Consultant Space Systems Engineer (working as Lead/Chief Engineer)

The Challenge

You will work embedded within our client’s team, as a Chief / Lead Engineer for their satellite development activities.

As a leading expert in satellite systems integration, you will work closely with our space sector clients to support their missions. You will apply systems engineering discipline and experience to advise on the conceptualisation and realisation of satellite systems, including for UK defence and security. You will bring a wealth of full-lifecycle knowledge to each mission, helping to shape engineering processes and advise on space system architectures.

Your base office location will be Harwell, near Oxford, with regular attendance to customer site (Portsmouth area) and flexibility to work from home as activities allow. You should assume approximately 2-3 days on site per week with our customer and occasional travel to Harwell. Your interview will take place at our Harwell office and you will need to travel there for your first day to collect your IT equipment.

You will be a member of SAC’s Technology department, reporting directly to the CTO. Over time, the role is likely to include additional tasking on:

• Supporting delivery programmes for space missions

• Supporting the conceptualisation and exploitation of technical facilities to benefit the space sector

• Supporting Thought-Leadership, to help shape tomorrow's space industry

As a not-for-profit organisation, with a core grant from InnovateUK, SAC acts to help the UK and the UK space sector achieve its aims in space. You will work with clients and partners in the commercial sector, academic community and government / civil service.

The successful application will be required to have / obtain at least SC level clearance, and may be required to undergo DV clearance.

Role responsibilities

You will support our client as a Lead / Chief space systems engineer for their programme, splitting your time across a small number of distinct activities. These will include:

• Satellite System development

• Advice and review on other space system technology activities

  When supporting the client as Lead/Chief Engineer, your responsibilities will include:

• Leading Technical discussions and decision making when called upon

• Researching technical solutions when called upon

• Ad-hoc attendance to all Non-conformance Review Boards (NRB)s

• Attending interim project review meetings (bi-weekly, or as needed)

• Supporting and provide guidance to the client project team member in overseeing, managing and challenging the sub-contractor delivery approaches

• Raising, identifying and endorsing mitigation options related to technical and quality risks, issues, and dependencies in coordination with the Authority and Sub-Contractor

• Supporting client project team in consulting with Sub-Contractors on technical challenges including RFW, RFD, NCR, MIPs, KIPs closure options and actions

• Supporting client project team in consulting Sub-Contractor and drive closure of RIDs and milestone review actions

• Supporting Sub-Contractor technical meetings and/or reviewing minutes for endorsement by the programme Authority

• Ensuring required Sub-Contractor technical management and Quality Management processes are in place and adhered to

• Coordinating technical and quality risks, issues, dependencies with the programme Authority and Sub-Contractor PM

• Review all milestone review deliverables and generate compiled RIDs List

• Provide appropriate challenge and input to the Sub-Contractor technical approaches and deliverables, seeking to obtain the best outcome

When not supporting the client, you will be engaged in SAC’s own activities. for supporting and growing the UK space sector. Such work may include support to our own programmes of delivery, winning new client work and thought leadership for the sector.

Skills and Experience required

• Knowledge of space systems development and delivery

• Knowledge and application of ECSS

• Systems Engineering Technical Management Processes

• Extensive experience in aerospace/space domain

• Expertise in contemporary design of S/C payload and ground systems

• Extensive experience with multiple space subsystems technologies

• Majority of experience through Assembly, Integration and Testing of satellites

• Experience with Space Mission Delivery through multiple project phases.

• Insight and understanding of the phases of mission development

• System-level awareness of threats, vulnerabilities and mitigations for space systems

The successful candidate is likely to have familiarity with widely used engineering frameworks such as ECSS standards, waterfall programme delivery and SMART requirement-based engineering.

Ways of Working

We are a learning organisation where our ways of working are underpinned by coaching and feedback, fostering adult to adult conversations. Innovation is at the heart of everything that we do, therefore being highly adaptive and agile with a GROWTH mindset will ensure your success at the Catapult. We expect our people to be Pioneering, Agile, Collaborative and Entrepreneurial, working at PACE.

 How we work….

We strive to create a high trust, high performance and inclusive environment that enables team members to bring their whole selves to work – this helps to create the foundations of an innovation culture. Our shared values are critical to this:

• We care - for our people, our partners, and our planet

• We connect - and engage with people and ideas

• We learn - and grow, as people and as an industry

Underpinning this is our belief in great teams, our combined efforts will always deliver outcomes beyond that of anyone providing we are honest through debate, experiment and reflect, and create shared resolutions in support of our purpose. Live these values, work to our principles, take ownership to deliver, and we are certain you will thrive with us.

This job description set outs the skills and experience we think are needed to be able to perform in this job. However, if you believe you can deliver in this role then we want to hear from you.

Important notice for applicants: We use tools to detect plagiarism and the use of AI or chatbots for applicant answers. If plagiarism, AI use (such as ChatGPT) or similar software are found to have been used in your application you will not be considered for this or future roles within the Satellite Applications Catapult.

At Satellite Applications Catapult, we're committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workforce. We welcome candidates from all corners of the globe, but due to legal and logistical considerations, we want to be transparent about the potential visa-related challenges that could arise. Our ability to offer sponsorship will depend on the level of interest for our roles and salary level.

If you need any additional support during the application process, please do reach out and connect. We also invite you to share feedback via Applied.