UK Project Manager / Senior Project Manager

Orbit Fab's mission is to create the foundational infrastructure that will fuel a bustling in-space economy, capable of sustaining permanent jobs in space. Today, satellites cannot be refueled, which severely constrains their mobility and inhibits the development of economic activities in space. Orbit Fab breaks the single-use paradigm, pioneering our Gas Stations in Space™ refueling infrastructure and RAFTI™ technology to deliver propellant in space, enabling lower-cost satellite construction, increased maneuverability, precise control, and extended lifespans. The possibilities are unprecedented, opening the doors to unimagined operational strategies and business models.

Since our establishment in 2018, we have already achieved the successful launch of three tankers to space. With offices in both the US and UK, we are working in close collaboration with partners and customers across the space industry. Orbit Fab is rapidly ramping up capabilities and requires exceptional talent to tackle important challenges. Our roles offer wide ranging opportunities to have a demonstrable impact and enable a bustling space economy.

As a Project Manager or Senior Project Manager, you will lead the delivery of complex technology development and space segment projects, as well as contributing to bids in terms of how they are structured and optimised for successful delivery. The ideal candidate will be technically proficient and preferably have experience in managing flight hardware development campaigns as well as strong stakeholder and supplier management skills.

If working in a fast-paced startup environment, building a bustling space economy and leading exciting projects with a hands-on approach, we want to hear from you.

What you'll do:

• Lead and coordinate the project teams, and provide clear direction and communication both across the internal team, external partner companies and customer/funding organisations.
• Define and maintain the objectives, deliverables and scope of projects and manage the delivery to time, costs and quality while avoiding scope creep.
• Manage the project budget and resources including tracking expenses and labour to keep costs within the defined budget.
• Track project progress and performance against the schedule and KPI’s to adapt changing workflows or schedules when delays happen to maintain deadlines as far as possible.
• Manage risks across the projects and ensure suitable mitigation strategies are identified to be implemented as required. Work with the project team to solve issues as and when they arise.
• Manage the coordination and completion of deliverables and milestones (such as SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, and FRR) across the project organisation and with the customer.
• Support the delivery of bids for commercial and institutional projects, including all aspects of project planning such as cost estimation & scheduling.

Qualifications:

• Five years or more expertise in project management – preferably including space hardware or missions, or with space engineering experience.
• Experience working to deliver complex projects with government agencies, civil or defence. Experience working with ESA is desirable.
• Proven ability to manage multi-million pound space development projects of greater than 2 years duration.
• Proven ability to negotiate, manage and deliver through subcontractors and suppliers.

Nice to Haves:

• Knowledge or experience in satellite propulsion or orbital servicing.
• Familiarity with qualification/verification for space systems, ECSS or NASA standards and new space approaches.
• Experience of mission design and operations with working knowledge in multiple segments of the systems lifecycle.

Salary: Competitive salary depending on experience.

Location and Benefits: The UK Orbit Fab office is based at Harwell Campus, the UK’s preeminent gateway to the space industry, and only a short drive from Oxford with convenient access to London. We currently ask full-time staff to be in office, or travel on business, for 10 days per month. We offer a range of benefits including private healthcare, workplace pensions, Learning and development allowance and more. These can be discussed more during the interview process.

Eligibility: Candidate must have right to work in the UK and will be subject to checks for suitability for working on EAR controlled programmes.

Orbit Fab is an equal opportunity employer, committed to being a diverse and inclusive place in which our talent can thrive. As such, Orbit Fab does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organisation, retaliation, parental status, military service, other non-merit factor or any other protected characteristic or protected category recognised by the law of jurisdictions in which we operate. All hiring and recruitment decisions made at Orbit Fab are subject to Orbit Fab’s compliance with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements.