Senior Project Manager Didcot, England
Job description
Astroscale UK is looking for a Senior Project Manager to join our team in Harwell.
An opportunity has presented on an exciting piece of work, focusing on space debris removal and close-proximity inter-spacecraft operations. We, therefore, have an opening for an experienced Project Manager to join our rapidly growing organisation. For this role it's vital that the person has extensive experience working within the Space industry as a Project Manager.
The role will be a senior position, working as part of a close-knit team, collectively leading a space engineering mission. The successful candidate will collaborate with multi-discipline functions. Due to the importance of the mission, we are looking for someone with the capability and drive to ensure the project is delivered on time, to budget and to the highest level of quality.
This position will interact with partners across the space industry, as well as suppliers and customers. It is therefore important to have prior experience running a complex engineering project, ideally within the space industry.
This is a fantastic opportunity for the right individual to help deliver forward-thinking, cutting-edge technology, that will positively impact the future of space sustainability and help safeguard the orbital environment for future generations.
Responsibilities
- Responsibility for the design and delivery of space missions (or aspects thereof) on complex engineering projects. To be achieved via the coordination of matrixed project / engineering teams.
- Planning and delivery of project review gates, including management and production of associated deliverables.
- Definition and maintenance of an appropriate balance of quality, cost, schedule, and risk, whilst delivering projects and their associated outputs.
- Generation of project inputs to mission concept studies, technical or non-technical packages of work, and bid work, in support of the wider business.
- Interfacing with customers, suppliers, and programme partners as necessary in support of project, bids, or similar activities.
- Reporting and internal accountability to business and senior management.
Essential Skills
- 5+ years’ experience in project or programme management, within the space or aerospace industries. Track record of successful mission delivery.
- A “can-do” approach, and drive to work with a team to achieve collective success.
- Rounded ‘technical’ project management skillset (delivery, schedule, financial, risk management, etc)
- Ability to collaborate effectively, and lead a close-knit team of personnel.
- Experience planning and completing project review gates (Requirements Review, Preliminary Design Review, Critical Design Review, etc).
Desirable Skills
- Full mission lifecycle experience from requirements definition to verification, delivery, commissioning, and operations.
- Practical understanding and application of lean engineering methodologies.
- High personal standards & desire for honesty, openness, and integrity.
- The ability to understand, influence, and negotiate, coupled with the desire to seek mutually beneficial outcomes.
- University degree in a technical discipline.
- Experience working closely with Systems Engineering teams, including a high-level understanding of spacecraft Systems activities.
- Experience working with spacecraft sub-system functional teams such as Guidance Navigation Control (GNC / AOCS), Command & Data Handing (C&DH / OBDH), Propulsion, Software, Ground Segment, Operations, etc.
- Awareness of Assembly Integration and Verification processes.
- Experience of supplier management or unit procurement.
- A basic knowledge of debris removal, end-of-life, in-orbit maintenance or servicing.
- An understanding of engineering process, with knowledge of large satellite company or agency design principles e.g. ECSS. (alongside aforementioned familiarity of lean or agile project implementation methodologies).
- Experience working with challenging customers, partners, or suppliers.
- Evidence of successfully ‘unblocking’ and closing out behind schedule / cost overrun projects (or aspects thereof).
- Experience of bid support, project financial accounting, quality / product assurance (QA / PA), or business development work.
- Knowledge of the wider framework around debris removal including licensing, export, regulation, space law.
- Knowledge of relevant missions such as RemoveDebris, CleanSpace, e.DeOrbit, DEOS, ATV, ETS-7
- Experience successfully collaborating with personnel from different countries and cultures in a fast-paced technical working environment.
Benefits
- Competitive base salary
- Opportunity to work with a highly talented international team working on cutting edge technology
- Flexible working around core hours
- Hybrid working available (dependent on individual role requirements)
- 25 days holiday (increasing yearly up to a maximum of 28 days) + 8 days Bank Holiday per year
- Life insurance and long-term sick pay
- Private healthcare (taxable benefit)
- Relocation allowance
- Visa sponsorship for employees considered
- Hybrid working available
- Regular social events
Location
Astroscale UK (Harwell), with potential for some travel to Astroscale Japan (Tokyo)
About Astroscale
Astroscale is the first private company with a vision to secure the safe and sustainable development of space for the benefit of future generations, and the only company dedicated to in-orbit servicing across all orbits. Founded in 2013, we are developing innovative and scalable solutions across the spectrum of in-orbit servicing missions, including End of Life services, Active Debris Removal, In-situ Space Situational Awareness and Life Extension Services, to create sustainable space systems and mitigate against the hazardous build-up of debris in space.
Note to recruitment agencies: Astroscale operates a preferred Supplier List, and we do not accept unsolicited agency approaches. Please do not forward candidate CVs or details in response to this advert, or to any Astroscale employee.
