Satellite Operations Engineer

Satellite Operations Engineer

Satellite Vu

London, United Kingdom

This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic, high-growth organisation at a pivotal moment in its development. We are seeking a Satellite Operations Engineer to play a critical and pioneering role in transitioning satellite operations in-house. This unique position offers the opportunity to establish foundational operational capabilities and directly influence SatVu's future success.

The Role

As a Satellite Operations Engineer within our dedicated SatOps team, you will report directly to the Head of Satellite Operations. This position offers a substantial opportunity for professional growth and impact within a dynamic and rapidly growing company.

You will be instrumental in building and running our in-house satellite operations from the ground up. Initially, the successful candidate will be train on-site by our satellite manufacturer in Guildford. Here, you will collaborate closely with their Operations team to gain hands-on expertise and the necessary insights to effectively transition operations to SatVu.

You will collaborate closely with the wider SatOps, engineering teams and Programme Management.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Operations (75%)

• Shadow and collaborate with the existing satellite operations contractor team during day-to-day activities.
• Participate in and support satellite commissioning activities hands-on, sitting alongside existing operators.
• Develop, update, and refine process documentation and operations handbooks, ensuring clarity and consistency.
• Learn the technical intricacies of the satellite architecture, including timing sheets, command templates, and ops toolchains.
• Support and troubleshoot ground system configurations and operational links, with an eye toward improving DevOps-related deployment and telemetry integrity.
• Investigate and contribute to solutions for configuration and integration issues across operations systems and software environments.
• Provide on-call support as part of an operational rotation when necessary.

Project Management & Process Leadership (25%)

• Begin taking ownership of operations-focused projects such as SLA definition and compliance, issue tracking, and risk mitigation.
• Act as a liaison between internal teams and the existing external operations team for operational coordination and anomaly resolution (e.g., satellite performance).
• Contribute to internal planning and documentation for operational continuity, scalability, and team alignment.
• Gain the opportunity to develop into a leadership position in operational project delivery and performance monitoring, with the possibility of managing a team in the future.

Key Requirements

You don’t need to tick every box to apply - we value curiosity, learning, and the ability to add impact. These are some of the ways you may bring value:

• Degree in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related field.
• 3+ years of experience in satellite operations or a control engineering role.
• Proven experience and solid understanding of satellite operations, including LEOP, commissioning, and routine operations.
• Solid understanding and practical experience in orbital maintenance and maintaining the safety of satellites.
• Comfortable writing and validating procedures, user manuals, and operational documentation.
• Capable of stepping into a hybrid role that blends engineering, systems thinking, and stakeholder engagement.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a cross-functional team.
• Strong analytical abilities and communication skills - able to clearly articulate and present growth strategy, tactics, and results to senior stakeholders.
• Adaptability, resilience, and a passion for driving positive change.
• This role may periodically require on-call support to ensure safe and efficient operations.

Desirable Skills

• Exposure to DevOps-style thinking and technical problem-solving across distributed systems or software tools.
• Any knowledge of infrastructure DevOps, including CI/CD pipelines and cloud-based deployments.
• Proven ability to debug technical faults effectively and efficiently.
• Team leadership skills (while not a requirement for this initial role, this position has potential for future leadership).