Principal Mission Operations Training Engineer

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're looking for a hands-on Principal Engineer to lead the technical direction of our Test Bench Control System software platform. You will combine deep software engineering expertise with architectural ownership and product-level thinking to ensure our platform reliably supports integrated engine hot-fire testing — with an architecture that can extend to broader test and ground operations as the program matures. You will own the software platform that sits between test engineers and the real-time control layer: enabling operators to author, review, and deploy test sequences and configurable safety parameters onto PLC hardware — while providing the live data visualization, command interfaces, and traceability infrastructure that test campaigns depend on. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES In your capacity as a Principal Engineer, Test Systems Software you will: * Define and evolve the platform architecture spanning test sequence authoring, PLC configuration deployment, real-time data acquisition, and operator interfaces * Write production-grade code across the full stack while owning the technical roadmap and driving major architectural decisions * Translate test requirements and operational needs into feature specifications, managing scope and delivering incrementally toward operational capability * Build high-throughput data pipelines for real-time ingestion, processing, and visualization of high-rate sensor data * Design the full lifecycle for both operational sequences and configurable safety parameters * Define data acquisition standards including device configuration management and calibration traceability * Architect for high reliability, observability, and operational robustness in environments where software faults carry significant hardware and safety consequences * Collaborate with Test Bench Engineers, Propulsion, and Systems Engineering to align software capabilities with campaign requirements * Lead a multidisciplinary team of five — setting engineering standards, guiding code reviews and design reviews, and balancing development velocity with the rigorous quality bar required for safety-critical infrastructure WHAT WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE FROM YOU The ideal candidate will have: * 5+ years of professional software engineering experience with demonstrated architectural ownership and technical leadership * Strong backend expertise (e.g., Python, C#, or similar) with experience in real-time or near-real-time data processing pipelines * Experience with modern frontend technologies (TypeScript, Vue/React, WebSockets) for operator interfaces and live data dashboards * Experience with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes) for deploying and operating distributed service architectures * Deep understanding of distributed systems, API design, and inter-process communication in low-latency environments * Experience designing software systems that integrate with PLCs or similar real-time controllers — understanding the boundaries between deterministic control and higher-level application logic * Familiarity with test bench infrastructure — instrumentation systems, sensor networks, command/response workflows, and procedural automation * Strong grasp of safety-critical software design: deterministic execution, fail-safe defaults, configuration validation, and safe deployment practices in systems where errors carry hardware consequences * Product ownership mindset with strong analytical thinking, technical judgment, and attention to detail * Motivation to thrive in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment with high accountability for system readiness Bonus qualifications: * Experience in aerospace, defense, or other safety-critical domains — particularly propulsion test operations or environmental test systems * Familiarity with Beckhoff TwinCAT or IEC 61131-3 programming * Knowledge of data acquisition hardware and software ecosystems (e.g., Beckhoff, Siemens, Measurement Computing) * Experience with hardware interface protocols and device communication (e.g., serial, CAN, Ethernet-based industrial protocols) 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. The heart of a spacecraft lies in its propulsion system, and that's why we, at The Exploration Company, are dedicated to developing our own cutting-edge Propulsion Systems ensuring the highest level of efficiency and reliability in our space endeavors. We are seeking a talented Valve Development Engineer to help us in our mission by leading the development of valves for our Nyx. You will be responsible for the technical compliance of the valves (bang bang valve, latching valves, solenoid valves) we will develop. You will report to the Propulsion Units Development & Procurement Principal.. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: * Define and maintain the best technical baseline for the valves, in strong collaboration with the system, avionics, vehicle design and AIT teams: requirements specification (including verification method), product architecture, interfaces (fluidic, mechanical, thermal, electrical and data) and performances. * Actively support the engineering teams (system, VDT, avionics, propulsion) during the Nyx Earth capsule design and development, with a strong focus on valve interfaces. * Create the CAD for the component, create and review engineering drawings, and perform analysis on the component. You are responsible for the component from idealization until the flight delivery of the product. * Structural analysis of each component, referring to the MMPDS and NASA/ESA standards, to define the appropriate safety margins for the component. * Fluidic analysis to evaluate the flow characteristics of the component, along with performing experimental testing to validate your model. * Magnetic analysis to define the anticipated mechanical force margin of the component. Verification and anchoring of the magnetic model through testing of the valve. The testing will then be used to validate the required margins given by NASA/ESA requirements. * Tolerance analysis to ensure that the assembly, given a worst-case tolerance stack, still complies with the requirements flown down from the specifications provided by NASA / ESA. * Support the AIT team during preparation for integration, integration and testing of the valves on the propulsion development and qualification models and on the flight propulsion system, including review and validation of assembly and test procedures, review and validation of test results, and timely resolution of any non-conformances. * Support preparation of flight operations and procedures, participate in rehearsal and flight operations, review and analyse flight data and treat any abnormal fluid component behavior. WHAT WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE FROM YOU: * Minimum of a bachelor's degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering (advanced degree preferred). * Minimum of 2 years of experience in the development of valves for aerospace liquid propulsion units. * Strong understanding of valves (solenoid valves, latching valves, torque motor valves...), including design, manufacturing and testing. * Excellent collaboration skills for working effectively across departments to achieve seamless system integration. * Fluency in English. 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.