Head of Spectrum & Regulatory Affairs

Open Cosmos Ltd
Didcot, OX11 0RL, United Kingdom
3 months ago
Job Type
Permanent
Work Pattern
Full-time
Work Location
On-site
Seniority
Director
Education
Degree
Posted
2 Mar 2026 (3 months ago)

Aim high, go beyond!

At Open Cosmos we are solving the world’s biggest challenges from space, providing businesses, governments and researchers access to more readily available information than ever before - ready for the challenge? Then read on…

The Satcom team is responsible for the design, delivery and performance of Open Cosmos’ satellite communications services, spanning the space segment, ground infrastructure and global connectivity.

AsHead of Spectrum & Regulatory Affairs, you will lead the stewardship, protection and strategic development of Open Cosmos’ global spectrum assets.

What will you be doing?

You will define and execute the regulatory and spectrum strategy required to secure and protect ITU filings, enable international market access, and ensure compliance across all operational jurisdictions.

You will:

  • Own the lifecycle of Open Cosmos’ spectrum assets, including the management and protection of ITU filings and regulatory rights.

  • Lead global frequency coordination with satellite operators and national administrations.

  • Oversee technical studies supporting regulatory submissions, including compatibility analyses, interference modelling, link budgets and EPFD assessments.

  • Define and execute the company’s long-term spectrum roadmap.

  • Enable global market access, managing licensing processes for gateways, TT&C infrastructure and user terminals across multiple jurisdictions.

  • Translate regulatory and sovereignty requirements into engineering and operational constraints for satellite networks.

  • Act as the key regulatory interface for Mission Operations, Ground Segment and engineering teams.

  • Ensure operational compliance with regulatory limits, including spectrum usage, interference thresholds and shutdown procedures.

  • Represent Open Cosmos with regulators, international bodies and industry stakeholders.

What You’ll bring

  • Deep expertise in ITU Radio Regulations, filing procedures and international coordination processes.

  • Strong understanding of satellite communications systems, including RF performance, link budgets, interference analysis and EPFD constraints.

  • Experience leading spectrum strategy and regulatory negotiations with administrations and satellite operators.

  • Strong knowledge of national licensing frameworks and global regulatory environments.

  • Ability to translate regulatory requirements into technical, operational and commercial strategy.

  • Confidence representing organisations in international regulatory forums and industry bodies.

  • Strong collaboration skills across engineering, mission operations, legal and commercial teams.

  • Strategic thinking combined with the ability to drive complex regulatory programmes through to delivery.

This role will be based in any of our locations.

To apply, you must have the legal right to work in your chosen location.

When applying, please submit your CV in English.

Why Open Cosmos?

  • Work at the cutting edge of space technology with customers around the globe.

  • A mission-driven company making space accessible to help solve real-world challenges.

  • A diverse, ambitious, and supportive team.

Related Jobs

View all jobs

Head of Software & Cloud Infrastructure

Open Cosmos Ltd Didcot, OX11 0RL, United Kingdom
On-site

Senior Integration Engineer - Aerospace - Oxford

Bond Williams Oxford, United Kingdom
On-site

Industry Insights

Discover insightful articles, industry insights, expert tips, and curated resources.

Where to Advertise Space Jobs in the UK (2026 Guide)

Where to advertise space jobs UK in 2026: the specialist boards, agency channels and community routes that reach satellite, propulsion and launch talent. The candidate pool spans satellite engineers, propulsion specialists, mission analysts, ground segment software developers, space systems architects and commercial space professionals — a highly specific multidisciplinary community that general job boards are poorly equipped to reach. The strongest space candidates are often embedded in ESA programmes, academic research groups, UK Space Agency-funded projects or established primes, and move between roles through sector-specific networks, industry bodies and conference communities rather than mainstream platforms. This guide, published by UKSpaceJobs.co.uk, covers where to advertise space industry roles in the UK in 2026, how the main platforms compare, what employers should expect to pay, and what the data says about hiring across different role types.

Space Jobs UK 2026: What to Expect Over the Next 3 Years

Space Jobs UK 2026: roles, salaries and the UK space sector hiring trends shaping satellites, launch, Earth observation and space data careers. The UK space sector is in the middle of something that feels genuinely historic. A combination of government commitment, private capital, and technological progress has transformed Britain's position in the global space economy from a capable but secondary player into a nation with serious sovereign ambitions — and a jobs market that is expanding to match them. This is not the space industry of previous generations, defined by a small number of government agencies, a handful of prime contractors, and career pathways accessible only to a narrow band of elite engineers and scientists. The new space economy is broader, faster-moving, and more commercially driven than anything the sector has previously seen. Satellite manufacturing has been democratised by small sat technology. Launch is becoming domestic. Space data is flowing into applications across agriculture, insurance, climate monitoring, maritime, and defence at a scale that is creating entirely new categories of commercial hiring. And the defence and national security dimensions of space have elevated the sector's strategic importance to a degree that is driving sustained public investment in the talent pipeline. For job seekers, the UK space jobs market of 2026 represents an opportunity that is both more accessible and more technically demanding than at any previous point. The candidates who will thrive over the next three years are those who understand where the sector is heading — which programmes are moving from development into operation, which technologies are defining the architecture of modern space systems, and how the definition of a space career is expanding well beyond the spacecraft engineering core toward a much wider ecosystem of roles across the full space value chain. This article breaks down what the UK space jobs market is likely to look like through to 2028 — covering the titles emerging right now, the technologies driving employer demand, the skills that will matter most, and how to position your career at the leading edge of one of the most exciting sectors in the UK economy.