Aircraft Maintenance Technician - Spaceplane

Dawn Aerospace; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Dawn Aerospace in Christchurch, New Zealand, is seeking an Aircraft Maintenance Technician to support the Mk‑II Aurora spaceplane and its ground systems. This role emphasizes hands‑on maintenance, inspections, and operating procedures to enable high‑cadence flight operations.

You will work within the Flight Operations team, maintaining records, following safety controls, and contributing to maintenance manuals and training material as Dawn scales its operations in a fast‑moving aerospace

Qualifications

• Safety-focused mindset and willingness to stop, question, and escalate when needed.
• Ability to work across software, avionics, structures, propulsion, and systems with competing needs.
• Hands‑on aircraft and/or space system maintenance/assembly experience, ideally in flight‑test or R&D.
• Excellent attention to detail and a strong habit of completing documentation correctly.
• Ability to follow procedures carefully while also identifying where procedures need improvement.
• Comfortable working in a fast‑changing environment where systems are still being developed.
• Strong interest in aerospace, flight test, and novel technology is highly beneficial.
• CAA Part 102 or equivalent uncrewed aircraft maintenance standards experience.
• Existing LAME qualification.

Responsibilities

• Carry out pre‑flight, post‑flight, turnaround, and ground operations tasks on the Mk‑II spaceplane and related systems.
• Perform inspections, servicing, and recovery activities.
• Follow approved checklists, procedures, and safety controls during flight test operations.
• Identify, report, and help resolve issues affecting readiness or safety.
• Maintain clear communication with flight and ground crews during operations.
• Ensure tools, equipment, consumables, and ground support are ready for use.
• Record maintenance activities in logbooks and documentation.
• Provide practical feedback into procedural updates and training materials.
• Participate in lessons learned reviews from flight testing and maintenance errors.

Skills

Safety mindset

Cross‑discipline collaboration

Hands‑on maintenance

Attention to detail

Follow procedures with improvement

Adaptability

Aerospace enthusiasm

Education

LAME qualification

Job description

Jora New Zealand will close on 9th September 2026. Thank you for being with us, we are cheering you on as you continue your career journey.

Aircraft Maintenance Technician - Spaceplane

Dawn Aerospace – Christchurch, South Island

At Dawn Aerospace, we are building the future of space access through the Mk-II Aurora, a reusable, rocket-powered spaceplane designed to operate with the frequency, responsiveness, and practicality of aircraft. As we continue to expand flight operations and advance the Mk-II programme, we are seeking an Aircraft Maintenance Technician to play a key role in preparing, maintaining, inspecting, and operating the spaceplane and its supporting ground systems.

This is a hands-on role for someone who enjoys working directly with hardware, solving problems at the point of use, and contributing to the development of a new generation of aerospace operations.

The successful candidate will be a core member of the Flight Operations team, supporting both day-to-day maintenance activities and the continual improvement of maintenance processes as Dawn scales towards increasingly frequent flight operations. This role reports to the Flight Operations Team Lead and works closely with stakeholders across the wider Spaceplane programme.

We are looking for someone who combines technical competence with a practical mindset. You will be comfortable following established procedures, identifying and addressing issues before they become problems, maintaining accurate records, and contributing ideas that improve safety, reliability, and operational efficiency. Success in this role requires adaptability, attention to detail, and a willingness to take ownership in a fast-moving aerospace programme.

If you're motivated by working on cutting-edge flight hardware, enjoy turning plans into operational reality, and want to help build the maintenance foundations that support high-cadence reusable spaceflight, we'd love to hear from you.

At Dawn Aerospace, we are building the future of space access through the Mk-II Aurora, a reusable, rocket-powered spaceplane designed to operate with the frequency, responsiveness, and practicality of aircraft. As we continue to expand flight operations and advance the Mk-II programme, we are seeking an Aircraft Maintenance Technician to play a key role in preparing, maintaining, inspecting, and operating the spaceplane and its supporting ground systems.

This is a hands-on role for someone who enjoys working directly with hardware, solving problems at the point of use, and contributing to the development of a new generation of aerospace operations.

The successful candidate will be a core member of the Flight Operations team, supporting both day-to-day maintenance activities and the continual improvement of maintenance processes as Dawn scales towards increasingly frequent flight operations. This role reports to the Flight Operations Team Lead and works closely with stakeholders across the wider Spaceplane programme.

We are looking for someone who combines technical competence with a practical mindset. You will be comfortable following established procedures, identifying and addressing issues before they become problems, maintaining accurate records, and contributing ideas that improve safety, reliability, and operational efficiency. Success in this role requires adaptability, attention to detail, and a willingness to take ownership in a fast-moving aerospace programme.

If you're motivated by working on cutting-edge flight hardware, enjoy turning plans into operational reality, and want to help build the maintenance foundations that support high-cadence reusable spaceflight, we'd love to hear from you.

What You’ll Do
Flight operations support

• Carry out pre-flight, post-flight, turnaround, and ground operations tasks such as propellant filling on the Mk-II spaceplane and associated systems.

• Conduct maintenance activities, such as inspections, servicing, and recovery activities.

• Follow approved checklists, procedures, work instructions, and safety controls during flight test operations.

• Identify, report, and help resolve issues that could affect aircraft readiness or operational safety.

• Maintain clear communication with flight crew and ground crew during flight operations.

• Ensure tools, equipment, consumables, and ground support systems are available, serviceable, and ready for use.

• Record maintenance and ground operations activities accurately in the appropriate logbooks and documentation.

• Provide practical feedback from hands‑on maintenance and flight operations activities, into procedural and process updates.

• Support development of Mk‑II maintenance manuals and maintenance training material.

• Participate in reviews of lessons learned from flight testing, maintenance errors, and operational experience.

Aircraft Maintenance

• Drive production and assembly development, including wire harnessing, structural assemblies, and test rig builds.

• Perform scheduled and unscheduled maintenance on the Mk-II spaceplane and related systems in accordance with the Maintenance Programme.

• Work with design engineers to develop and refine maintenance procedures, inspection tasks, checklists, and work instructions.

• Assist with defect investigation, rectification, inspections, functional checks, and return‑to‑service preparation.

• Drive maintenance planning by providing practical feedback on task timing, tooling, access, and execution risks.

• Maintain high standards of housekeeping, tool control, configuration control, and maintenance discipline.

• Takes initiative to identify opportunities to reduce maintenance errors, improve turnaround efficiency, and make the aircraft easier to operate and maintain

What We’re Looking For

• A safety-focused mindset and willingness to stop, question, and escalat…

• Ability to work across different disciplines (software, avionics, structures, propulsion, systems) with competing needs and priorities.

• Hands‑on aircraft and/or space system maintenance/assembly experience, ideally in flight‑test, R&D, UAV, experimental aviation, and/or similar complex technical environment.

• Excellent attention to detail and a strong habit of completing documentation correctly.

• Ability to follow procedures carefully while also identifying where procedures need improvement.

• Comfortable working in a fast‑changing environment where systems, procedures, and responsibilities are still being developed.

• Strong interest in aerospace, flight test, and/or novel technology is highly beneficial.

• Prior experience with CAA Part 102 or equivalent uncrewed aircraft maintenance standards.

• Existing LAME qualification.