--- title: 'Technical Writer at Xona Space Systems' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/technical-writer-xona-space-systems-burlingame-f9aj5k2b8g88' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-09' --- # Technical Writer at Xona Space Systems - **Company:** Xona Space Systems - **Location:** Burlingame, CA - **Compensation:** $130k–$150k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-09-03 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-09 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/xona-space/3da591c4-fb02-4cca-a3f4-042c4814f67c ## Job description Xona is the navigational intelligence company bringing real-time, centimeter-level certainty to any device, anywhere on Earth. With Pulsar – the world’s most advanced PNT satellite infrastructure in Low Earth Orbit – Xona will offer a future-proof, backwards-compatible global positioning system optimized for absolute precision, superior power, and robust protection. Overview: As our first Technical Writer, you'll be embedded with the program team and support engineering, launch, and manufacturing across the company - from satellite development documentation to launch campaign packages to documentation standards for the production floor. This is a cross-functional role that touches every part of how we build, test, launch, and operate spacecraft. Success in this role looks like: - Engineering review packages are delivered on schedule with minimal revision cycles - Launch documentation is complete, tracked, and delivered on schedule - New team members can readily find relevant documentation - Documentation standards you help establish scale as the team grows ## WHAT YOU'LL DO: Engineering Documentation Support engineering teams across bus, payload, Guidance Navigation & Control (GNC), Flight Software (FSW), and subsystems in producing and maintaining technical documents including Interface Control Documents (ICDs), test procedures, design specs, and review packages. You'll attend design reviews and work directly with engineers to extract technical details and translate them into clear, accurate, and actionable documentation. Launch Documentation Management Own the organization, tracking, and on-time delivery of launch campaign documentation - including launch readiness review packages, mission assurance documentation, range safety submissions, and pre/post-launch reports. Coordinate with program, safety, and range/launch provider teams to make sure every required document is complete, routed for approval, and submitted against the campaign timeline. Contract Documentation Generate, edit, and maintain contract deliverable documentation - including reports, data packages, and compliance documents - ensuring accuracy and timely delivery against contractual requirements. Mission Operations Develop and maintain team Service Level Agreement (SLA) definitions with other teams like Service Operations and satellite subsystems, document escalation paths, and system configurations to support reliable on-orbit operations and ground system management. Maintain documentation supporting regulatory compliance (e.g., FCC/NOAA licensing, Orbital Debris Mitigation plans). Document Control Help establish and maintain the organization, versioning, and accessibility of technical documentation - making sure the right people can find the right document at the right time. As our first writer, you'll play a key role in selecting and setting up systems that work for our team. Cross-Site Coordination Work across geographically distributed engineering and manufacturing teams to ensure documentation stays consistent, synchronized, and accessible across sites. Some travel between sites may be required. Work Instructions & SOPs Build and maintain templates for manufacturing work instructions and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and review content drafted by engineers and technicians against those templates for clarity and consistency. Subject matter experts own the technical content - your role is giving it a clear, standardized structure. Process Building Develop lightweight documentation standards and templates that scale as the company and program grow. ## REQUIRED - 4–7 years of technical writing experience in aerospace, defense, hardware manufacturing, or a similarly technical field - Comfortable working directly with engineers to extract technical content and translate it into clean, usable documentation - ICDs, test procedures, design specs, and review packages - Proven ability to build clear documentation templates and review technical content for accuracy, clarity, and consistency - Self-directed and able to manage multiple documentation workstreams simultaneously in a fast-moving environment - Comfortable asking questions when requirements are unclear - we value clarity over assumptions ## PREFERRED - Experience documenting spacecraft, satellite, or precision hardware development programs - Experience managing documentation through a launch campaign or similarly high-stakes, deadline-driven review cycle - Experience supporting program reviews such as Preliminary Design Review (PDR), Critical Design Review (CDR), or Manufacturing Readiness Review (MRR) with documentation packages - Proficiency with documentation tools such as Confluence, Google Workspace, or similar - Familiarity with manufacturing work instructions, SOPs, or quality management systems - Interest in growing into a documentation lead or program management role as the team scales For U.S. Roles: To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e. Green Card holder), or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). For U.K. Roles: To comply with U.K. regulations, this role requires Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks, and successful candidates must be eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance (SC). For Canada Roles: Successful candidates must obtain and hold a security clearance at the reliability status level, and pass security assessment for the Canadian Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and ITAR. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status. ## About Xona Space Systems ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Xona Space Systems is building Pulsar, a high-integrity positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) constellation in Low Earth Orbit that delivers authenticated, centimeter-accurate services as a resilient alternative to GPS. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series C – $170M raised ~April 2026) - **Headquarters**: Burlingame, California, USA (also offices in Montreal, Canada and London, England) - **Founded**: 2019 - **Founders**: Brian Manning (CEO), Tyler Reid (CTO), Adrien Perkins (VP of Engineering) ## Core Business - **Primary industries**: Aerospace / Satellite Navigation, Defense & Critical Infrastructure, Autonomous Systems - **Target customers**: B2B / B2G – enterprise, government, defense, autonomous robotics, construction, industrial IoT, and any application requiring resilient PNT - **Mission**: “Unlock the potential of tomorrow’s technologies by providing the most robust and accurate navigation and timing services on Earth.” ## Products & Services - **Pulsar Constellation**: A network of 258 small, software-defined satellites in LEO broadcasting secured, authenticated PNT signals. Offers native user accuracy at centimeter level and is designed to upgrade existing GPS devices via a software update. - **Pulsar‑Verified Receivers & Simulators**: Certified hardware and test platforms for integrators. Includes reference designs and simulation tools. - **Time Authentication Service**: A cryptographic layer that validates the origin and integrity of timing signals, providing resilience against spoofing and jamming. ## Market Standing - **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed (conflicting reports may exist; no official figure available) - **Key Metric**: Total funding $327.53M (CB Insights); latest Series C closed ~April 2026 (amount $170M) - **Notable Investors / Partners**: Not publicly disclosed (funding specifics unknown). Key partners include Murata (MOU for LEO navigation in industrial applications), the Government of Canada (R&D collaboration to strengthen timing resilience), and the National Research Council of Canada. - **Growth Signals**: - Successfully launched Pulsar‑0, the first commercially funded navigation satellite, now in orbit for one year (June 2026). - 11+ patents filed (encrypted navigation signals, wireless locating, etc.). - Active hiring in Burlingame, Montreal, and London; 828 employees on LinkedIn as of mid‑2026. - Collaboration with ISED, NRC, and DRDC to broadcast Canada’s official time signal (UTC(NRC)) from space. ## Competitive Advantages - **First‑mover with a privately funded navigation satellite** – Pulsar‑0 set a precedent for commercial LEO PNT. - **Authenticated signals** – Cryptographic security native to the signal provides spoofing/jamming resistance unmatched by traditional GPS. - **Software‑defined satellites** – Rapid constellation scaling and in‑orbit updates at a fraction of legacy system cost. - **Multi‑national timing broadcast** – Ability to carry multiple official time standards (US, UK, Canada) on a shared infrastructure, creating sovereign resilience for allies. ## Strategic Focus - **Constellation deployment** – Scale from prototype (Pulsar‑0) to a full production fleet of 258 satellites. - **Ecosystem enablement** – Grow partner network of receiver makers, chipset vendors, and integrators (e.g., Murata, government bodies). - **Geographic expansion** – Establish a strong presence in Canada (Montreal) and the UK (London) while deepening relationships with allied governments. - **Defense & critical infrastructure** – Pursue contracts that require autonomous, tamper‑proof PNT for military, aviation, and grid timing. ## Why Work Here - **Impact** – Work on “a generational technology at startup speed”; decisions are pushed to the people closest to the work. Culture of ownership and rapid iteration. - **Compensation** – Competitive salary, equity (ownership culture), 401(k) / Roth 401(k). - **Benefits** – 95% of healthcare premiums covered for US employees (50% for dependents); HSA/FSA options; supportive parental leave (equitable); flexible time off. - **Workplace** – Burlingame office with catered lunches twice a week, snacks, drinks, coffee. Roles also in Montreal and London (hybrid likely per location, but remote‑first not stated). - **Culture** – Engineering‑driven, fast‑shipping, collaborative; team includes leaders from industry and academia. ## Sources 1. [xonaspace.com](https://www.xonaspace.com/) 2. [xonaspace.com/careers](https://www.xonaspace.com/careers) 3. [xonaspace.com/mission](https://www.xonaspace.com/mission) 4. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/xonaspace) 5. 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