Chief Engineer

I’m working confidentially with a UK-based NewSpace company developing advanced space infrastructure and satellite technology. Well backed, and with government and agency-funded programmes already underway, they are looking for a Chief Engineer to provide technical leadership across a growing portfolio of technologies and missions.

The role

You’ll be the technical authority across the company’s engineering programmes, overseeing system architecture, design, development, integration, testing and verification of autonomous spacecraft technologies. Leading a multidisciplinary engineering team, you’ll ensure technical excellence, robust engineering processes and successful delivery from early-stage development through to flight-ready systems.

What you’ll be doing

• Providing overall technical leadership and engineering authority across spacecraft technologies, products and mission-development programmes
• Owning the technical integrity of projects from requirements and system architecture through detailed design, integration, verification, validation and delivery
• Translating mission and customer needs into clear system-level requirements, architectures, interfaces and development plans
• Leading and coordinating multidisciplinary engineering teams
• Ensuring robust systems-engineering practice, including requirements management, interface control, design justification, verification planning and configuration control
• Chairing technical reviews, including requirements and architecture reviews, PDRs, CDRs, TRRs and other engineering gates
• Making and approving key technical decisions and trade-offs, balancing performance, risk, cost, schedule and manufacturability
• Identifying and managing technical risk, with appropriate mitigation, testing and verification strategies
• Overseeing spacecraft and subsystem integration, laboratory and hardware-in-the-loop testing, and qualification activities
• Working with engineering and mission teams across the wider group to ensure compatibility with broader spacecraft architectures and missions
• Providing technical oversight of suppliers, subcontractors, universities and engineering partners
• Supporting technical engagement with space agencies, government and defence stakeholders
• Leading the technical side of proposals, feasibility studies and future mission concepts, including scope, development roadmaps and TRL progression
• Mentoring engineers, setting engineering standards and processes, and helping build a high-performing engineering organisation as the company scales

What you’ll need

• At least 7 years’ industry experience, ideally in the space sector or similar
• Strong spacecraft systems engineering expertise, with a proven ability to define architectures, requirements, interfaces and verification strategies for complex space systems
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and giving technical direction across software, GNC/AOCS, mechanical, electrical, avionics and AIT
• Experience across the full spacecraft development lifecycle, from concept through PDR/CDR, detailed design, integration, verification, qualification and flight readiness
• Excellent engineering judgement, with the ability to make and defend complex technical decisions and manage risk against performance, cost and schedule
• Strong communication and stakeholder-management skills, able to explain complex technical matters to engineers, senior management, customers and institutional stakeholders
• The right to work in the UK

Why this role?

This is a chance to shape the next generation of autonomous space technology as the senior technical voice in a high-performing, growing team, taking systems from early concept through to flight.