Lead Spacecraft Engineer

Fruition Group US; California (MO); On-site; USD 165,000 - 225,000; Full time

Job summary

Fruition Group US is seeking a senior spacecraft engineer to lead architecture and technical decision-making across design, development, integration, testing and mission delivery. You will guide a growing team of engineers and work with multidisciplinary groups to shape future missions.

This role offers ownership in a fast-moving, high-growth environment, exposure to flight hardware, launch integration, and close collaboration with customers and external partners.

Qualifications

• A degree in engineering, physics or a related technical discipline.
• Several years of hands-on spacecraft development experience.
• Experience with flight hardware / flight-proven spacecraft.
• Strong systems engineering and spacecraft architecture experience.
• Experience leading technical teams or complex hardware programmes.
• Broad understanding of spacecraft subsystems and interfaces.
• Experience with AI&T, qualification testing and mission assurance.
• Familiarity with launch integration and rideshare missions.
• Ability to operate effectively in a fast-moving, high-growth environment.

Responsibilities

• Leading spacecraft architecture and technical decision-making
• Driving requirements, system design and engineering reviews
• Supporting spacecraft development from concept through launch
• Overseeing integration, testing and environmental qualification
• Working across ADCS, power, communications, avionics and payload integration
• Supporting launch vehicle and rideshare integration
• Leading technical investigations and resolving complex engineering issues
• Working closely with customers, suppliers and external partners
• Mentoring and developing a growing spacecraft engineering team
• Helping establish processes and standards as the organisation scales

Skills

Spacecraft design

Systems engineering

Technical leadership

Flight hardware

Spacecraft integration

Testing & qualification

Mission delivery

Mentoring

Education

Engineering degree

Job description

A fantastic opportunity has opened up with a rapidly growing space company developing and delivering next-generation spacecraft.

The company is scaling its engineering organisation and is looking for a senior spacecraft engineer to take a leading role across spacecraft design, development, integration, testing and mission delivery.

This is an opportunity to join the business at an exciting stage of growth, with significant technical ownership and the chance to help shape both future missions and the engineering organisation behind them.

You’ll act as a senior technical leader across spacecraft programmes, working closely with multidisciplinary teams covering systems, mechanical, electrical, software and avionics engineering.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading spacecraft architecture and technical decision-making
• Driving requirements, system design and engineering reviews
• Supporting spacecraft development from concept through launch
• Overseeing integration, testing and environmental qualification
• Working across ADCS, power, communications, avionics and payload integration
• Supporting launch vehicle and rideshare integration
• Leading technical investigations and resolving complex engineering issues
• Working closely with customers, suppliers and external partners
• Mentoring and developing a growing spacecraft engineering team
• Helping establish processes and standards as the organisation scales

We’re interested in speaking with experienced spacecraft engineers who have:

• A degree in engineering, physics or a related technical discipline
• Several years of hands‑on spacecraft development experience
• Experience working on flight hardware / flight-proven spacecraft
• Strong systems engineering and spacecraft architecture experience
• Experience leading technical teams or complex hardware programmes
• A broad understanding of spacecraft subsystems and their interfaces
• Experience with AI&T, qualification testing and mission assurance
• Familiarity with launch integration and rideshare missions
• The ability to operate effectively in a fast‑moving, high‑growth environment

Experience in both established aerospace environments and startups would be valuable, as would experience taking spacecraft from early design through to launch and operations.

The company is at a really exciting point in its growth, combining experienced space engineers with a highly ambitious approach to spacecraft development.

You’ll have the opportunity to work on real flight hardware, make meaningful technical decisions and help build the engineering capability of a company that is scaling quickly.

It’s a particularly interesting opportunity for someone who wants genuine ownership rather than simply managing from a distance.

Approx. $165k–$225k base + equity and benefits