Senior Product Assurance Manager

Darwin Recruitment; England; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading orbital services company near Harwell is seeking a Senior Product Assurance Manager to oversee quality activities for flagship space missions. You will lead assurance processes across projects, from supporting teams with documentation to managing supplier quality relationships. The ideal candidate has over 5 years in product assurance, especially in aerospace, and strong communication skills. This hybrid role offers a great opportunity to influence and lead complex space hardware projects.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in product or quality assurance, preferably in space or aerospace.
• Experience managing QA processes across full hardware and software project lifecycles.
• Strong communication and documentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead all product and quality assurance activities for assigned projects.
• Support cross-functional teams with reviews and documentation.
• Manage supplier QA/PA relationships, including audits.

Skills

Product assurance experience

Quality assurance experience

Strong communication skills

Problem-solving skills

Job description

Senior Product Assurance Manager – Space Missions

Oxfordshire, UK (Hybrid)

An orbital services company based near Harwell is hiring a Senior Product Assurance Manager to lead assurance activities across their flagship space missions. This is a hands‑on role, overseeing quality and product assurance for systems that include flight hardware, software, and ground infrastructure.

You’d be the primary PA lead for one or more major programmes, working closely with engineering, manufacturing, and project teams to make sure everything going into space is built and verified to spec. That includes interfacing with customers, managing suppliers, supporting audits, producing documentation, and mentoring other PA engineers along the way.

The projects you’ll be supporting are focused on in‑orbit servicing, satellite assembly, and novel orbital manufacturing concepts. If you’ve been in space or aerospace quality roles and want to get closer to advanced, mission‑critical work, this is a strong opportunity.

What you’ll be doing

• Leading all product and quality assurance activities for assigned projects
• Supporting cross-functional teams with reviews, process checks, and documentation
• Reviewing materials, parts, and manufacturing plans for compliance
• Managing supplier QA/PA relationships, including audits and issue resolution
• Contributing to the company’s internal quality system and standards
• Acting as the point of contact for customers on QA topics
• Delegating tasks and mentoring junior members of the PA team
• Supporting proposal writing from a product assurance perspective

What they’re looking for

• 5+ years in product or quality assurance, preferably in space or aerospace
• Experience managing QA processes across full hardware and software project lifecycles
• A pragmatic approach to solving real‑world QA problems
• Comfortable interacting with suppliers, customers, and internal teams
• Strong communication and documentation skillsOrganised, reliable, and proactive

Bonus points for

• Experience working with UKSA or ESA
• Exposure to software or ground segment assurance
• Internal audit experience or formal auditing training
• Familiarity with QMS systems and improvement initiatives

This is a hybrid role with flexibility on‑site at their Oxfordshire office. If you’re interested in helping deliver complex space hardware safely and reliably, with a lot of room to influence and lead, it’s a great fit.

Darwin Recruitment is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.

Adam Slade