Engineering Satellite Build-Lead

• Broad, hands-on technical depth across mechanical, electronics, RF and software domains, with deep expertise in at least one area and the ability to engage effectively and make sound decisions in the others

• Proven track record planning and executing hardware build, integration and test (AIT) campaigns for complex electromechanical or electronic systems, ideally satellites or other high-reliability aerospace/defence hardware

• Strong understanding of configuration management and parts traceability, and comfort owning build documentation and build records end to end

• Experience managing a build or AIT team, including day-to-day task planning and hands-on participation in build execution

• Ability to plan and hold a realistic AIT schedule across build, qualification (QM) and flight (FM) units, coordinating with test engineering, and systems engineering

• Systematic, first-principles approach to build and integration problems, comfortable working across mechanical, electrical and software interfaces

• Clear written and verbal communication, able to turn build lessons learned into structured, actionable feedback for designers

• Maintain strong interpersonal connections and a collaborative spirit, bringing a steady presence to fast-paced or high-pressure environments.

• Excel at building positive workplace relationships and navigating high-stress situations with composure and a collaborative mindset.

• Experience with SIGINT, SAR or other RF/payload satellite systems

• Prior people management experience, or clear readiness to grow into a team lead role

• Familiarity with system-level test activities such as functional tests, SLC (System Level Checks) or Mock Ops

• Title: Engineering Satellite Build Lead

• Location: Valencia, Spain

• Department: Space Systems Testing Team, Engineering

• Reports to: Testing Team Lead

• Employment type: Permanent

• Workplace model: Hybrid per company policy (up to 2 days/week remote); in practice, this hands-on, technical-managerial role requires being onsite at our Valencia office most of the time

• Employment is subject to applicable security screening

You own the end-to-end build, integration, testing and delivery of the developmental satellites, starting with early preparation and alignment with designers, procurement and operations teams, through the Qualification Model (QM) and Flight Model (FM). You plan the AIT timeline, lead the build team, and keep build documentation, configuration tracking and lessons learned flowing back to designers, so every future unit is faster and easier to build.

This position sits within the Testing Team. It is important to note that this is developmental, prototype satellite work rather than repeat-production integration: requirements are not yet frozen, designs evolve frequently, and the Lead is expected to resolve novel problems rather than execute a fixed procedure.

Build, integration and delivery ownership (EC, Engineering Configuration)

• Own end-to-end build, integration, testing and delivery of the R&D satellite system, across QM and FM units

• Plan all AIT activities and the AIT timeline for R&D build

• Manage the build team and actively participate in build execution

• Own build documentation, including build records, configuration tracking (parts traceability) and high-level build procedures

• Document lessons learned and give structured feedback to designers to improve build efficiency and testability

• Plan and own the QM system build and its system qualification activities

• Own system-level integration and testing of FM satellites, verifying functional performance, capturing any required modifications, and maintaining close traceability to support knowledge transfer to the production line

• Define system-level test blocks and flows with technical owners, and plan, schedule and coordinate execution of functional tests, SLC, Mock Ops and other required system-level test activities (FM)

• Across both QM and FM: accountable for test execution readiness and progress, but do not define test cases, test scenarios or test acceptance criteria (owned by Test Engineering / relevant technical owners)

• Does not own unit-level testing or qualification (owned by project leads / technical owners)

• Does not own documentation updates resulting from future design changes (owned by designers); this role's build documentation, including Production documentation, reflects as-built execution only

• Does not define system functional requirements or system test definitions, including test cases, scenarios or acceptance criteria (owned by systems engineers / test engineers)

This role starts hands-on. In the first phase, you'll share the responsibilities described above with the Testing Team Lead while you build context on our systems, processes and team.

As you grow into the role, you'll take it on more independently, owning AIT planning, build execution and team management end to end. Over time, the role is expected to evolve toward team leadership, potentially leading the build team directly. Even so, you'll stay hands-on with build execution and technical problem-solving rather than moving fully into management.