Defence Mission Concepts Engineer

Astroscale is an exciting and dynamic company who are world-leaders in the development of Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) and the growing In-Orbit Servicing market. Part of the company’s strategy looks to exploit our advanced capabilities and technology to meet Defence requirements, diversifying our portfolio and ultimately making Space more safe, sustainable and secure.  

 

This role will focus on developing critical technical outputs to support the Business Development (BD) team, helping to bring new mission concepts and ideas to life for our customers and stakeholders.  

 

Help us to think fast and drive growth.  

 

The position will not work in isolation and will regularly collaborate with other functions to achieve results. Business Development will set tasks and provide the customer /strategic context. Business Analysis will advise on market demand and other commercial factors for consideration. Government Affairs will provide similar advice on the mindset of politicians and other key senior stakeholders in government. The Engineering and Delivery team will provide essential specialist information to support technical and programmatic development. As such, a successful candidate will need to have great communication and coordination skills and be able to understand a wide range of topics (technical, programmatic and commercial) to bring together the best solution.      

 

The candidate will be helping to define Astroscale’s missions and concepts of the future, so it is essential to have a good technical background and be able to develop a deep understanding of our missions and system designs. Applicants must be able to consider Astroscale’s existing product line and contribute ideas as to how they might be further developed or applied to meet the challenges faced by UK Ministry of Defence (MOD).  

 

 

Responsibilities  

  

• Develop a broad understanding of Astroscale’s missions, capabilities and technology and use this knowledge to provide technical support to the company’s growth within the Defence sector.  
  
• Provide technical support to shape Astroscale’s Defence strategy and capture plans:  
  • Develop technology and mission concepts to align with customer needs. 
  • Provide technical support to capture planning activities (e.g. Customer Value Proposition, Competitor Analysis, Position-to-Win, etc.). 
  • Support the development and communication of Astroscale’s Defence Strategy.   
• Act as the technical lead for the development of key BD outputs (e.g. Proposals, White Papers, Presentation Material, Briefing Packs):  
  • Coordinate and assess technical inputs from systems engineers, subsystem engineers and external partners or suppliers.  
  • Combine and shape inputs to present an attractive technical solution to stakeholders.  
  • Technical review of all proposal elements. 
  • Prepare work package descriptions, in collaboration with engineering teams. 
  • Support project costing and planning. 
    
• Take a leading role to coordinate horizon scanning and situational awareness activities 
  • Lead and coordinate the monitoring of defence frameworks.  
  • Maintain stakeholder maps for key customer organisations.  
  • Support the coordination of the Customer Relationship Management tool and develop processes to enhance value to the commercial team and wider business.  
    
• Act as the technical lead for early phase studies related to Defence.  
  • Author and review technical project documentation. 
  • Develop technology and mission concepts through early phase analysis, design and development. 
  • Coordinate inputs and supporting analysis from system and subsystem experts. 
  • Present technical outputs to internal and external stakeholders.  

Essential Skills 

  

• Undergraduate Degree in a Technical, Scientific or Analytical subject. 
• At least 2 years-experience of a technical role within the Space Industry.  
• An understanding of the critical subsystems that make up a satellite mission. 
• Commercial mindset, able to understand and appreciate the customer’s drivers.  
• Ability to develop technical outputs in different formats (reports, presentations, etc.).   
• Ability to summarise technical conclusions to a non-technical audience. 
• Strong communication and coordination skills, allowing you to interact with technical and non-technical team members and internal stakeholders.  
• Fast learner able to apply critical thinking to develop technical solutions to evolving problems for Defence customers.  
• Comfortable working with Microsoft office applications (word, excel, Powerpoint)  

 

 

Desirable skills 

  

• Understanding of Space Domain Awareness / Space Situational Awareness. 
• Understanding of Space Control and relevant payload.  
• Understanding of UK MOD’s long-term aspirations for Space.  
• Experience or understanding of full mission lifecycle (including AIT and operations). 
• Experience of modelling & simulation to support technical development/assessment. 
• Experience working on UK MOD proposals and studies, and capture management. 
• Experience with mission costing and estimating.   

 

 

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 

 

We aim to deliver cutting edge technologies that will become part of routine commercial space operations by 2030. 

 

Astroscale is the first private company with a vision to secure the safe and sustainable development of space for the benefit of future generations, and the only company dedicated to in-orbit servicing across all orbits. Founded in 2013, we are developing innovative and scalable solutions across the spectrum of in-orbit servicing missions, including End of Life services, Active Debris Removal, In-situ Space Situational Awareness and Life Extension Services, to create sustainable space systems and mitigate against the hazardous build-up of debris in space. 

 

Astroscale is an Equal Opportunities employer and embraces a diverse workforce. All qualified applicants, including minorities, women and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. 

 

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.