Astroscale UK & Europe is seeking to employ and experienced Senior Ground Systems Engineer at our facility based in Harwell, UK. The Senior Ground Systems engineer plays a key leading role in the ground segment team, with a high level of autonomy and responsibility including providing technical expertise and mentoring team members. You are involved in the whole ground segment development process, from conceptual design to maintenance. The candidate will be involved in all the infrastructure and software on ground that is critical to safely operate a mission. This is a key role with a critical responsibility to efficiently interface between the Mission & Systems team and the Operations team This gives the candidate the opportunity to be involved in all aspects of the ground segment, as well as participating to operational activities in the Astroscale control centre. Responsibilities Lead the development of Ground Segment subsystems, including; Mission Control System, Procedure Automation System, Mission Planning System and Ground Stations Interface System. Troubleshooting and the examination of ground segment functionality; fault isolation and identification, code examination and fault rectification. Requirement capture and analysis; interfacing with mission and system requirements in addition to defining Ground-Segment requirements and deriving subsystem requirements. Providing expertise to systems and wider mission technical discussions and solutions. Interface across multiple Astroscale department teams to ensure compatibility of the Ground Segment with the wider Astroscale missions. Participation in reviews and development across Astroscale, specifically; Flight Software, Simulators, System and Flight Dynamics. Collaboration with I.T and infrastructure teams to deliver Ground Systems environments in addition to I.T and infrastructure solutions to meet Ground System and Operational needs. Interface with the internal software development teams and external suppliers’ teams acting as a Product Owner or Technical Officer and provide support to the development team during the ground segment development phase. Produce and maintain project documentation to a high standard, inclusive; technical notes, design documents, interface control documents, requirement specifications, test specifications and test reports. Defining and providing support to the Test Strategy and scope, providing technical knowledge and input to the testing team. Conduct verification and validation testing with testing team members, providing technical expertise and ensuring correct requirement traceability – across multiple testing campaigns, verification, integration, validation, simulation and SVTs. Supporting the Mission Operations team to provide knowledge and training on the ground systems. Perform maintenance of the ground systems while being the interfacing point between the operations team and the developers to resolve technical issues. Follow the Agile (SCRUM) methodology to ensure implementation of the requirements and maintain the schedule Support the definition of Request for Proposals and the evaluation of bids. Essential Skills Minimum 3 years of experience in the development or delivery of space-mission ground segment and/or ground systems. Minimum 5 years of experience within the space sector. Experience in the use of requirement definition tools. Extensive knowledge of the main components of a ground segment; particularly mission control subsystems, procedure automation systems, mission planning systems, flight dynamics subsystems and the interaction between subsystems. Knowledge and use of CCSDS standards used in communication between ground and space. Proficient understanding/knowledge of space mission design/development and standard milestones. Experience and knowledge of Requirement Engineering applicable to the Space sector. Experience and knowledge in the formation of testing campaigns; verification, integration and validation. University degree in Computer Science, Telecommunications, or other relevant engineering discipline. Essential team player as well as proactive. Excellent communication skills (required to interface with different cultures/nationalities) Excellent reporting skills (for documentation, keeping track of changes, etc) Fluency in spoken and written English. Desirable skills Experience with Mission Control Systems, preferably based on SCOS-2000. Experience with Automation Systems and Mission Planning Systems. Knowledge of Space to Ground Radio Frequency communications, modulation schemes, coding schemes, link budgets and RFCTs. Ground Station RF/IF/Baseband knowledge and baseband communication protocols (SLE). Knowledge of Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) and its use in the design of a ground segment or mission. Experience in the use of Visure or DOORS requirement management tool. ECSS Packet Utilisation Standard knowledge, experience in the use of PUS services and subservices. IP based Networking troubleshooting knowledge. Knowledge of both I.T and data security. Cloud computing platform knowledge utilising applications, services and virtual machines, specifically AWS and/or Azure. Satellite Flight Dynamics knowledge and understanding. Knowledge and/or experience of satellite operations. Knowledge of space-mission Product development lifecycle (ECSS-E-ST-10) Experience or knowledge of Scrum as being part of development team or Product Owner. Experience or knowledge of common software programming languages and/or scripting languages (python). General Linux system administration, shell scripts, make, etc. Development on Linux systems. Benefits Competitive base salary Opportunity to work with a highly talented, diverse & dynamic international team with cutting edge technology Flexible working around core hours in a friendly and supportive environment Hybrid working available (dependent on individual role requirements) Optional 9/75 working pattern 25 days holiday (increasing yearly up to a maximum of 28 days) 8 days Bank Holiday Life insurance and long-term sick pay Private healthcare (taxable benefit) Relocation allowance Visa sponsorship for employees considered New state of the art office and cleanroom facility Regular social events Location Astroscale UK (Harwell), with potential for some travel to Astroscale Japan (Tokyo) About Astroscale We aim to deliver cutting edge technologies that will become part of routine commercial space operations by 2030. 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. Astroscale is an Equal Opportunities employer and embraces a diverse workforce. All qualified applicants, including minorities, women and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. 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.