Contract Communications Systems Architect (Deep Space) $140 – $160/hour 4-month contract — highly likely to extend Part-time: approx. 20–25 hours per week Remote (US-based)
A stealth-mode space startup is hiring a Communications Systems Architect on contract to own the comms subsystem design for a Mars-capable satellite bus. The mission: a commercial interplanetary communications constellation, targeting launch in 2029.
This isn’t a support seat. The architecture is yours to define. The founders are flight-hardware operators who have shipped mission-critical space systems from concept through flight ops — they want an engineer who can take the comms subsystem from Conceptual Design Review through Preliminary Design Review and produce documentation that stands up to scrutiny.
What you’ll be doing
Defining the communications subsystem architecture for a Mars-compatible satellite bus, driving design decisions through CoDR and PDR
Developing preliminary comms performance analyses and deep-space link budgets
Building a Mars mission link analysis covering both relay and direct-to-Earth concepts, with enough depth to anchor CoDR and PDR decisions
Leading candidate architecture trade studies and command & telemetry architecture definition
Owning interface definition across complex system boundaries
Producing all CoDR and PDR data deliverables to programme schedule milestones
What you’ll deliver
Phase 1 — Comms CoDR package
Phase 2 — Comms PDR package
What you’ll need
Proven experience architecting a communications system for a lunar or Mars mission — this is the core requirement
Strong RF and satellite comms subsystem design background, including deep-space link budget analysis
Experience leading architecture trade studies and interface definition
Comfortable with formal design review processes (CoDR, PDR) and the documentation discipline that comes with them
Self-directed and delivery-focused — able to operate in a lean, early-stage environment
US-based
Nice to have
Relay vs direct-to-Earth architecture trade experience
Command and telemetry architecture design for interplanetary mission profiles
Prior contract or interim work — you land and add value fast
Interested Click apply with an updated copy of your CV. I’ll come back to you within 48 hours. If you don’t hear back within 48 hours, please assume you haven’t been successful on this occasion.
We're partnered with a pioneering space robotics company developing next-generation lunar vehicles and are looking for a Software Test Lead to build and lead the software verification strategy behind mission-critical flight systems.
This is an opportunity to define testing from the ground up, working across embedded software, robotics, and autonomous systems that will operate on the Moon.
What You'll Do
Lead the software test strategy for embedded, flight and ground systems.
Develop verification plans, test procedures and validation activities.
Build and improve HIL, simulation and automated test environments.
Work closely with software, systems and hardware engineers to ensure full requirements coverage.
Support fault injection, resilience testing and software certification.
Mentor engineers and help grow the software test function.
What We're Looking For
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering or similar.
5+ years of software test experience, including leadership or senior-level responsibility.
Experience testing embedded or safety-critical software.
Knowledge of HIL, automation frameworks and scripting.
Strong understanding of verification, validation and the software development lifecycle.
Excellent communication skills.
U.S. Person.
Nice to Have
Robotics, autonomous systems or spacecraft experience.
cFS, VxWorks, CI/CD or cloud testing experience.
Experience with spaceflight software development and certification.
Why Apply?
This is a chance to shape the software quality strategy for one of the most exciting lunar programmes in development today, helping deliver autonomous systems that will support the next generation of human exploration.
A fast-growing, well-funded space company is hiring a senior BD Manager to own the commercial capture process end to end, from first customer conversation through qualification, pricing, and close. You'll work across engineering, mission architecture, and product teams to package integrated solutions, push deal velocity, and hit the company's commercial growth targets across remote sensing, commercial satcom, and next-gen orbital infrastructure.
This is a full-scope, hands-on seat, not a figurehead role. You'll be prospecting at one end and negotiating contracts at the other.
What you'll do
Own the full commercial capture cycle: discovery, lead gen, qualification, capture, close.
Run customer discovery and lead generation to open new opportunities.
Partner with Mission Engineering, Mission Architecture, and Product to build solutions customers actually want.
Manage the live pipeline and drive deal velocity through cross-functional collaboration.
Build qualification criteria and price-estimation frameworks for “standard” deals to cut friction from pursuit review to ROM pricing.
Deliver market sizing and customer discovery insight for “next generation” verticals.
See deals through closure and hand off cleanly from pre-sales into execution.
What you'll need
5+ years technical experience in aerospace (engineering, technical sales, or technical solutioning).
5+ years in direct BD and/or sales in a relevant field.
Full-lifecycle BD: lead gen, discovery, capture, and proposal management.
A track record selling complex space systems commercially — ideally full satellite constellations or comparable mission systems — with deals in the $10M+ range.
An existing customer network you can activate from day one (this isn't a start-from-zero seat).
Proven ability to manage complex external relationships across both pre-sales and execution.
Strong communication skills and comfort operating across every level of an organisation.
BS in a technical field, or a business degree backed by real technical experience.
US Person status (ITAR/EAR).
Nice to have
Startup or small-company BD experience; independent operators do well here.
Former engineers who've moved into sales are especially valued.
CRM and pipeline management in a fast, high-growth environment.
Direct experience selling satellites or mission systems, with remote sensing or satcom knowledge.
Master's in a technical or business field.
Active US clearance or eligibility.
Based near a recognised space hub (DC metro, Bay Area, Denver, El Segundo/LA) for in-person collaboration.
Are you an experienced Electrical Power Systems Engineer looking to design the next generation of power systems that will operate on the Moon?
We're partnered with an innovative space robotics company developing advanced lunar vehicles and autonomous systems for future human exploration. They're looking for a Lead Electrical Power Systems Engineer to take ownership of the vehicle's Electrical Power System (EPS), leading the architecture and development of high-voltage power electronics that will power critical lunar missions.
This is a highly technical leadership role where you'll influence the complete electrical architecture while remaining hands-on with hardware design, integration and testing.
What You'll Be Doing
Lead the architecture and development of the vehicle Electrical Power System (EPS).
Design high-voltage (120V+) power distribution, conditioning, protection and control systems.
Own electrical hardware development from concept through flight, including requirements, schematics, PCB layout, design reviews, testing and integration.
Develop vehicle-level power architectures supporting batteries, motor drives, charging systems, power conversion and mission-critical loads.
Design solutions for regenerative braking, motor control, transient suppression, fault protection and energy management.
Perform engineering trade studies balancing performance, reliability, safety, mass and cost.
Collaborate with systems, software, mechanical, thermal and harnessing teams to deliver fully integrated vehicle hardware.
Support hardware bring-up, troubleshooting, EMI/EMC testing, environmental testing and vehicle integration.
Define verification strategies and support qualification testing.
Work with suppliers on power electronics, motors, batteries and related hardware.
Provide technical leadership through design reviews, customer reviews and flight readiness activities.
Mentor junior electrical engineers and help establish engineering best practices.
What We're Looking For
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related discipline.
12+ years of experience designing high-voltage or high-power electrical systems.
Strong background developing power electronics, electrical power distribution systems or motor control systems.
Experience designing systems operating above 100VDC.
Strong knowledge of power conversion, protection, fault detection, power switching and high-current distribution.
Experience with electric vehicles, aerospace, industrial power systems or other safety-critical hardware.
Hands-on experience with hardware integration, debugging and root cause analysis.
Proficiency with Altium Designer.
Strong understanding of EMI/EMC design for high-power electronics.
Able to lead complex technical programmes while remaining hands-on.
Excellent communication skills and ability to work within a fast-paced engineering environment.
Must be a U.S. Person.
Nice to Have
Master's degree in Electrical Engineering.
Experience with aerospace, spaceflight or electric vehicle power systems.
Experience supporting NASA or Class A flight hardware.
Knowledge of battery systems, Battery Management Systems (BMS) and power conversion.
Familiarity with aerospace electrical design standards.
Experience developing hardware for harsh environments, including vibration, vacuum and thermal extremes.
Previous experience within a commercial space startup.
Why Join?
You'll play a key role in developing the electrical backbone of one of the world's most advanced lunar vehicles. This is an opportunity to lead the design of high-voltage power systems that will operate in one of the harshest environments imaginable, while working alongside a multidisciplinary team solving some of the most challenging engineering problems in space exploration.
If you're excited by high-power electronics, technical ownership, and building hardware that will help return humans to the Moon, we'd love to hear from you.
Are you an Electrical Engineer who wants to design hardware that will operate on the Moon?
We're partnered with one of the fastest-growing space robotics companies in the industry, developing next-generation lunar vehicles and autonomous systems that will support humanity's return to the lunar surface. As they continue to scale, they're looking for a Senior Electrical Engineer to own the design and development of complex electrical hardware for spaceflight applications.
This is a hands-on engineering role where you'll take hardware from concept through to integration, working alongside mechanical, software, systems, thermal and manufacturing teams in a fast-paced environment.
What You'll Be Doing
Design and develop electrical hardware for spaceflight systems from concept through production.
Create schematics, support PCB layout, board bring-up, verification and troubleshooting.
Design mixed-signal electronics incorporating digital, analog, sensing, control and power systems.
Develop board-level power architecture including DC/DC converters, power distribution, sequencing and protection.
Support high-speed interfaces including Ethernet, LVDS, PCIe, SpaceWire and similar communication protocols.
Work closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams to integrate hardware across complete vehicle systems.
Support component selection including processors, FPGAs, memories, connectors and power electronics.
Maintain ECAD libraries and engineering documentation.
Participate in functional, environmental, EMI/EMC and system-level testing.
What We're Looking For
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related discipline.
3+ years of experience developing electrical hardware for aerospace, space, defence or other safety-critical industries.
Strong experience with schematic capture and PCB design.
Solid understanding of analog and digital electronics.
Experience with communication protocols such as SPI, I²C, UART, CAN, Ethernet, USB, RS-422/485 or SpaceWire.
Experience with board-level power design and power conversion.
Hands-on board bring-up, debugging and hardware integration experience.
Comfortable working independently and making sound engineering trade-offs.
Excellent communication skills and the ability to thrive in a fast-moving engineering environment.
Must be a U.S. Person.
Nice to Have
Master's degree in Electrical Engineering.
Experience with Altium Designer.
FPGA or embedded processor experience.
EMI/EMC design and mitigation.
Familiarity with NASA or aerospace hardware standards.
Experience supporting spaceflight or human spaceflight programs.
High-reliability PCB design for harsh environments.
Why Join?
You'll be joining a company at the forefront of lunar exploration, working on hardware that will operate in one of the harshest environments imaginable. Engineers here have genuine ownership, move quickly, and work alongside some of the brightest minds in space robotics.
If you're looking for a role where your designs will help shape the future of space exploration, we'd love to hear from you.
An innovative aerospace company developing next-generation robotic and autonomous systems for space exploration is seeking a Senior Test Engineer to join its growing engineering team.
This is an opportunity to play a key role in the verification and validation of cutting-edge aerospace hardware, working on highly complex electromechanical systems in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
Key Responsibilities
Develop comprehensive test plans, procedures and verification strategies for hardware and integrated systems.
Design and build test fixtures, instrumentation and data acquisition systems.
Execute functional, environmental, structural and performance testing.
Analyse test data and produce clear technical reports and recommendations.
Lead root cause investigations and support corrective actions.
Work closely with design, manufacturing and quality teams to improve product performance and reliability.
Support system qualification, verification and certification activities.
Maintain accurate documentation throughout the testing lifecycle.
Drive continuous improvement of laboratory capabilities, tooling and test methodologies.
Key Requirements
Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Electrical Engineering or a related discipline.
4+ years of experience in test engineering, systems engineering or a highly regulated engineering environment.
Experience with instrumentation, sensors and data acquisition systems.
Strong understanding of mechanical, electrical or integrated system testing.
Experience using data analysis tools such as Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW or similar.
Excellent troubleshooting and root cause analysis skills.
Aerospace or spaceflight programmes.
Environmental testing including vibration, thermal, shock or EMI/EMC.
Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) or integrated systems testing.
Familiarity with aerospace standards (NASA, MIL-STD, DO-160, AS9100 or similar).
Test automation and scripting.
What's on Offer
Opportunity to work on mission-critical aerospace hardware.
Collaborative, engineering-led culture with significant technical ownership.
Fast-paced environment with genuine opportunities for career growth.
Competitive salary, comprehensive benefits and relocation support where applicable.
If you're an engineer who enjoys solving challenging technical problems, building innovative test solutions and working on hardware that will operate in extreme environments, we'd love to hear from you.
Travel: up to 10–15% for customer reviews and test events
A US defense, national security and space technology company is hiring a Senior Systems Project Engineer on a 12-month contract to act as the senior technical authority across a high-complexity strategic systems program. This is ground-to-space, mission-critical work — where the stakes are real and the integration is genuinely hard.
This isn’t a support seat. The program is live and the direction is set. What’s missing is a senior engineer to own the integration end to end and drive it through to qualification and delivery.
What you’ll be doing
Leading technical execution and integration across complex, multi-disciplinary programs
Owning the customer, leadership and stakeholder technical interface
Directing Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) and the IMP/IMS
Overseeing subcontractors — flow-down, performance and interface management
Authoring and approving key artifacts — SOWs, ICDs, ECNs, test plans
Ensuring compliance with contractual requirements, CDRLs and standards
Supporting proposals — technical volume leadership and BOE
What you’ll need
Systems/aerospace/STEM degree + 10 yrs project engineering (or Master’s + 8, or 14 yrs in lieu)
Proven full-lifecycle program leadership — concept to delivery
Aerospace or defense experience, ideally DoD and MDA
Knowledge of DoD acquisition frameworks and contract structures
Strong systems-level judgment and ownership mindset
US citizen with an active DoD Secret Clearance (or able to obtain one)
ITAR-compliant
Nice to have
Solid rocket motors, propulsion, flight vehicle integration or complex electro-mechanical systems
Microsoft Project, Primavera or equivalent
Prior contract/interim work — you land and add value fast
Interested
Click apply with an updated copy of your CV. I’ll come back to you within 48 hours. If you don’t hear back within 48 hours, please assume you haven’t been successful on this occasion.
Senior Business Development Manager – Satellite Constellations
A fast-growing space technology company is looking for a Senior Business Development Manager to lead its expansion into the US defence and intelligence market. Reporting to the SVP of Growth, you'll own the strategy and customer relationships across the Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC) portfolio, working hand in hand with the engineering, technology, legal, and finance teams.
This is an end-to-end capture role. You'll take opportunities from first customer contact right through to signed contract, acting as the customer's advocate internally and helping shape company priorities along the way.
What you'll be doing
Driving both short-term wins and long-term growth across the DoD/IC space.
Owning customer engagement, building the pipeline, and leading capture activity from lead to award.
Shaping clear, actionable account strategies for target agencies and organisations.
Spotting new opportunities and steering them through each pipeline stage against growth targets.
Building and maintaining customer engagement plans.
Running proposals and RFI responses end to end, including win themes, technical solutioning with engineering, price-to-win, content development, and final review before submission.
Using internal tools and processes to track and manage the pipeline.
Partnering with other BD colleagues and engineering across live opportunities.
Feeding customer insight back into the product and technology roadmap.
Working alongside legal and finance to shape deals.
What you'll need
10+ years in aerospace or defence, including at least 5 years in business development.
A track record of building a plan and delivering it with real ownership and little oversight.
Hands-on experience supporting or leading proposals and captures for US Government customers.
Proven success winning space business within the DoD.
A self-starter who's comfortable leading through ambiguity and learning as they go.
Strong people instincts and the ability to work well across teams and with customers.
Excellent written and verbal communication.
Happy operating in a fast-moving, evolving environment.
Able to travel up to 35% of the time.
Eligible to obtain a US security clearance.
Nice to have
Master's degree in a technical discipline.
Prior delivery into DoD/IC customers.
Familiarity with space-based environmental monitoring missions.
Previous P&L responsibility.
Background in remote sensing satellite development or mission operations.
Experience across a mix of DoD, IC, and civil government customers.
A working grasp of systems engineering and system architectures.
Compensation
Base salary of $150k – $170k, with an OTE of $294,000 – $328,000 (base plus target commission at full quota). Commission is uncapped. Package also includes a competitive equity grant and full benefits. Final offer depends on skills, experience, and location.
A fast-growing space technology company is looking for a Director of Business Development to lead its expansion into the US defence and intelligence market. Reporting to the SVP of Growth, you'll own the strategy and customer relationships across the Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC) portfolio, working closely with the engineering, technology, legal, and finance teams.
This is an end-to-end capture role. You'll take opportunities from first customer contact right through to signed contract, acting as the customer's advocate internally and helping shape company priorities along the way.
This position can be performed remotely from an approved location.
What you'll be doing
Driving both short-term wins and long-term growth across the DoD/IC space.
Owning customer engagement, building the pipeline, and leading capture activity from lead to award.
Shaping clear, actionable account strategies for target agencies and organisations.
Spotting new opportunities and steering them through each pipeline stage against growth targets.
Building and maintaining customer engagement plans.
Running proposals and RFI responses end to end, including win themes, technical solutioning with engineering, price-to-win, content development, and final review before submission.
Using internal tools and processes to track and manage the pipeline.
Partnering with other BD colleagues and engineering across live opportunities.
Feeding customer insight back into the product and technology roadmap.
Working alongside legal and finance to shape deals.
What you'll need
10+ years in aerospace or defence, including at least 5 years in business development.
A track record of building a plan and delivering it with real ownership and little oversight.
Hands-on experience supporting or leading proposals and captures for US Government customers.
Proven success winning space business within the DoD/IC.
A self-starter who's comfortable leading through ambiguity and learning as they go.
Strong people instincts and the ability to work well across teams and with customers.
Excellent written and verbal communication.
Happy operating in a fast-moving, evolving environment.
Able to travel up to 35% of the time.
Active Top Secret (TS) clearance.
Nice to have
Master's degree in a technical discipline.
Prior delivery into DoD/IC customers.
Previous P&L responsibility.
Background in remote sensing satellite development or mission operations.
Experience across a mix of DoD, IC, and civil government customers.
A working grasp of systems engineering and system architectures.
Compensation
Base salary of $170k – $240k, with an OTE of $354,000 – $400,000 (base plus target commission at full quota). Commission is uncapped. Package also includes a competitive equity grant and full benefits. Final offer depends on skills, experience, and location.
An ambitious launch vehicle company is building a next-generation orbital launch system and is looking for a Senior / Principal Structures Engineer to own critical structural hardware from concept through flight.
This is not a pure analysis role. You'll be responsible for designing, developing, validating, and delivering flight hardware, working across the full engineering lifecycle in a fast-moving development environment. You'll have significant ownership over major launch vehicle structures and work alongside propulsion, manufacturing, test, integration, and systems teams to bring hardware from CAD to the launch pad.
The company is led by engineers from some of the world's leading space organizations and is building a culture around rapid development, hardware ownership, and practical engineering.
Responsibilities
Own major structural hardware from concept through flight qualification.
Translate system requirements into lightweight, manufacturable structural designs.
Design primary load-bearing structures and develop efficient load paths.
Perform structural sizing using both first-principles calculations and finite element analysis.
Develop joints, interfaces, and structural layouts for highly loaded aerospace hardware.
Correlate analysis with physical test data and continuously improve designs.
Work closely with manufacturing to ensure designs are practical and producible.
Support hardware throughout fabrication, assembly, testing, anomaly resolution, and design iteration.
Drive material selection and manufacturing decisions balancing performance, cost, schedule, and reliability.
Participate in design reviews and help establish engineering standards and structural design philosophy.
Mentor other engineers and contribute technically across the structures team.
Required Experience
7+ years of structural engineering experience within aerospace or another high-performance engineering industry.
Strong experience designing primary or highly loaded structural hardware.
Excellent understanding of:
Strength of materials
Structural mechanics
Buckling
Fatigue
Fracture mechanics
Structural dynamics
Load paths
Experience taking hardware from concept through manufacturing, testing, and qualification.
Strong finite element analysis (FEA) capability alongside solid first-principles engineering.
