Ground Systems Team Lead Engineer (Aerospace)

Location: Oxfordshire, UK, Didcot (Hybrid); hirify.global UK, Harwell. Hybrid working is available depending on individual role requirements.

Company

hirify.global develops on-orbit servicing technologies and solutions for the secure and sustainable development of space, serving government and commercial clients.

What you will do

• Own the Ground Segment system architecture, requirements, technical baseline, interfaces, data flows, configuration, and releases across all subsystems.
• Lead requirements capture, derivation, allocation, traceability, compliance management, integration, verification, validation, simulation, and end-to-end testing.
• Support the development and delivery of mission control, mission planning, ground station interfaces, and related ground segment software.
• Provide technical leadership through design reviews, governance, subsystem acceptance, documentation, planning, risk management, and technical reporting.
• Act as the technical interface for suppliers, engineering stakeholders, mission and systems teams, operations teams, and ground segment software teams.
• Support mission operations through troubleshooting, maintenance, training, and resolution of technical issues, including activities in the hirify.global Mission Control Centre.

Requirements

• University degree in Computer Science, Telecommunications, or another relevant engineering discipline.
• At least 5 years of industry experience designing and developing satellite user or ground segment products and technologies.
• Knowledge of C/C++, Java, and/or Python.
• Knowledge of the main ground segment components and how they interact.
• Ability to lead a small team of ground systems engineers and manage the technical output of the team.
• Operations experience and ability to interact with spacecraft operations engineers.
• Knowledge of project life cycle and acceptance procedures, including ECSS standards.
• Experience designing and developing software, including requirements, design, development, integration and testing, deployment, and maintenance.
• Ability to manage 4–6 team members, plan and assign technical work, conduct appraisals and probation reviews, support recruitment, and address team development and resource needs.

Nice to have

• At least 2 years of experience managing a team of systems engineers.
• At least 8 years of industry experience designing and developing satellite user or ground segment products and technologies.
• Experience with or knowledge of Scrum as a development team member or Product Owner.
• Experience with Mission Control Systems, preferably based on SCOS-2000.
• Familiarity with spacecraft communications protocols and standards such as CCSDS, CAN, and SpaceWire.
• Fluency in spoken and written English.

Culture & Benefits

• Flexible working around core hours in a supportive environment, with an optional 9/75 working pattern.
• 25 days of holiday, increasing yearly to a maximum of 28 days, plus 8 bank holidays.
• Life insurance, long-term sick pay, and private healthcare as a taxable benefit.
• Relocation allowance and visa sponsorship considered for employees.
• Access to a state-of-the-art office and cleanroom facility, plus regular social events.
• Inclusive recruitment practices, reasonable adjustments, and potential job share arrangements.