Principal Engineer – Test Systems Software

The Exploration Company

Here at The Exploration Company, we are developing, producing, and operating Nyx, a modular and reusable space orbital vehicle that can eventually be refuelled in orbit and that can carry cargo - and potentially humans in the longer run. We are looking for a Principal Mission Assurance Engineer to lead our Mission Assurance team and own the end-to-end strategy that ensures our spacecraft is safe, reliable, and mission ready. In this role you will be embedded with the design, test, and operations teams, driving the vehicle safety architecture as well as relentlessly driving risk down and availability up. In this role you will be the technical authority for mission assurance across the program and get to lead and mentor a team of ~6 mission assurance engineers. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES * End-to-end ownership of the vehicle safety architecture making sure it meets all safety & reliability requirements (both internal and external from ISS program, ESA and CNES on entry safety). * Owner of overall flight reliability, responsible for assessing pre-flight risks and potential mitigations with vehicle design, analysis, and operations teams. * Perform and review FMECA, FTA, PRA, and RAM analyses to identify risks and failure modes. * Define and validate the spacecraft fault management and FDIR architecture. * Work with avionics, software, and operations teams to implement fault management strategies and ensure safe behavior under off-nominal conditions. * Support on-console operations as the Mission Assurance representative and drive in-flight anomaly resolution. Ensure lessons learned feed directly back into design and FDIR improvements. * Lead and mentor a team of safety, reliability, and fault management engineers. Set priorities, review their work, and grow their technical depth. * Champion a culture of mission assurance. Instill first-principles thinking, disciplined verification, and data-driven decision-making. * Report to program leadership on RAMS status, residual risk, and flight readiness. * Drive corrective actions from anomalies, test failures, and operational events back into design improvements. WHAT WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE FROM YOU The ideal candidate will have: * Master’s degree in an engineering or science discipline. * 8+ years of experience in RAMS, mission assurance, or systems safety on complex hardware systems. * Experience leading teams or projects — setting technical direction and delivering results. * Proficiency with reliability tools (e.g., FMECA, FTA, reliability block diagrams). * Deep understanding of fault tolerance, redundancy management, and failure detection/isolation/recovery. * Technical knowledge of spacecraft systems and operations (e.g., communications, orbital mechanics, avionics, propulsion, thermal control, life support systems). * Strong written and verbal communication of technical information. * Able to effectively manage projects and tasks while meeting aggressive deadlines. * Thrives under pressure and is resilient in the face of technical challenges. * Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills. BONUS QUALIFICATIONS * Experience developing and validating FDIR logic, watchdog strategies, and fault response sequences. * Previous experience in a customer-facing role working through design requirements, test acceptance, and verification (especially with a government customer such as ESA/NASA). * Ability and willingness to put in extra time to mentor other engineers while also being a significant individual contributor. * Passion for advancing the commercial space industry and human spaceflight. Why you should join us! What makes us special here at The Exploration Company and why we think you will enjoy working here is:   * We’re Agile - we make decisions fast whilst keeping our goals and systems in mind  * We’re Open and Collaborative - we are transparent about risks and obstacles, so that we can cooperate to overcome them   * We have a lot of Fun - we refuel our energy knowing we are democratising space. It’s a wonderful and rare opportunity, are YOU up for the challenge?   We'd love to hear from you if you wish to be a part of our journey. Please submit your CV now for immediate consideration and we will be in touch shortly.    The Exploration Company is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. Relocation assistance is provided for those willing to relocate including visa sponsorship where applicable.   All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check, which will be subject to the country, role, and project you applied for. By submitting your application, you acknowledge and agree that any offer of employment may be conditional upon successful condition of this check. The Exploration Company partners with Zinc Work Limited located in the UK (Zinc), a third-party provider, to ensure this process as efficient and transparent as possible. If applicable, you will receive an email from Zinc upon acceptance of your offer with a link to a secure portal where you can provide the required information to Zinc.

The Exploration Company

Here at The Exploration Company, we are developing, producing, and operating Nyx, a modular and reusable space orbital vehicle that can eventually be refuelled in orbit and that can carry cargo - and potentially humans in the longer run. We are looking for a Mission Operations Training Engineer to build, own, and execute our end-to-end mission operations training program. In this role, you will be the technical authority for operations training across the program, embedding with our software, engineering, flight operations, and recovery teams to ensure both our personnel and the astronaut crews are fully prepared. As a Simulation Supervisor, you will work directly with the Ground Software and Flight Software teams to ensure fault-injection logic and training capabilities are built into the simulator architecture. Key Responsibilities * Own the training concept of operations, certification pipelines, and long-term training plans for flight controllers and ISS crews * Author and maintain the core curriculum, lesson plans, and instructional materials that translate vehicle engineering into operational proficiency * Script, orchestrate, and execute high-fidelity nominal and off-nominal simulation campaigns as Simulation Supervisor * Partner with Ground Software and Flight Software teams to ensure fault-injection capabilities and training requirements are built into the simulator architecture * Coordinate with subsystem engineers, Mission Directors, and external partners (ESA, NASA, CNES) to keep training aligned with current procedures * Incorporate flight anomalies, test failures, and operational lessons learned into simulator capabilities, training flows, and vehicle design * Mentor and grow junior training engineers and simulation controllers What we would love to see from you: The ideal candidate will have: * Master’s degree in an engineering or science discipline. * 8+ years of experience in spacecraft mission operations training or a comparable high-risk operations environment * Hands-on experience scripting and running simulation campaigns as a Simulation Supervisor, console operator, or equivalent role * Experience working directly with software development teams to define, review, and accept simulator capabilities or modeling environments * Technical knowledge of common spacecraft systems (GNC, avionics, propulsion, life support) * Demonstrated ability to translate complex systems engineering into operational training curricula and procedures Bonus qualifications: * Experience developing training for ISS crewmembers or human spaceflight missions * Background in custom simulation tooling, fault-injection scripting, or telemetry display environments * Prior certification as a flight controller. * Direct experience with NASA, ESA, or equivalent partners on joint training plans and operational products * Mentorship experience with junior engineers while remaining a significant individual contributor Why you should join us! What makes us special here at The Exploration Company and why we think you will enjoy working here is:   * We’re Agile - we make decisions fast whilst keeping our goals and systems in mind  * We’re Open and Collaborative - we are transparent about risks and obstacles, so that we can cooperate to overcome them   * We have a lot of Fun - we refuel our energy knowing we are democratising space. It’s a wonderful and rare opportunity, are YOU up for the challenge?   We'd love to hear from you if you wish to be a part of our journey. Please submit your CV now for immediate consideration and we will be in touch shortly.    The Exploration Company is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. Relocation assistance is provided for those willing to relocate including visa sponsorship where applicable.   All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check, which will be subject to the country, role, and project you applied for. By submitting your application, you acknowledge and agree that any offer of employment may be conditional upon successful condition of this check. The Exploration Company partners with Zinc Work Limited located in the UK (Zinc), a third-party provider, to ensure this process as efficient and transparent as possible. If applicable, you will receive an email from Zinc upon acceptance of your offer with a link to a secure portal where you can provide the required information to Zinc.

The Exploration Company

Here at The Exploration Company, we are developing, producing, and operating Nyx, a modular and reusable space orbital vehicle that can eventually be refuelled in orbit and that can carry cargo - and potentially humans in the longer run. We are looking for a Principal TPS Engineer to lead the definition, development, and delivery of the Thermal Protection System (TPS) for Nyx. This role combines deep technical ownership with subsystem leadership, ensuring robust, traceable, and flight-ready TPS solutions aligned with overall spacecraft needs. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES * Own the TPS architecture and design, ensuring consistency with system-level constraints and interfaces (structures, avionics, propulsion, etc.). * Lead trade-offs and technical decisions, balancing performance, reliability, manufacturability, cost, and schedule. * Drive modelling and analysis activities, ensuring high-quality predictions, assumptions traceability, and correlation with test results. * Define and oversee TPS hardware development and qualification, including supplier interaction and flight model delivery. * Establish and execute verification and test strategies, from component level to integrated system validation. * Manage technical risks, reviews, and progress tracking, ensuring timely escalation and mitigation actions. * Lead and mentor the TPS engineering unit, defining priorities, supporting growth, and ensuring delivery excellence. * Act as a hands-on technical leader, actively contributing to design, analysis, test preparation and troubleshooting, with strong proximity to integration and MAIT activities. * Own and structure the TPS laboratory environment, ensuring the right capabilities, workflows, and test practices are in place to support development, qualification, and iteration speed. WHAT WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE FROM YOU QUALIFICATIONS: * Degree in Aerospace Engineering or a related field. * At least 5 years of experience in the development of space or defense thermal protection systems, including design, analysis, and validation. * Strong background in material response analysis, testing, and correlation methodologies. * Proven experience leading space hardware development and qualification. * Strong understanding of thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid mechanics principles. * Experience in aerodynamic and aerothermal analysis is strongly appreciated. * Familiarity with space industry standards. * Fluent in English. German, French or Italian are an asset. SKILLS AND BEHAVIORS: * Ability to translate complex technical challenges into clear decisions and actionable plans. * Strong leadership and mentoring skills within engineering teams. * Excellent collaboration across multidisciplinary teams and external partners. * Clear and effective communication with technical and program stakeholders. * Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail. * Strong organizing and prioritization of tasks. * Positive and flexible attitude to get the job done. * Demonstrates behaviours consistent with The Exploration Company’s core values of Vision, Competence, Integrity and Passion. Why you should join us! What makes us special here at The Exploration Company and why we think you will enjoy working here is:   * We’re Agile - we make decisions fast whilst keeping our goals and systems in mind  * We’re Open and Collaborative - we are transparent about risks and obstacles, so that we can cooperate to overcome them   * We have a lot of Fun - we refuel our energy knowing we are democratising space. It’s a wonderful and rare opportunity, are YOU up for the challenge?   We'd love to hear from you if you wish to be a part of our journey. Please submit your CV now for immediate consideration and we will be in touch shortly.    The Exploration Company is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. Relocation assistance is provided for those willing to relocate including visa sponsorship where applicable.   All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check, which will be subject to the country, role, and project you applied for. By submitting your application, you acknowledge and agree that any offer of employment may be conditional upon successful condition of this check. The Exploration Company partners with Zinc Work Limited located in the UK (Zinc), a third-party provider, to ensure this process as efficient and transparent as possible. If applicable, you will receive an email from Zinc upon acceptance of your offer with a link to a secure portal where you can provide the required information to Zinc.