User Experience (UX) Manager for Commercial Space Infrastructures

Overview

Join to apply for the User Experience (UX) Manager for Commercial Space Infrastructures role at Thales. A Joint Venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space is a global space manufacturer delivering high-tech solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth Observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. Our customers (governments, institutions, space agencies, telecommunications operators) have Space to Connect, Secure & Defend, Observe & Protect, Explore, Travel & Navigate.

We are looking for a User Experience (UX) Manager for Commercial Space Infrastructures. The UX Manager will lead the design and optimization of user experiences for a wide variety of applications in space environments, collaborating with engineers, scientists, astronauts, and other stakeholders to ensure that space infrastructure systems are user-friendly and meet operational needs across missions.

Responsibilities

• Leadership and Team Management: Lead, mentor, and manage a team of UX designers and researchers focusing on space infrastructure applications; foster a collaborative and innovative environment and support for professional development.
• User Research and Analysis: Conduct and oversee user research in space contexts (contextual inquiries, task analyses, user interviews with astronauts and mission control personnel); analyze data to identify pain points and improvement opportunities.
• Design Strategy and Execution: Develop and implement UX design strategies for space infrastructure systems; create and present wireframes, prototypes, and design specifications for life support systems, navigation tools, control interfaces, and related applications.
• Collaboration and Communication: Work with engineers, scientists, product managers, astronauts, and other stakeholders to integrate UX designs into space development; advocate for user-centered design principles and usability in harsh space environments.
• Quality Assurance: Ensure usability, accessibility, and visual design standards; conduct usability testing in simulated or actual space environments and iterate designs based on feedback.
• Metrics and Improvement: Monitor UX performance metrics to measure effectiveness and drive continuous improvement; stay updated with industry trends and best practices relevant to space infrastructure.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), UX Design, Aerospace Engineering, or related field.
• Typically 5+ years of UX design and research experience, with at least 2 years in a leadership role.
• Strong portfolio across UX design projects, preferably with space, aerospace, or related industries.
• Proficiency in design and prototyping tools such as Sketch, Figma, Adobe XD, or similar.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills to articulate design concepts and decisions to stakeholders.
• Solid understanding of user research methodologies, usability testing, and data analysis.
• Experience working in Agile or other iterative development environments.
• Knowledge of accessibility standards and guidelines, focusing on constraints of space infrastructures.

Special Considerations

• Familiarity with challenges of designing for zero-gravity or low-gravity environments.
• Understanding of space mission protocols and regulatory standards related to space infrastructures.
• Ability to work under tight deadlines and high-stakes projects in a pioneering field.

The User Experience Manager for Space Infrastructures will play a pivotal role in advancing space operations by ensuring that tools and systems used by astronauts and mission control are user-friendly and conducive to successful missions. If you are passionate about UX design and motivated by the challenge of pioneering frontiers in space infrastructure, we encourage you to apply.

At Thales Alenia Space we provide CAREERS and not only jobs. We employ around 8,900 people in 10 countries with 17 sites in Europe and a plant in the US. Our mobility policy enables employees to develop their careers locally or abroad. Space for Life. Great journeys start here, apply now!