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Hire space test engineers in the UK

What space test engineers are paid, what to name in the advert, and who you are up against — from the adverts on UK Space Jobs, not a survey. Looking for the roles themselves? See Space Test Engineer jobs.

What you will pay

£30k to £82k, most around £51k

The range employers advertised for space test engineers on UK Space Jobs over the last 12 months, base salary only, across 23 priced adverts. Adverts that state a salary get more applications than those that hide it, and a figure at or above the midpoint is the single cheapest thing you can do for the response.

  • Remote or anchored

    A fully remote role draws the whole country and can pay a little under the London figure; an anchored one competes locally and cannot.

  • Greenfield or inherited

    Building from nothing is worth more to the right person than running what exists, and they will ask which it is.

  • Someone senior to learn from

    A strong lead in the team is worth thousands on the offer; without one, expect to pay for that experience directly.

Who you are competing with

Hiring space test engineers on UK Space Jobs right now

  • Safran 1

Three live adverts for the role, as candidates see them. How rivals pitch it is worth a look before you write yours.

Airbus Defence and Space · 201–500 people

Systems Test Engineer

  • Stevenage
  • Hybrid
  • Mid-level
  • Permanent

Designs, builds and deploys complex automated test systems for RF and digital space equipment, writing scalable test automation in Python and Java for instrument control, DUT sequencing and data acquisition. Works in a ~30-person team supporting satellite programmes such as Galileo and OneSat, with a strong focus on test stability, error handling and CI/CD best practice.

MongoDB · Cassandra · CouchBase +1

SC clearance Last week

Airbus Defence and Space · 201–500 people

Systems Test Engineer

  • Portsmouth
  • Hybrid
  • Mid-level
  • Permanent

Design, build and deploy complex automated test systems for space equipment, writing Python and Java test automation for instrument control, DUT sequencing and data acquisition. Works in a ~30-person team supporting RF and digital testing for satellite programmes, with a strong focus on test stability, CI/CD and architectural documentation.

MongoDB · Cassandra · Couchbase +1

SC clearance Last week

Airbus Defence and Space · 201–500 people

Environmental Test Engineer

  • Stevenage
  • On-site
  • Mid-level
  • Permanent

Configure, instrument and operate electrodynamic shaker systems to run vibration and shock tests on new spacecraft equipment, installing accelerometers and flight hardware. Maintain test instrumentation and facilities through calibration and record keeping, support audits and act as a quality delegate. The test lab runs 24 hours a day, so shift cover is essential.

Vibration Control Software

SC clearance Last week

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