Space Systems Engineering Manager

Astroscale

Harwell, United Kingdom

Astroscale UK is looking for an experienced and motivated Space Systems Engineering Manager to lead our diverse, passionate, and talented team on all system engineering activities for Astroscale in the UK. 

This role will have overarching management responsibility for the spacecraft systems team; ensuring everyone works together to deliver appropriate solutions, to schedule and cost, across all projects.

We’ve got exciting new work coming in and as a result we need an experienced leader to take responsibility for delivering on all aspects of system engineering for ASUK.

Using your team first mindset and excellent organisational skills to maintain the department plan, as well as using your high level knowledge of spacecraft systems engineering, you will ensure high quality output from the team which is aligned to project and mission deadlines.

Responsibilities 

Providing leadership to the systems engineering group;
Technical mentoring of the systems engineering group;
Line management of Team Leads, including regular 1-2-1 meetings, helping to resolve blockers to workloads, supporting prioritisation of the workload, conducting appraisals and probation reviews as necessary;
Overall responsibility for the systems engineering group technical output;
Creating a plan to address resource shortfalls within the team, including hiring on a permanent and temporary basis, outsourcing etc.;
Communicating the group’s capacity and irreconcilable resource constraints to the Resource Manager;
Reviewing scoping and costing for new project work packages;
Reviewing and communicating work package, and other plans, within the group and to Project Managers, including any technical or schedule risks;
Working with the relevant Technical Architect, and/or Engineering Director, to:
- Ensure the quality of standards and procedures within the Systems Group;
- Define, map and propose relevant processes and procedures;
- Provide input and guidance to the technology roadmap for Systems.

Essential Skills

 Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in relevant engineering or scientific discipline;
Excellent knowledge of known systems engineering standards (e.g. INCOSE) and space industry standards (e.g. ECSS);
The ability to appropriately tailor and adapt standard engineering practises to a lean and fast-paced engineering development environment;
Working technical knowledge of various space- and ground- segment subsystems and specialist functions, particularly orbital mechanics and AOCS/GNC;
Able to effectively lead the management of technical risks;
10+ years’ experience of systems engineering within the commercial space industry;
Knowledge of the engineering product lifecycle including leading and planning for project review gates e.g. SRR, PDR, CDR, etc.;
5+ years’ recent experience in a line management role;
Excellent interpersonal, and communication skills;
Excellent documentation/written communication skills;
Excellent organisational skills, demonstrable ability to construct plans which are realistic and deliver against them in a fast-paced, dynamic environment;
Ability to be flexible regarding plans, and work with project managers to adjust plans in line with project or personnel changes;
Experienced and enthusiastic people manager, with a focus on leading and building strong teams, able to put the team and plan interests first;
Demonstrates behaviours in line with Astroscale values (Mission and People focused, Transparent, Innovative and Pioneering, Diverse, and Customer Focused).

Desirable skills

 Experience working in start-up, or SME, environment, preferably in the commercial “New Space” sector;
15+ years’ experience of systems engineering within the commercial space industry;
Excellent knowledge of AOCS/GNC subsystems both design and verification activities (e.g. hardware-in-the-loop);
Excellent knowledge of Robotics;
Good technical knowledge and understanding of spacecraft Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO);
Strong mathematical reasoning skills;
Working knowledge/experience of the software engineering lifecycle.

Apply Now

Don't forget to mention Space-Careers when applying.

Share this Job