ‘one-to-many’ system, where each satellite has a large number of payloads which can be deployed from their host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster.

This is not a role for someone looking for a traditional 40-hour work week. Space Kinetic is building ambitious, first-of-its-kind technology, and that requires urgency, ownership, and a high level of commitment to changing the foundational assumptions for everything we do in space.

What You’ll Do:

As a Proposal Writer at Space Kinetic, you will play a critical role in securing the partnerships, contracts, and funding that power our mission. You will lead the development of high‑quality proposals for government agencies, commercial customers, and strategic partners: translating complex technical concepts into compelling, clear, and compliant narratives. This role sits at the intersection of strategy, engineering, and business development, offering a unique opportunity to shape how our technology is understood and adopted by the market.

This is a full-time position that can either be worked onsite at the El Segundo office or remote.

Job Responsibilities:

- Lead proposals from opportunity analysis and outlining through final submission.
- Write technically accurate content for DoD, SBIR, NASA, commercial, and strategic opportunities.
- Translate engineering and strategy inputs into clear narratives, graphics, and proposal components.
- Ensure compliance with RFP, RFI, and BAA requirements and submission protocols.
- Manage proposal schedules, content collection, technical reviews, color-team reviews, and production.
- Maintain reusable content, including boilerplate, past performance, capability statements, and graphics.

What It Takes:

- Bachelor’s degree in Writing, Engineering, Business, Communications, or a related field.
- 3+ years of proposal writing, technical writing, or government contracting experience.
- Understanding of government procurement, including FAR-based solicitations, SBIR/STTR programs, and OTA or commercial pathways.
- Ability to translate complex technical information into clear and compelling content.
- Strong writing, editing, organization, and project management skills.
- Experience with compliance matrices, color reviews, proposal outlines, and related proposal tools.
- Ability to manage evolving priorities in a fast-paced startup environment.
- Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. TS/SCI clearance.

What We’d Love:

- Aerospace, defense, or advanced manufacturing proposal experience.
- Experience with large-scale IDIQ, BAA, FOA, or SBIR Phase II/III proposals.
- Understanding of classified program workflows.
- Experience creating graphics, infographics, or data visualizations.

Where You’ll Be:

- The position can be onsite in El Segundo, CA or worked remotely.

What We Offer:

- Equity-Based Compensation
- Highly Competitive PTO and Holiday Calendar
- Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage
- Unique Performance-Based Bonus Structure

ITAR Requirements: This position is subject to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Candidates must be a U.S. Person (this includes U.S. Citizen, Permanent Resident, Protected Individual as defined by law), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR [here](https://www.pmddtc.state.gov/ddtc_public/ddtc_public?id=ddtc_kb_article_page&sys_id=24d528fddbfc930044f9ff621f961987)

Equal Employment Opportunity: Space Kinetic provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status. The annual base salary for this role is below. Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data.  Individual pay will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job-related skills, relevant education/experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity.

Pay Range $90,000—$125,000 USD

## About Space Kinetic

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Space Kinetic is building a proprietary electromechanical deployment system to make space maneuver ultra-abundant and space systems ultra-affordable, focusing on national security priorities like missile defense and space superiority.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Seed Stage – $12.0M Seed round led by Balerion Space Ventures in September 2025)
- **Headquarters**: El Segundo, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2022
- **Founders**: Scott Ziegler and Ryan Sullivan

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Defense and Space Manufacturing
- **Target customers**: U.S. government and defense agencies (national security, missile defense, space superiority); B2G (Business-to-Government)
- **Mission or purpose statement**: To rethink space operations down to first principles to deliver game-changing capabilities for missile defense and space superiority, making the space domain more secure, more prosperous, and more resilient.

## Products & Services
- **Whirlwind Platform**: A proprietary electromechanical deployment system that deploys micro-payloads from a host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster. Decouples the propulsion system from the payload to bypass the tyranny of the rocket equation, enabling a “one-to-many” architecture for space missions. Type: Hardware + IP / Space Technology Platform.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available (private company)
- **Key Metric – Total Funding**: $12.2M across 4 rounds (latest: $12.0M Seed Round on 2025-09-13 led by Balerion Space Ventures with 10 investors)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Balerion Space Ventures (lead), CerraCap Ventures, Draper (DraperSPARX partner), AWS Space Accelerator, New Mexico Vintage Fund
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Headcount grew 143.8% year-over-year (now ~35 employees)
  - Active job postings: 24 (monthly job posting growth +71.4%, quarterly +242.9%)
  - 4 offices across the U.S. (El Segundo HQ, Albuquerque, NM)
  - Recent partnerships: Draper named Space Kinetic a DraperSPARX partner (Aug 2025); CerraCap Ventures investment (Aug 2025)
  - LinkedIn followers: 8,570 (yearly growth +832.4%)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Proprietary electromechanical deployment technology** that eliminates traditional propellant constraints, enabling abundant low-cost maneuver in space.
- **“One-to-many” architecture** that fundamentally changes space mission economics, making space systems more affordable and scalable.
- **Strong national security focus** with direct relevance to urgent U.S. defense priorities, creating a clear mission-driven market.
- **First-principles engineering approach** that rethinks space operations from the ground up, differentiating from legacy propulsion-dependent systems.

## Strategic Focus
- Scaling the Whirlwind platform from prototype to production (currently assembling 5 prototype units).
- Deepening partnerships with defense agencies and strategic partners (Draper, CerraCap Ventures) to accelerate deployment.
- Expanding engineering and manufacturing teams to support rapid iteration and transition to operational systems.
- Continuing to raise capital and secure government contracts to fund growth and product maturation.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven culture**: Focus on solving the nation’s most urgent national security priorities in space superiority and missile defense.
- **Values**: Intellectual horsepower, curiosity, grit, and commitment to the mission are core.
- **Cutting-edge technical challenges**: Work on novel electromechanical deployment systems, GNC, flight software, and advanced manufacturing.
- **Growth environment**: Rapidly scaling startup (143% headcount growth YoY) with opportunity to define the next era of space operations.
- **Work policy**: Primarily on-site at El Segundo, CA (with some remote roles like ISO Compliance Consultant). Multiple U.S. offices (El Segundo HQ, Albuquerque, NM).
- **Notable perks**: Venture-backed startup with competitive base compensation; opportunity to work directly on hardware prototypes and see them launch.
- **Team composition**: High technical density (47% of staff in technical roles), with many engineers from top universities and companies (Tesla, UC Berkeley, Astra, REGENT).

## Sources
1. [spacekinetic.com](https://www.spacekinetic.com/company)
2. [spacekinetic.com](https://www.spacekinetic.com/)
3. [LinkedIn - Space Kinetic Corp.](https://www.linkedin.com/company/space-kinetic)
4. [Greenhouse - Jobs at Space Kinetic](http://job-boards.greenhouse.io/spacekinetic)

## Other roles at Space Kinetic

- [Senior Optics Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-optics-engineer-space-kinetic-el-segundo-qf3pfgr0rc5a) — El Segundo, CA
- [Structural Analysis Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/structural-analysis-engineer-space-kinetic-el-segundo-mb0zs3w89ptz) — El Segundo, CA
- [Senior Machine Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-machine-design-engineer-space-kinetic-el-segundo-1ej6f09kxdzb) — El Segundo, CA
- [Materials & Process (M&P) Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/materials-process-m-p-engineer-space-kinetic-el-segundo-1zcsbwssv3f8) — El Segundo, CA
- [Infrastructure & Systems Administrator](https://feeny.ai/job/infrastructure-systems-administrator-space-kinetic-el-segundo-kj4w0tg8t2rb) — El Segundo, CA
- [Senior Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-guidance-navigation-and-control-gnc-engineer-space-kinetic-el-segundo-qd67atxjt1gk) — El Segundo, CA
- [Payload Motor Controls and Power Electronics Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/payload-motor-controls-and-power-electronics-engineer-space-kinetic-el-segundo-v30qb0z899hv) — El Segundo, CA
- [Project Engineering Development Program (3 Months - Path to Hire)](https://feeny.ai/job/project-engineering-development-program-3-months-path-to-hire-space-kinetic-el-sw7z8864w4gb) — El Segundo, CA
- [IT Development Program (3 Months - Path to Hire)](https://feeny.ai/job/it-development-program-3-months-path-to-hire-space-kinetic-el-segundo-bvscmg2j4861) — El Segundo, CA
- [HR Development Program (3 Months - Path to Hire)](https://feeny.ai/job/hr-development-program-3-months-path-to-hire-space-kinetic-el-segundo-z2yn4xyzp1ad) — El Segundo, CA