Careers

ROLE PURPOSE

As a fluid systems engineer, you will lead the development of the key enabling technologies for enabling in-orbit refuelling, including fluidic interface components as well as the wider fluid systems that efficiently and safely deliver propellant. You will support early phase and bid work as well as later phase development, integration, and testing through to acceptance and delivery. A strong candidate will call upon a breadth of experience developing components and subsystems in space propulsion and related fields, pursuing a hardware centric iterative approach to deliver on time and on budget.

We describe here the skills, qualifications, and responsibilities that we need to have as a team. You don't need all of them. Your aptitude for complex technical challenges and your practical experience designing/building/coding will trump specific qualification or tools.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the development of fluid components in house and with partners / suppliers
• Define fluid system architectures on major UK and European refuelling missions
• Establish preliminary fluid and propulsion system designs and analysis
• Support BD activities from an engineering perspective
• Manage and maintain development schedules, systems requirements, and design budgets
• Guide systems engineering processes and facilitate technical trades across the system
• Support technical decision-making processes and development
• Support technical reviews
• Plan and implement simulations and test campaigns to verify subsystem and components performance and requirements compliance
• Identify technical issues and proactively implement resolutions to mitigate schedule and cost impacts
• Identify vendors and oversee component selection
• Provide technical mentorship to team members and monitor technical integrity of all team member contributions
• Support the writing of proposals and early phase study documentation

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND ATTRIBUTES

• Experience taking fluid/propulsion components or subsystems from specification and concept phase through prototyping, detailed design, and AIT.
• Demonstrated collaboration with space systems engineering teams
• Experience with generation of verification and validation plans as well as executing qualification campaigns
• Deep knowledge and experience in one or more of the following areas:
• Propulsion and fluid systems design and development
• Fluid components design and development
• Fluidic system analysis
• Propulsion system MAIT
• Space systems engineering
• Experience defining customer needs and crafting engineering requirements, including a proven ability to successfully push back on unnecessary or mission affecting customer requirements.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• BS degree and three years of related engineering experience, or
• MS degree in related field and two years of related engineering experience, or Ph.D. in related field
• If you don’t have the exact years or degree listed above, but your passion can’t be matched, don’t hesitate to apply!

NICE TO HAVE

• Experience of cradle to grave (including flight operations) component and subsystem development.
• Experience of fluidic analysis tools (Eg Ecosimpro, Thermal Desktop)
• Understanding of the spacecraft component supply chain
• Experience with both low and high budget space system development
• Demonstrated experience working in a multi-disciplinary team

If you feel you would succeed in the role above, we encourage you to apply regardless of whether or not you meet all of the requirements listed.

SALARY

The estimated salary range for this position is £45,000-£65,000, 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 offer a range of benefits that can be discussed during the interview process.

ELIGIBILITY

Candidate must have right to work in the UK.

Orbit Fab Inc does not discriminate in employment 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 organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.