User Experience (UX) Manager for Commercial Space Infrastructures Utilization

A Joint Venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space is a global space manufacturer delivering, for more than 40 years, high-tech solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth Observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures. Thanks to our diversity of skills, talents and cultures, our customers (governments, institutions, space agencies, telecommunications operators), therefore have Space to Connect, Secure & Defend, Observe & Protect, Explore, Travel & Navigate.

We are looking for an User Experience (UX) Manager for Commercial Space Infrastructures Utilization

Thales Alenia Space is designing Space Infrastructures to enable experimentation, R&D, science and manufacturing in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) environment, this broad set of activities is hereinafter referred to as “Utilization”.

Expected customers / users are non-traditional non-space entities interested in Utilization, i.e. companies, institutions, academia looking to fly payloads and carry out experiments in LEO.

The User Experience (UX) Manager for Space Infrastructures Utilization is the “translator” between the customers / users world and the TAS / infrastructure world. The UX Manager is responsible for one or more customer / user segments (pharma, biotech, chemical, agrifood…).

The UX manager is responsible for scouting, familiarization, onboarding and managing new prospect customers / users in the assigned segment(s). In broad terms, this includes:

• assisting customers / users in understanding the value they can extract from space utilization,
• being the interface between customers / users and TAS technical teams during the experiment / payload definition journey,
• making sure the customers / users product (payload, experiment, facility…) is compatible with the space infrastructure, and
• ensuring the overall customer / user experience is positive and optimized.

Key Responsibilities:

For the assigned user segment, the UX Manager shall:

In general

• Keep an up-to date overview of market size and market trends
• Stay up to date with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in both the user and space infrastructure domains
• Identify user personas and user journeys
• Ideate and propose to management a set of UX performance metrics or KPIs to measure the effectiveness of customer / user engagement and to identify areas for continuous improvement, maintain and report regularly said metrics to monitor and analyze work impact

During the scouting phase

• Actively scout and be the first Point of Contact for new prospect customers / users, create and maintain a database of interested parties
• Educate / familiarize prospect customers / users on the possibilities and benefits of space and micro-gravity experimentation
• Gather market and customer demand signals, describe the desired user experience in technical terms and quantities that are understandable and actionable by the engineering team designing the space infrastructure
• Illustrate the capabilities / performance of the space infrastructure in technical terms and quantities that are understandable and meaningful to the customer / user

During the execution phase

• Engage and onboard users / customers who decide to fly on TAS Space Infrastructure
• Assist the user / customer during the payload definition (if the payload development is assigned to TAS, this includes translating user needs and desiderata into technical requirements, negotiating and freezing the technical specification that becomes part of the Statement of Work and contract)
• Work with TAS Project and Contracts departments to support the establishment of a utilization contract
• Assist the user / customer during the payload development cycle (if the payload development is assigned to TAS, this includes acting as Technical Interface between the customer / user team and the TAS technical team developing the payload), and during the certification, flight, and operations phase

After mission completion

• Follow-up with users / customers to gather feedback, analyze it and provide it to the relevant TAS stakeholder for information and for action
• Identify need or interest for follow up missions and further engagement
• Maintain engagement and be the PoC for the user / customer for future communications

​Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a STEM discipline pertinent to the assigned segment (preferred, e.g. Pharmaceutics, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Material Sciences, Agritech…), or in Aerospace Engineering.
• Familiarity with the space field, in particular with existing and future projects and products for in-space experimentation / utilization.
• Familiarity with the unique challenges of designing for zero-gravity or low-gravity environments.
• Excellent command of the English language.
• Proficiency with MS Office products.

Preferred qualifications

• Prior experience with or knowledge of UX design principles.
• Proven experience (typically 1+ years) in bridging across scientific and technical / engineering communities.
• Proven experience (typically 1+ years) in ISS utilization.
• Solid understanding of user research methodologies, R&D processes and data analysis.
• Familiarity and understanding of the regulatory framework affecting R&D in the assigned segment.

Behavioral Competencies:

User-orientation

The UX Manager shall have exceptional attention to the needs and objectives of the customer / user, and in particular shall display:

• Empathy for users and a passion for creating exceptional user experiences
• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail
• Collaborative and open-minded with a willingness to learn and adapt
• Ability to balance multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment

Leadership Skills:

The UX manager is an individual contributor, but interacts and collaborates on a daily basis with engineers, scientists, astronauts, and other stakeholders to ensure that space infrastructure systems and payloads / experiments work well together and meet the intended goals of customers / users.

The UX manager shall have excellent transversal management competencies in order to foster a collaborative and innovative work environment, representing the voice of the user / customer within TAS and mentoring / coaching non-experienced users / customers.

Collaboration and Communication:

The UX Manager shall have top-notch collaboration, communication and presentation skills, especially to:

• Be able to translate scientific objectives and performances into engineering requirements and performances. Work closely with engineers, scientists, product managers, astronauts, and other stakeholders to ensure seamless integration of customer / user payloads, experiments or facilities into space infrastructure.
• Advocate for user-centered design principles and be the voice of the user / customer within TAS.
• Be able to influence and articulate concepts and decisions to stakeholders.

At Thales Alenia Space we provide CAREERS and not only jobs. With Thales Alenia Space employing around 8,900 employees in 10 countries with 17 sites in Europe and a plant in the US, our mobility policy enables employees each year to develop their careers at home and abroad. Thales Alenia Space sees space as a new horizon, helping to build a better, more sustainable life on Earth #SpaceForLife. Great journeys start here, apply now!