71 jobs for “Spacecraft Engineer”
Flarebright Bicester £39,000 – £49,000 pa
Contributes across the full development lifecycle, from concept and algorithm design to system integration, testing and troubleshooting of safety-critical navigation and autonomy software in C++. Works with a multidisciplinary team on real-time embedded systems, hardware/software-in-the-loop testing and flight test activities, producing design documentation and test reports.
Holt Executive Oxfordshire £65,000 – £98,000 pa
Leads a team of systems engineers while actively contributing to the design and development of complex spacecraft systems across the full lifecycle, from mission concept to integration and verification. Focuses on technical trade-offs, requirements management, and cross-disciplinary coordination within a high-tech space organisation. Offers leadership responsibility alongside hands-on engineering in a collaborative, international environment.
ClearSpace London
Acts as technical authority for a pioneering space mission, leading end-to-end development across space, ground and launch segments. Coordinates multidisciplinary domain experts, manages technical baselines, budgets and risk, and supports in-orbit operations including LEOP and IOT. Based in London or Luxembourg, working with institutional and commercial partners.
Surrey Satellite Technology Guildford
Oversees the technical execution, cost, budget and delivery of mechanisms project solutions, ensuring adherence to risk profiles and design policies. Leads a team of electro-mechanical engineers, managing work packages, resource conflicts and capability development while collaborating with Mechanism Experts and Project Managers. Includes hands-on support for debugging mechanism hardware and some project and design work.
Surrey Satellite Technology Guildford
Manages small space projects and studies or supports larger programmes from contract award through development, launch preparation and in-orbit commissioning. Leads the day-to-day project core team, handling schedules, work packages, risk, earned value and financial performance, and supports bid activities with programme management input.
NewOrbit Space Reading
Structural analysis of flight hardware for VLEO satellites, covering static, modal, vibration, shock and quasi-static load cases. Builds and validates finite element models, performs hand calculations, and runs vibration and shock qualification test campaigns end-to-end, including instrumentation and model correlation. Works closely with mechanical, thermal, propulsion, systems and AIT teams across the full development lifecycle.
ClearSpace London
Owns the spacecraft thermal architecture across all mission phases, defining control strategies, thermal budgets and hardware such as MLI, radiators, heat pipes and heaters. Leads thermal modelling in ESATAN-TMS, verification and TVAC testing, and may coordinate the Mechanical, Thermal and Propulsion domains on a mission. Acts as technical authority liaising with customers, suppliers and partners while mentoring thermal engineers.
ARM Portsmouth £80 ph
Support the delivery of a Milsatcom Ground Control system, covering requirements analysis, traceability and verification, bill of materials and assembly tree management, and IVV&T support. The role also involves ground system architectural design trade-offs, non-conformance tracking, and technical proposal and bidding inputs, working alongside a Defence and Aerospace client.
Astroscale Didcot
Develops and operates in-house flight dynamics software for orbital manoeuvres, rendezvous, docking and collision avoidance across multiple mission phases. Interfaces with GNC, ground segment and contractor teams, supports 24/7 shift operations, and works with MATLAB, C++ and Python in a hybrid Harwell-based team.
Holt Executive Oxfordshire £60,000 – £94,000 pa
This role involves end-to-end mission operations for satellite systems, including real-time spacecraft control, anomaly resolution, mission planning, and development of operational tools and procedures. The engineer will act as a technical lead, support multiple mission phases, and innovate operations for a growing fleet. It offers broad technical ownership and strategic influence within a collaborative, international team.
Astroscale Didcot
Develops and maintains flight dynamics software for defence-focused space control missions, specifying algorithms and integrating with an in-house flight dynamics suite. Works in an Agile team with the commercial defence team and Chief Engineer, also supporting bids, customer training and ground segment verification and validation.
Spire Glasgow
Develops and maintains embedded Linux daemons and communication interfaces for satellite systems, working with Yocto on Xilinx MPSoC hardware. Involves C/C++, Bash and Python, low-level protocols like CAN/UART/SPI/I2C, and close collaboration with electrical engineers on board bring-up and fault-tolerant design.
Expert Employment Didcot £38,000 – £68,000 pa
Design and deliver RF and optical communications payload equipment for spacecraft, covering antennas, transponders, high power amplifiers, receivers and radio wave processors. The role combines hands-on technical delivery with consultancy to businesses and engagement with universities and research centres, plus bid writing for framework programmes such as IUK, ESA and Horizon.
Spire Glasgow
Design, implement, test and maintain embedded firmware for satellite systems, working across engineering groups on architecture and system design. Debug on-orbit and on-ground issues, optimise serial protocols and build interface tooling, using Embedded C, FreeRTOS, Python, Bash and Git on Linux. Fast design-to-launch cycles measured in weeks.
Expert Employment Aylesbury £34,000 – £52,000 pa
Design, analyse and optimise production tooling and fixturing for space propulsion systems, including chemical rocket engines and thrusters. Own solutions from concept through manufacture, validation, deployment and in-service support, working with Manufacturing and Process teams using CAD Creo, Lab Works and materials science. Requires aerospace manufacturing experience and a degree or HNC in Mechanical or Aerospace Design.
Alexander Associates Cambridgeshire
Hands-on role spanning the full engineering lifecycle of pressurised fluid systems for spacecraft hardware, from architecture, requirements and pressure/flow calculations through component selection, manufacture, integration and testing. Works closely with mechanical, systems and test engineers, and welcomes applicants from aerospace, propulsion, automotive or energy backgrounds rather than requiring space-sector experience.
