Quality Control (QC) Engineer (shift based)

Open Cosmos Ltd
Didcot, OX11 0RL, United Kingdom
4 months ago
Job Type
Permanent
Work Pattern
Shift-work
Work Location
On-site
Seniority
Mid
Education
Degree
Posted
30 Jan 2026 (4 months ago)

Benefits

24/7 shift pattern Cutting-edge space technology

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…

Our COO Teams are the engine that powers Open Cosmos’ operations. This division brings together mission management, supply chain, and quality & product assurance to make sure every mission is delivered smoothly, reliably, and to the highest standards. They turn plans into action, keeping us efficient and mission-ready at all times.

Working in the QPA Team

At Open Cosmos, our Quality and Product Assurance (QPA) team is central to ensuring that everything we deliver meets the highest standards of performance, reliability, and safety. The team is dedicated to embedding quality into every stage of our work — from design and development through to production, testing, and launch — ensuring that our satellites and systems are ready to perform their mission with confidence.

What will you be doing?

As a Quality Control (QC) Engineer, you’ll be a hands-on presence providing quality oversight during build, integration, and test activities. You’ll work closely with Engineering, AIT, Supply Chain, and suppliers to ensure only fully compliant hardware and software progress through the production lifecycle.

You’ll:

  • Perform incoming, in-process, and final inspections of mechanical, electrical, and electronic hardware in line with ECSS, ISO9001, and internal quality requirements.

  • Verify compliance against engineering drawings, specifications, and acceptance criteria.

  • Provide quality oversight during AIT activities, including integration, testing, and environmental campaigns.

  • Raise, document, and track non-conformances, deviations, and waivers, supporting root cause analysis and corrective actions.

  • Participate in Material Review Boards (MRBs) and support implementation of agreed dispositions.

  • Ensure configuration management and full traceability across design, build, test, and delivery phases.

  • Review manufacturing, inspection, and test documentation for completeness, accuracy, and compliance.

  • Support supplier quality activities, including source inspections, incoming acceptance, and follow-up on supplier non-conformances.

  • Contribute to formal reviews (PRR, TRR, QR, FRR) by providing inspection status, quality metrics, and evidence of compliance.

  • Maintain accurate quality records in ERP/PLM systems and digital QMS tools.

  • Identify recurring issues and trends, contributing to continuous improvement initiatives.

  • Support internal and external audits with clear, well-structured quality evidence.

What You’ll bring

You’ll have a practical, detail-driven mindset and enjoy working close to the hardware, ensuring quality is applied, verified, and documented at every stage and bring:

  • Hands-on application of Quality Control activities within a regulated engineering or manufacturing environment.

  • Working knowledge of ECSS, ISO9001, and relevant space or aerospace quality standards.

  • Capability to perform inspections, testing, non-conformance reporting, and support root cause analysis and corrective actions.

  • Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, specifications, and test procedures.

  • Understanding of configuration management, document control, and traceability requirements across the product lifecycle.

  • Ability to work effectively with suppliers and cross-functional internal teams.

  • Comfort using ERP/PLM systems and digital QMS tools to maintain accurate quality records.

This role is based onsite in Harwell, Oxfordshire.

If successful you’ll work a rotating 24/7 shift pattern, supporting continuous assembly operations and satellite production while helping ensure key manufacturing milestones are delivered and coverage is maintained at all times.

To apply, you must have the legal right to work in the UK.

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

Quality Inspector (Aerospace/Precision Engineering)

Ernest Gordon Recruitment Basildon, Essex, United Kingdom
£35,000 – £36,000 pa On-site

Data Software Engineer

Open Cosmos Ltd Didcot, OX11 0RL, United Kingdom
Remote

Engineering Surveyor

J Murphy & Sons Amersham on the Hill, Buckinghamshire, HP6 6LD, United Kingdom

Quality Manager - CNC Machining / Aerospace

Hudson Shribman North Watford, Hertfordshire, WD24 6DA, United Kingdom
£55,000 – £60,000 pa

Quality Engineer

Spire Glasgow, Alba / Scotland, G2 1AL, United Kingdom

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.