Senior Ground Segment Systems Engineer

Astroscale; South Oxfordshire; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leader in space sustainability is seeking an experienced Senior Ground Systems Engineer in Harwell, UK. This role involves key participation in the ground segment team, managing critical infrastructure and software necessary for satellite operations. Candidates should have a degree in Computer Science or a relevant field, with at least 5 years of experience in satellite ground systems engineering. The position offers a competitive salary and hybrid working options.

Benefits

Competitive base salary

Flexible working hours

Private healthcare

25 days holiday + 8 Bank Holidays

Relocation allowance

Visa sponsorship

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of industry experience in satellite ground systems engineering.
• Minimum 5 years of industry experience in the space sector.
• Good knowledge of the main components of a ground segment.

Responsibilities

• Participate in/lead the development of ground systems.
• Produce and maintain project documentation.
• Perform verification & validation of the systems.

Skills

Team player

Excellent communication skills

Fluency in spoken and written English

Excellent reporting skills

Proactive

Education

University degree in Computer Science, Telecommunications or relevant engineering discipline

Tools

SCOS-2000

C++

Java

Linux

Job description

Astroscale is seeking to employ an experienced and motivated Senior Ground Systems Engineer at our facility based in Harwell, UK.

The Senior Ground Systems Engineer will play a key leading role in the ground segment team, with a high level of autonomy and responsibility including providing technical expertise and mentoring team members.

They will be involved in the whole ground segment development process, from conceptual design to maintenance. The candidate will be involved in all the infrastructure and software on ground that is critical to safely operate a mission.

This is a key role with a critical responsibility to efficiently interface between the Mission & Systems team and the Operations team This gives the candidate the opportunity to be involved in all aspects of the ground segment, as well as participating to operational activities in the Astroscale control centre.

We are a fast-growing company where you can expand on your experience and develop your skills further to enable your team to deliver amazing results. Your role will help us make a difference every day by ensuring the ground segment framework is in place to drive forward our missions and help to make space safer and more sustainable for future generations.

Responsibilities

• Participate in/lead the development of ground systems including Mission Control System, Mission Planning System, Ground Stations Interface System
• Derive requirements for the ground segment in general and for specific components
• Interface with the external suppliers’ teams acting as a Product Owner or Technical Officer and provide support to the development team during the ground segment development phase
• Interface with the development team internally at Astroscale
• Interface with the Mission and Systems teams potentially based at other Astroscale locations

• Follow the Agile (SCRUM) methodology to ensure implementation of the requirements and maintain the schedule
• Produce and maintain project documentation to good standard including requirements, verification and validation plan, test procedures, test reports, etc.
• Perform verification & validation of the systems with other team members while ensuring requirements are met, including systems tests and simulation campaigns.
• Interface with the Mission Operations team and provide support / training on the ground systems
• Perform maintenance of the ground systems while being the interfacing point between the operations team and the developers to resolve technical issues

• Maintain (troubleshoot) ground segment components to support Satellite Operations

Essential Skills

• University degree in Computer Science, Telecommunications, or other relevant engineering discipline.

• Minimum 5 years of industry experience in satellite ground systems engineering.
• Minimum 5 years of industry experience in the space sector.
• Good knowledge of the main components of a ground segment (for example, mission control system, mission planning system) and how they interact between them.
• Essential team player as well as proactive.
• Excellent communication skills (required to interface with different cultures/nationalities)

• Excellent reporting skills (for documentation, keeping track of changes, etc)
• Good understanding/knowledge of space mission design/development and standard milestones.
• Good knowledge of Requirements Engineering.
• Good knowledge of system integration, verification and validation
• Fluency in spoken and written English.

Desirable skills

• Experience with Mission Control Systems, preferably based on SCOS-2000.

• Experience with Automation Systems and Mission Planning Systems.
• Experience with Ground Stations/Antenna communications.
• Knowledge of satellite operations
• Knowledge of Product life cycle
• Knowledge of ECSS and CCSDS

• Experience or knowledge of Scrum as being part of development team or Product Owner.
• Knowledge of C++ and/or Java programming languages.
• Basic Linux system administration, shell scripts, make, etc.
• Development on Linux systems.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary
• Opportunity to work with a highly talented, diverse & dynamic international team with cutting edge technology
• Flexible working around core hours in a friendly and supportive environment
• Optional 9/75 working pattern
• Hybrid working available (dependent on individual role requirements)
• 25 days holiday (increasing yearly up to a maximum of 28 days) + 8 days Bank Holiday
• Life insurance and long-term sick pay
• Private healthcare (taxable benefit)
• Relocation allowance
• Visa sponsorship for employees considered
• New state of the art office and cleanroom facility
• Regular social events

Location

Astroscale UK (Harwell).

About Astroscale

Founded in 2013, Astroscale is the global leader in on-orbit servicing, dedicated to the secure and sustainable development of space for the benefit of future generations. We provide trusted and value-added solutions for government and commercial clients from their geography of choice, to drive the long-term, circular space economy. Astroscale is also collaborating with government and commercial stakeholders to develop norms, regulations, and incentives that promote the sustainable growth of space.

Since our first successful launch in March 2021, Astroscale has proven rendezvous and proximity operations technologies in orbit during the ELSA-d and ADRAS-J missions, establishing the company as a leader in on-orbit servicing. Astroscale spacecraft have been selected for pioneering missions with JAXA, the U.S. Space Force, the European Space Agency, the UK Space Agency, and Eutelsat OneWeb. As more satellite operators adopt on-orbit servicing to routinely inspect, service and remove, the potential of a circular space economy — and a future of no waste in space — is being unlocked.

At Astroscale we pride ourselves on our inclusive culture. Our essential criteria are based solely on the requirements necessary to perform the role. If any criteria could present a barrier, we are open to discussing reasonable adjustments and are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process. Astrsocale is also open to supporting job share arrangements, to further our flexible working offering.

Note to recruitment agencies: Astroscale operates a preferred Supplier List, and we do not accept unsolicited agency approaches. Please do not forward candidate CVs or details in response to this advert, or to any Astroscale employee.