Category: Blog

EVONA recently found out we have been selected as finalists for the ‘Best Wellbeing and Healthcare’ award in the Employee Benefits Awards 2022.

The Employee Benefits Awards is in its 20th year, celebrating outstanding people, initiatives, strategy, and employee benefits across a range of industries. We are honoured to have been chosen alongside Blood Cancer UK, BNP Paribas, Centrica, and Man Group and we wish everyone the best of luck.

EVONA’s strategy has always been focused on people, whether it be who we work for, who we work with or who works for us. We are proud to have built a fantastic benefits package for everyone that works at EVONA with full flexibility so each individual can decide what works for them.

 

When you are part of the EVONA crew your benefits include:

‍

Unlimited Holiday

Unlimited Remote Working

Medical Cover

Gym Membership

Subsidised Car Parking or Cycle to Work Scheme

Additional Pension Contributions

Independent Financial Advice

An In-house Marketing and Tech Team

Working with Global Space Partners

Dedicated Support from the Co-Founders

 

And that doesn’t even include all the fun perks too:

 

Monthly Lunch Clubs

Incentives

Holidays

Your Purpose initiatives

And so much more…

 

But don’t just take it from us, here’s what some of our team members have said about working at EVONA:

 

‍MIKE TOZER, HARDWARE & ELECTRONICS SPECIALIST:

“The internal work culture and office environment at EVONA is relaxed, yet vibrant and dynamic, and is the perfect space to work. Although what I enjoy most is the true flexibility to work from home (or anywhere else) as much as I like in tandem with office working. As the father of a 1-year-old who has recently started nursery, this flexibility around working location and hours really takes the pressure off me and my partner juggling everyday life. In addition to all of this there is huge earning potential and a strong pipeline of new positions across multiple interesting clients to get stuck into.”

 

 

 

 

‍ADELE FOX, HEAD OF MARKETING:

“The flexibility to work my job around my three children, the unlimited holiday, and the ability to work how and where I wanted meant that I could finally achieve the ultimate work/life balance that I’d been searching for. What I never expected though was for EVONA to feel so quickly like a second family who trust each other implicitly to achieve incredible things.”

‍

 

 

 

 

‍CHLOE JAKEWAYS, SALES. BD &MARKETING SPECIALIST:

“The level of flexibility is unreal; we have complete autonomy, and you can manage your time as to what works for you and work from wherever suits you best, with no KPI’s and competitive commission! I love being part of the EVONA team; it’s collaborative, supportive and we have loads of fun, especially on lunch club, team days out…”

 

‍

 

 

 

LEWIS HALL, AOCS & GNC SPECIALIST:

“EVONA has a culture where you are trusted, valued and kept engaged with all the tools possible to work to your best, day in day out; whether that’s in the office, in your garden, or in Barbados! Flexibility gets thrown around far too easily, but EVONA can truly say they have a flexible work environment, and the results from everyone here shows that it works! Transparency and honesty are another big thing at EVONA which filters down from founders. It’s made sure we know what’s going on, what’s changing, what commission we are earning (great commission) and what we have to look forward to within the business every week!”

 

‍

 

So, if award an award-winning benefits package is what you’re looking for, get in contact to join our crew here.

ANNOUNCING OUR NEW STRATEGIC ADVISOR – KEITH J. MASBACK

EVONA are delighted to announce Keith Masback is joining as a Strategic Advisor to assist the founding team as they manage the rapid growth and expansion of EVONA. Sharing in our passion for people in the work we do, Keith’s expertise will be fundamental in support of our mission to help the space sector change the world for future generations.

Keith has a wealth of experience with a 30-year history in national security and over 25-years’ background within the space sector.  Via his company Plum Run LLC, he provides advising and consultancy services to entrepreneurs in geospatial intelligence and related sectors. Keith is member of Orbital Insight’s Federal Advisory Board, as well as being an advisor to multiple cutting-edge start ups. These include: Hermeus, Anno.Ai, Slingshot Aerospace, Xona, Tomorrow.io, HySpecIQ, HEAVY.AI, ICEYE, and Ursa Space. He’s also a prolific angel investor in the sector.

Before launching his successful career, he studied for a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Gettysburg College, later completing the Post-Graduate Intelligence Program at the National Intelligence University. Keith now resides in New Jersey, just a hop across the pond from our Bristol and Manchester offices.

OTHER PROJECTS

Not only is Keith’s wealth of experience remarkable, but he also shares our dedication to raising awareness about the space sector, including joining the Minds behind Maps and SpyCast podcasts as a guest speaker. Although if you prefer video instead, you can’t miss Keith on Wired’s YouTube channel deconstructing spy satellite and surveillance scenarios from a range of television series and films, demonstrating how realistic they are (or aren’t).

 

EVONA are ecstatic to welcome Keith as an advisor!

EVONA are delighted to announce that a strategic alliance has been forged between EVONA and Voyager Space Services (VSS), a Voyager Space Company.

VSS will partner with the world’s first NewSpace recruiting company to amplify the search for new global talent for its partners and clients. EVONA will provide VSS and its clients access to a new calibre of global talent and global recruitment services, particularly and specifically designed for the NewSpace sector.

Voyager Space Services, provides operating, technical, business development, and Founder solutions to NewSpace start-ups and grown-ups to allow entrepreneurs to focus on innovation and product development, rather than time-consuming operational tasks. Voyager Space Services’ online portal, MarketSpace, provides a user-friendly interface for clients to shop for services and quickly get connected with the space industry’s best providers.

“This collaborative effort is further evidence of the Voyager Space Services commitment to delivering ‘everything your space business needs’ for the entire NewSpace ecosystem.” – Dan Geraci, President of Voyager Space Services

EVONA, through VSS, will support client companies as a specialist recruitment provider to organically build and grow their organizations in an outsourced manner, while providing a service level indistinguishable from an in-house equivalent department.

“These practical and cost-reducing efforts are a perfect pairing for the NewSpace sector which has few low or fixed costs, and few global vendors with tested experience to build NewSpace startups into billion-dollar, sector-defining global companies,” said Richard Joyce, Co- Founder, EVONA

“This collaborative effort is further evidence of the Voyager Space Services commitment to delivering ‘everything your space business needs’ for the entire NewSpace ecosystem.”, said Dan Geraci, President, Voyager Space Services.  “VSS offers more than 20 service categories in5 areas including Start-Ups, Operating Services, Technical Services, Business Development, and a Founder Resource Center.”

‍

Further details on Voyager Space services are available here.

​​EVONA PURPOSE – WE’RE SO MUCH MORE THAN A RECRUITMENT COMPANY

‍EVONA is a young, unique, dynamic company leading the way in the global space sector. We work with some of the most innovative companies on the globe (and off it!) in a market estimated to be worth $3 Trillion, but we’re also so much more than that. Behind all of this, we are a team of individuals who are passionate about our jobs and the company we work for. We don’t have the dreaded Sunday night anxiety many recruiters face, and we genuinely look forward to coming to work and contributing towards the rapidly growing space sector.

Apart from the unlimited remote working, zero KPI’s and managing your own working hours, we believe one of the (many) reasons our crew love working here is because we encourage and support them to be able to have any additional ‘purpose’ outside of their everyday recruitment role. Although we love our job and placing brilliant people into amazing companies is at the forefront of what we do, we know giving the option of an additional purpose boosts moral, overall wellbeing and ultimately job satisfaction.

This ‘purpose’ can be anything our team feel passionate about, and we do this because we believe in the evolution of knowledge and in the progression of our people – which is exactly where our name stems from: EVO – to evolve, ONA – people. Here are just a few examples….

 

Adele Fox – Head of Marketing and Sustainability Advocate  

‍

 

Glen Gill – Space Business Partner and Social Issues Champion  

‘I like to champion for CSR at EVONA, as I think it is important to create a positive impact in relation to local social and economic issues. EVONA have organised a variety of activities; over Christmas we collected food and clothing for the homeless and later this year we will be running the Bristol Half Marathon to raise money for Young Minds. As well as raising awareness of important issues, the activities we organise bring the team together and give us a group objective, which naturally means we work more collaboratively on a daily basis.’    

 

‍

Alice Grant – Senior Technical Recruitment Consultant and Content Marketing Executive  

‘EVONA’s ethos to believe in the evolution in their people was shown to be when they offered me the chance to work a hybrid-role and combine recruitment with my other passion for Content Marketing! I studied English with Writing at University and I really enjoy creating content. I love having the chance to get creative and it allows me to break up my day with different tasks and learn new skills, which I wouldn’t have gained in a sole recruitment role. Lots of recruitment companies promise a lot of things before you join, but EVONA really do stick to their word.’

 

‍

Emma Jackson – Technical Recruitment Consultant and Stem Volunteer in schools  

‘As part of the onboarding with EVONA, every employee becomes an ambassador of STEM Learning UK to be able to connect with young people, inspiring them to become the next generation of STEM professionals. I have personally chosen to get involved with, and been accepted onto the ‘Curious Stories for Curious Children’ reading programme. It is designed to help develop both English language skills and the STEM identity of primary-aged children by reading a story in schools related to your industry. I am SO passionate about getting involved in this programme, because if you don’t know about the opportunities out there for yourself, how can you ever make them a reality?’

 

‍

Chloe Jakeways – Principal Technical Recruitment Consultant and Podcast host

‘I do the EVONA Origin podcast because I want to help lift the curtain on the space sector and inspire listeners to follow their passion.  Talking to individuals who have made their mark within the space sector and understanding how their journeys started, their ambitions, achievements and failures and their pathway to success is truly inspiring.  It’s amazing to be involved with something different and I hope it inspires people to follow their dreams, the global space industry is booming and there are so many different career paths, it’s not just for rocket scientist and astronauts, it’s much more accessible than that.’

 

‍

Jake Heal – Senior Recruitment Consultant – AKA ‘King of Fun’

‘Socialising as a team is important. It brings us together and gives us a chance to talk about more than just work. I organise a night out every month for the whole team like bowling, clay pigeon shooting, go-karting, or something just as simple as a bite to eat and a few drinks. It keeps the team motivated and ultimately makes EVONA a better place to work”

 

‍

Sam Lewis and Joe Duff, Recruitment Specialists and Thought Leaders

‘Everyone is fascinated by the space sector but when joining EVONA not many people have a deep understanding of the technologies and nuances within it. What better way to upskill our knowledge than from speaking to, and learning from industry experts? I love the space sector and building my knowledge base is key to me improving the service to my clients, candidates and to helping guide those looking to take their first step into the sector.’ (Sam)

 

When it comes to employee benefits, we don’t have a one size fits all approach. After 6 month’s service, and with the help our Financial Advisor, our crew choose their own benefits. If you join us, you can decide what works for you, your life, and your PURPOSE. Please reach out to find out more.

 

*If you’re not sure what your purpose is just yet, you can join and work that out along the way. Most of the crew have found their ‘purpose’ after already starting and there is no expectation or pressure to find an additional purpose outside your everyday role, we offer a relaxed culture with full autonomy to work how you work best.*

THIS WEEK, EVONA OFFICIALLY BECAME INCORPORATED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
‍

This brings us one step closer to establishing a premises in America to better serve our transatlantic clients and candidates. Looking to physically land on the East coast in 2022, we’re currently on the look out for premises. This next phase of our evolution is so exciting and comes just before we celebrate 4 years at EVONA.

Having reported 600% year-on-year revenue growth and more than doubled in size in the last year, EVONA is now incredibly well placed to open up more physical locations around the world with plans in the year to open a second UK location in Manchester.

Co-Founder Richard Joyce said: “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved at EVONA from our Bristol hub in the UK. Our plan has always been to expand worldwide as we continue to support the global space economy and this is an important step in making that happen. Coupled with our domestic expansion plans to open a second location in Manchester this year, as well as future plans for more locations in strategic global locations, it’s a very exciting time for the company!”

‍

You can keep up to date with our growth and expansion plans on LinkedIn and Instagram.

International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality and this international women’s day we are being asked to #BreakTheBias!

It’s been identified many times that the space sector lacks a level of diversity with only 29% of the space workforce identifying as female, and only 16% of senior positions being held by women in the industry.

Last year, we took a look at our own data of women in the Space sector and concluded that there is a systemic issue with education. Women make up only 35% of graduates from STEM programmes Worldwide according to a UN report. The research all points to a lack of mentors and female leaders in the space sector so this article sets out some incredible resources for women looking to pursue a STEM or Space career.

“Before men and women, we are human beings. That is common sense. If you want to do something, go for it!” Chiaki Mukai – First Japanese woman in space

Five small ways you can help change the narrative

• Raise awareness among children, educators and parents to reject gender bias – anyone can work in the space sector.
• Challenge outdated perceptions.
• Listen to women’s expertise and have confidence in their research.
• Mentor women and girls in science and technology, encourage them to aim high.
• Celebrate the historical achievements of women in the space sector.
• Share stories of women at the forefront of the space industry.

‍

In recent episodes of our podcast, Origin Stories, we gained insight from three fantastic women at the forefront of the industry:

‍

Mel Stricklan – The founder of Slingshot Aerospace and One of America’s top 100 Female Founders

“We don’t need people that think like us, right? We don’t need people that come from the same background as all of us. We need that diversity around the table, and we need people that are able to rise to the occasion and bring us to our full potential as individuals and as a team.”

Listen Here

Megan Kane – A dream to become a farmer but not on earth, working on a number of NASA projects she shares her mission to get to Mars

“I bet you didn’t know that video game experience comes in really handy when going into the space sector – it’s a valuable skill set”

Listen Here

Carol Craig – One of the first women to lead a space business to go public and one of the first women to fly combat in the US Navy before turning into an inspirational ‘astropreneur’

“Initiative will set you apart in the space sector. You don’t have to have a college degree to get you in the door – you just need other key attributes”

Listen Here

‍

Key resources to support women in STEM and Women in Space

• ‍UN Space4Women – Mentor program and Events

• ‍EVONA Origin Stories podcast – featuring inspirational role models in Space

• The WISE campaign – For gender balance in STEM, from the classroom to the boardroom.
• STEMettes – Showing the next generation that girls do Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths (STEM) at their free, fun, food-filled experiences.
• Women’s Engineering Society – A network of female engineers, technologists and scientists offering both support and professional development opportunities.
• Women in Technology – An information resource aimed to promote female employment within IT and  technology.
• ScienceGrrl – A grassroots network who are passionate about celebrating women in science and passing on our love of science to the next generation.

• CodeFirst:Girls – Code First Girls are dedicated to transforming tech by providing the skills, space and     inspiration for women to become kick-ass developers and future leaders.
• Sparxx – As a socially focused learning technology company, Sparx has been reimagining the way maths is     taught and learnt in schools since 2010.
• BCSWomen – A specialist group aligned to the Chartered Institute for IT, providing a networking platform     for professional women in IT.

• STEM Women – A blog which aims to promote careers for women in STEM whilst highlighting issues of gender     inequality.
•  STEMinist – Featuring case studies of women within Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

• Ultimate Leadership Guide for Women In Edtech– This guide aims to help women and young girls see their potential and find the right path for them if they are considering a career in Edtech and STEM fields.

• A Guide for Women in STEM: Closing the Gender Gap – This hope to help encourage women to feel confident in their desires to have careers in STEM and give them starting points for their journey.

EVONA is delighted to be in partnership with Washington-based Radian Aerospace to deliver multiple roles into 2022 and beyond.

This month announcing closure of $27.5 million in seed funding to pursue development of a single-stage-to-orbit reusable spaceplane, Radian Aerospace (Radian) has turned to EVONA to grow the organisation as they grow.

Considered the ‘Holy Grail’ of space transportation, the start-up, founded in 2016, announced plans this month for a fully reusable spaceplane that can take off and land from a runway – they’ve called it: Radian One (TM). Radian’s vision is to make spaceflight affordable and as routine as airline travel, expanding access to space and unlocking the next generation of missions beneficial to humanity.

“We believe that widespread access to space means limitless opportunities for humankind” Richard Humphrey, CEO and co-founder of Radian

The vision of an airline for the space sector isn’t a new idea. In the early 1990s NASA pursued efforts to deliver a reusable space vehicle before abandoning plans in the early 21st century. Since then, technologies have matured, lessons have been learnt and the market is now well-positioned to respond to the growing requests for more efficient and cost effective launch vehicle solutions.

Radian is fast-approaching 20 employees and plans to scale the organisation significantly in Q2 of 2022. Radian’s team has been impressed with the team members EVONA has already delivered  during Radian’s time in stealth mode and will be continuing the relationship into 2022 with plans to hire many more roles across the company in the next five years.

Katarina Wolcott, Head of Business Optimization at Radian said, “As an EVONA candidate myself I can attest to the professional experience they provided, which seamlessly transitioned to an exciting position.”

Katarina will also have a key role in the continued partnership between the two companies and continued, “Working at Radian is a rare opportunity to contribute to something great. We are happy to continue our partnership with EVONA to find those exceptional individuals who have the experience and the shared vision to accomplish our goals.”

‍

Senior Space Business Partner for EVONA, Matt Atkins, who has been influential in the partnership since last year, said:

“We’re hugely excited by the projects that Radian is taking on and firmly believe that their innovations will make space more accessible than ever before. They’re making the long-standing dreams of space advocates and entrepreneurs come true. With investors indicating that this could trigger a $200 billion growth of the orbital launch industry, there’s never been a more exciting time in the space sector, and particularly for us working with Radian.“

“With investors indicating this could trigger a $200 billion growth in the orbital launch industry, there’s never been a more exciting time in the space sector.” Matt Atkins, Senior Space Business Partner at EVONA

Radian says a standard flight could consist of: a trip to space to complete a mission, return to Earth, refuel and be ready to fly again two days later; something not currently possible with launch vehicles such as the SpaceX Crew Dragon, which can take months to prepare to fly again. Reducing the turnaround time brings down the cost per mission, which will allow more missions to run cost-effectively.

With the increasing commercialisation of space, Radian is well positioned to fill a gap in the market and EVONA is proud to be able to help them achieve this mission and a historical feat.

Wednesday 2nd February 2022 is a special day – it’s the day we launch our Origin Stories Podcast exploring the many different careers in the space sector.

Appealing to anyone who wants to start their own career into the space sector, on our podcast we talk to world-class entrepreneurs and space leaders who forged impressive professions in the industry. Through Origin Stories, we hope to inspire and enlighten the next generation of space leaders and remove the perceived barriers that make this industry seem inaccessible to so many.

Hosted alternately by Co-Founders Tom Kelly and Richard Joyce alongside Chloe Jakeways, Principal Technical Recruiter, the team invite you every fortnight into the aspirational world of the space sector and the people within.

“Our mission is to demystify the global space sector and inspire the world through the origin stories of the most prominent space leaders, public figures and entrepreneurs in the industry. As a global space talent partner, we have the privilege of seeing first-hand opportunities to help sustain and grow our amazing sector. One of the biggest opportunities we have identified are the transferable skills from other industries, backgrounds and skill sets in to the space sector – we want to spread that message through this podcast”

Richard Joyce, Podcast host and EVONA Co-Founder

The space sector is truly for everyone, though many assume that you have to be a rocket scientist or astronaut to take your place in this inspiring industry. The purpose of Origin Stories is to highlight that qualifications and background don’t preclude you from a role in the industry. This podcast talks to the very people who have taken their passions to the extreme and built the companies and teams achieving what was once science fiction. From farming on Mars to building 3D habitats on the moon and more, we’re fortunate enough to hear about these fantastic companies every day at EVONA and it’s about time we shared some of their inspiring stories and the aspirational people behind them with the general public.

“We want to allow people from all walks of life to listen, be inspired and potentially see themselves in the mirror when they hear the story. Space is more than a sector, it’s a passion that I love. I’m privileged to play my part and I want to inspires to play theirs.”

Tom Kelly, Podcast host and Co-Founder

Released every two weeks from 2nd February 2002, each episode will deepen our understanding of how to get into, and have a successful career in the space sector. Our first three episodes feature Megan Kane, striving to take her place on the red planet; Carol Craig, CEO of Sidus Space and one of the first women to ever take a space company public; and James Pearson, expert PR professional with numerous years’ experience with technology and space corporations.

“This podcast for us is an incredible opportunity to tell the world: Space is for everybody! Whether you are an engineer, software developer, sales executive, project manager, lawyer or anything in-between – Space is for the people!”

Origin Stories is available across all major listening platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, Google podcasts and YouTube.

You can also listen to the trailer and every episode on our webpage here >

‍

‍

Manchester – we’re coming for you!

In line with our aggressive growth plans, EVONA are set to open up a second UK location in Manchester in early Q2 of 2022.

EVONA has doubled its workforce every year since its inception in 2018 – and this year will be no different with plans to grow to 100 by Q4. The growth has been fuelled by an incredibly successful first few years in business building out our contract function and supporting our growing permanent division.  Reporting a 610% increase in year-over-year revenue, the new office will help support this growth strategy and solidify EVONA’s position as the number one space recruitment specialist in the world.

Our Director of Contract, Ben Carrigan, is already on location and ready to grow the team. The new Manchester office will accommodate up to 10 new members of staff in Spinningfields and provide a second hub in addition to Bristol for remote staff all over the UK. It’s the perfect time in the perfect location as we were look for key opportunities to expand our services to deliver to our growing client base.

Co-Founder Ryan Hill who has been instrumental in orchestrating the move said

“We’re incredibly excited for this next step in EVONA’s journey. As we grow rapidly it makes sense to expand to a second location in the UK in addition to our plans to expand into the US as we announced last year.”

‍

For a company that allows unlimited remote working, it’s an interesting move to adopt a second location but as Hill explains: “It’s our philosophy to allow any staff to work wherever best suits them with unlimited remote working, but we know for some you can’t replicate the workplace environment, and it’s important we understand how best to serve the needs of our crew. We’re hopeful this move will open us up to more recruitment professionals in the North of the UK and it’s a huge step forward for our expansion plans.”

‍

We’re currently recruiting into our Manchester office so if you’d like to know more about the benefits of working with EVONA, then reach out to Ben Carrigan b.carrigan@springgreen-sardine-208151.hostingersite.com.

Ready for 2022, two award-winning Bristol companies have announced a collaboration to bring hundreds of software engineering jobs to the city.

We’ve have begun working with multichannel eCommerce fulfilment providers Huboo, to scale them by 120 heads across their tech department in 2022.

Having landed £60m investment in Series B funding lead by Emirati-based powerhouse Mubadala, recent Bristol Live Business Award: Large Business of the Year 2021 winners Huboo are in a period of accelerated growth driven by a step-change in eCommerce demand in the past two years. In order to deliver on their mission of European expansion, EVONA has dedicated 4 high calibre technical recruiters to recruit into their HQ and across Europe.

Creating hundreds of tech roles for the city of Bristol

In the four years since Huboo was founded, they have revolutionised the world of eCommerce fulfilment using environmentally sustainable methods that support a wide range of online retailers, including leading businesses in electronics, food & beverage and cosmetics. Their missions into 2022 see the company require over 120 additional heads across their tech department as they scale across mainland Europe, which have been given to recruitment specialist EVONA to deliver.

Paul Dodd, CTO and Co-founder of Huboo said:

“Scores of new and existing retail businesses now see their future in eCommerce but the infrastructure powering it was alarmingly outdated, inefficient, inflexible and expensive.  We’re in a position now to invest in our growing team to roll out our full stack fulfilment solution on a wider international scale, expand our service offering and continue our software development.”

Co-Founder for EVONA, Ryan Hill, who has been instrumental in building the relationship between the companies said of the collaboration:

“It brings us great satisfaction to help champion local businesses, being very proud ourselves of our Bristolian roots. Helping bring talent into the city and grow local expertise is so incredibly rewarding, and it’s inspirational having a company of this calibre just a few doors down from our own HQ. It’s our pleasure to add-value to Huboo’s recruitment processes to leave them time and resources to innovate and concentrate on their company-wide objectives.”

A dedicated EVONA recruitment team of experienced recruitment specialists is headed up by Oli Rayner. Rayner has a decade of recruitment experience and leads a team of 4 on the project. Rayner added

“It’s great to support local business innovation in this way and we’re very excited to help Huboo grow and secure a foothold on the logistics and fulfilment market. We’re currently working closely with Huboo to deliver the best personnel and provide a solid foundation to deliver on their growth objectives. It’s exciting for both companies and of course, a step forward for the city.”

‍

If you’re interested in a role with Huboo then please reach out to Oli Rayner or Chris Bell via LinkedIn.