Electric Propulsion Test Engineer (RF Gridded Ion Thrusters)

Location: Reading, UK; hybrid working with one dedicated remote day per week

Company

hirify.global develops very low Earth orbit satellites and AURA RF gridded ion thrusters for its own NEO-1 satellite and other operators.

What you will do

• Plan and own propulsion test campaigns supporting NEO-1 and customer thruster deliveries.
• Design, build, assemble, and maintain test rigs, electronics, vacuum facilities, and other propulsion test equipment.
• Operate vacuum systems, RF generators, high-voltage supplies, gas-feed systems, and thrust balances during electric propulsion tests.
• Run plasma diagnostics and data acquisition, analyse results, and feed findings back to propulsion design engineers.
• Maintain traceable records of test configurations and results for system verification and qualification.
• Integrate and test new ion propulsion system iterations with mechanical, electrical, and control engineers.

Requirements

• Practical experience testing electric propulsion systems, ideally involving RF generators, high-voltage power supplies, and thrust balances.
• Experience with vacuum systems, pumps, gauges, valves, power supplies, high-pressure gas tanks, mass flow controllers, and data acquisition systems.
• Working knowledge of RF gridded ion thrusters, plasma physics, plasma diagnostics, and ionisation processes.
• Rigorous approach to test planning, data quality, and technical documentation.
• Willingness to work extended hours on-site.

Nice to have

• Experience with Langmuir probes, retarding potential analysers, or other plasma diagnostics.
• Scripting experience for data analysis and test automation using Python or MATLAB.
• Experience designing test rigs or verifying hardware for flight programmes.

Culture & Benefits

• Work on RF gridded ion thrusters and a very low Earth orbit satellite platform.
• Ownership across the full lifecycle of satellite technology.
• Equity alongside a competitive salary.
• Private health insurance with dental and optical cover, plus annual health check-ups.
• Visa sponsorship and relocation support are available for candidates moving to join hirify.global.