Job description
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a lead of our current and future Electric Propulsion (EP) engines at URA Thrusters, a space company developing sustainable propulsion solutions and a part of the AVS group, a multinational EN9100 certified approved supplier of mechatronic, propulsion and thermal subsystems for the majority of the Space primes and agencies.

We are taking water, and developing it into rocket fuel, working to eliminate chemicals which are harmful to both the environment and to human life, and replacing conventional EP propellants which are carbon emission intensive, expensive & rare.

If you would like to join us on this journey, support aspirational and game-changing projects and technologies, and are a technology passionate engineer or scientist with direct experience (>5 years) in Electric Propulsion (EP) engines (HET, HEMPT, GIE, colloidal, etc), please get in touch.

Come and join us! And live in beautiful Oxford (UK) and hop on and off our dedicated shuttle to Westcott, a truly unique Space propulsion campus. After only 2 years, you could also moved to our new subsidiary in San Sebastian (Basque Country, ES), famous for its food, beaches, culture and hiking opportunities.

International trips are envisaged to the large international propulsion conferences, customers and partners, and to our new subsidiary in ES.

Responsibilities

• Lead the EP engine designs
• Technical focal point for EP engine developments
• Lead the EP products, with current 1-5 kW activities and future plans for up to 100 kW
• Lead the team developing the ongoing and future EP projects, reporting directly to the CTO
• Debrief the CTO on ongoing EP developments
• Be part of the product strategy roadmap in close collaboration with the CEO and CTO
• Opportunity to become a Chief Product Officer or Project Management Officer
• Review and sign off performance analysis
• Responsibility for requirements definition & validation
• Responsible for organizing and preparing design datapacks
• Signing off engine test plans & test setup design
• Supporting the project manager from a technical expert aspect
• Leading propulsion equipment test campaigns
• Working with stakeholders including suppliers, customers, space primes and both the UK and European Space Agencies
• You will be working closely with other main technical lead engineers (Mechanical, Electrical, Systems, R&D, etc.)
• You will have to complete detailed propulsion engine designs including requirements definition & validation, prepare design and analysis deliverables, attend meetings, and interact with suppliers.

Person Specification
Minimum:

• 2:1 Master’s or higher degree in Engineering, science or maths
• Have 5+ years of experience working on EP technologies
• Understand and have evidence of applying the basics of spacecraft propulsion design
• Have been involved in the requirements definition and subsequent validation of EP systems
• Been involved in the analysis & test campaigns of EP subsystems
• Have knowledge of how the propulsion system design can affect and drive the thermal and mechanical design of a spacecraft
• Able to communicate effectively and professionally with technical customers and other experts to produce, challenge and verify technical, functional, and test requirements and manage expectations
  Able to work with tight deadlines and with several projects in parallel
• Excellent technical writing, communication, and interpersonal skills
• Able to manage time, work within a team and work autonomously when required
• Knowledge and applicability of ESA ECSS standards for propulsion system design and cleanliness

Desired:

• First degree(s).
• Masters in Engineering (MEng), physics (MPhys), or MSc in physics or space related topics
  PhD in Physics or Engineering: aerospace, fluidics, propulsion, space, etc
• Attendance and publications at public conferences
• Experience with system engineering and its application to spacecraft design and build
• Have >7 years of experience working on >3 kW EP engines
• Experience with complex EP engines & systems for flight programs (TRL >7)

Software experience requirements:

• Microsoft office including the use of functions and macros in excel for basic analysis
• Not mandatory but experience with propulsion analysis in either Amesim or Ecosim ESPSS will be seen as a plus
• Not mandatory but experience with CAD software will be seen as a plus, e.g. Solidworks, CATIA
  >5 years of experience with multiphysics and/or Particle-in-cell (PIC) modelling software with a minimum of 3 years being direct use of the software for analysis

Tagged as: design, rockets, physics, materials, electric propulsion, maths, plasma, ions, propulsion, chemical propulsion, engineer, space