Lead / Senior Autonomy Engineer

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Lead / Senior Autonomy Engineer to support the development of advanced satellite and constellation autonomy systems. This role will play a key part in enabling mission success through the design, implementation, and validation of onboard fault management and autonomous spacecraft behaviors.

Working across the full program lifecycle, you will help define fault detection, isolation, and response (FDIR) architectures, develop autonomy concepts, support mission operations, and contribute to the successful delivery of space missions from design through on-orbit operations.

This is an opportunity to take technical ownership of autonomy systems while collaborating closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams in a busy space environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the definition, decomposition, verification, and validation of fault management and autonomy requirements.
• Define spacecraft and constellation states, modes, transitions, and autonomous behaviors.
• Develop fault management and autonomy architectures, including redundancy and fault-tolerance strategies.
• Design, analyze, and validate onboard fault detection, isolation, and response mechanisms.
• Support the development of mission concepts of operations (CONOPS) and system-level architecture studies.
• Perform end-to-end validation and testing of autonomy capabilities and spacecraft behaviors.
• Develop tools, procedures, and operational products to support mission operations.
• Provide technical support during spacecraft commissioning and on-orbit operations.
• Act as a technical authority for autonomy-related activities on programs, studies, and proposals.
• Mentor engineers and provide technical leadership across multidisciplinary teams where required.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in satellite design, development, testing, and/or mission operations.
• Experience with spacecraft fault detection, isolation, and response (FDIR) systems.
• Experience developing and verifying spacecraft autonomy software, configurations, or operational concepts.
• Familiarity with spacecraft subsystems and system-level engineering principles.
• Understanding of spacecraft testing, integration, verification, or on-orbit operations.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a government security clearance where required.

Preferred Qualifications

• 9+ years of experience within the space industry.
• Expertise in one or more spacecraft subsystems or system-level spacecraft engineering.
• Experience developing mission CONOPS and deriving autonomy and fault management requirements.
• Technical leadership experience, including setting technical direction and guiding engineering teams.
• Experience supporting operational spacecraft missions.
• Active security clearance is advantageous.

Additional Information

• Full-time position.
• Onsite work environment.
• Compensation will be based on experience, qualifications, and market considerations.

If you are passionate about autonomous spacecraft systems, mission operations, and solving complex engineering challenges, we would welcome the opportunity to speak with you.

Darwin Recruitment is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.

Sebastian Prins