{"id":492185,"url":"https://alion.io/job/astroscale-ground-segment-systems-team-lead","title":"Ground Segment Systems Team Lead","company":{"id":9484,"name":"Astroscale","domain":"astroscale.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/astroscale","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"BambooHR","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":70,"open_postings":36,"ghost_share":0.417,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":62,"computed_at":"2026-10-31T05:58:55Z"}},"role":"Management","role_family":"Management","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"inferred","locations":[],"countries":[],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":8,"visa_sponsorship":true,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"Java","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"Scrum","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-08-18T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-08-18","last_verified_at":"2026-10-31T21:38:44Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":75,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":["company_stale"],"days_open":74},"description":"The Ground Systems Team Lead engineer plays a key leading role in the Ground Systems Team, with a high level of autonomy and responsibility including providing technical expertise and mentoring team members.\nYou are involved in the whole ground segment development process, from conceptual design to maintenance. The candidate will be involved in all the infrastructure and software on ground that is critical to safely operate a mission.\nThis is a key role with a critical responsibility to efficiently interface between the Mission & Systems team and the Operations team, as well as the Ground Segment Software teams. This gives the candidate the opportunity to be involved in all aspects of the ground segment, as well as participating to operational activities in the Astroscale Mission Control Centre.\nResponsibilities \nMain Technical Responsibilities\nOwn the Ground Segment system architecture, requirements and technical baseline across all subsystems.\nLead requirements capture, derivation, allocation, traceability and compliance management.\nDefine and lead Ground Segment integration, verification and validation activities, including subsystem, system, simulation and end-to-end testing.\nEnsure coherence of interfaces, data flows, configuration and releases across Ground Segment components.\nProvide technical leadership through design reviews, technical governance and acceptance of subsystem deliveries.\nSupport the development of Ground Segment systems and software, including mission control, mission planning and ground station interfaces.\nDefine appropriate engineering and development approaches, and support implementation, solution testing and delivery.\nAct as the technical interface to suppliers and key internal stakeholders across engineering and operations.\nSupport mission operations through troubleshooting, maintenance, training and resolution of technical issues.\nProduce and maintain engineering documentation and contribute to bids, planning, risk management and technical reporting.\nTeam Lead Responsibilities\nLine management of 4-6 team members. This includes helping resolve blockers to their work, prioritising their work, conducting appraisals and conducting probation reviews.\nPlanning the technical work for the team members. Assigning tasks appropriately and effectively taking team member skillsets and abilities into account\nOverall accountability for the team’s technical output.\nIdentify skillset and headcount/labour shortfalls in context of current and upcoming team workload\nWork with the group manager to create a plan together to address resource shortfalls (including permanent hiring, temporary hiring and/or outsourcing solutions)\nSupport recruitment by reviewing CVs and conducting interviews for positions in your team\nCreate a plan to address the development needs of the existing team members\nWhen time allows, supporting the team by assisting with technical engineering work. The ability to do this will depend upon the number of people being managed.\nEssential Skills\nUniversity degree in Computer Science, Telecommunications, or other relevant engineering discipline.\n5+ years of industry experience in the design and development of satellite user or ground segment products and technologies.\nKnowledge of C/C++, Java and or Python programming languages.\nKnowledge of the main components of a ground segment and how they interact between them.\nTeam leadership - ability to lead small team of ground systems engineers.\nOperations experience and ability to interact with spacecraft operations engineers.\nKnowledge of project life cycle and acceptance procedures\nKnowledge of ECSS standards.\nExperience designing and developing software.\nSoftware product development experience: requirement, design, development, integration & testing, deployment, maintenance\nDesirable skills\n2+ years of experience managing a team of systems engineers\n8+ years of industry experience in the design and development of satellite user or ground segment products and technologies.\nExperience or knowledge of Scrum as being part of development team or Product Owner.\nExperience with Mission Control Systems, preferably based on SCOS-2000.\nFamiliarity with commonly used protocols and standards for spacecraft communications, such as CCSDS, CAN, Spacewire.\nFluency in spoken and written English.\nBenefits\nCompetitive base salary\nOpportunity to work with a highly talented, diverse & dynamic international team with cutting edge technology\nFlexible working around core hours in a friendly and supportive environment\nOptional 9/75 working pattern\nHybrid working available (dependent on individual role requirements)\n25 days holiday (increasing yearly up to a maximum of 28 days) + 8 days Bank Holiday\nLife insurance and long-term sick pay\nPrivate healthcare (taxable benefit)\nRelocation allowance\nVisa sponsorship for employees considered\nState of the art office and cleanroom facility\nRegular social events \nLocation\nAstroscale UK (Harwell).\nAbout Astroscale\nFounded in 2013, Astroscale is the global leader in on-orbit servicing, dedicated to the secure and sustainable development of space for the benefit of future generations. We provide trusted and value-added solutions for government and commercial clients from their geography of choice, to drive the long-term, circular space economy. Astroscale is also collaborating with government and commercial stakeholders to develop norms, regulations, and incentives that promote the sustainable growth of space.\nSince our first successful launch in March 2021, Astroscale has proven rendezvous and proximity operations technologies in orbit during the ELSA-d and ADRAS-J missions, establishing the company as a leader in on-orbit servicing. Astroscale spacecraft have been selected for pioneering missions with JAXA, the U.S. Space Force, the European Space Agency, the UK Space Agency, and Eutelsat OneWeb. As more satellite operators adopt on-orbit servicing to routinely inspect, service and remove, the potential of a circular space economy - and a future of no waste in space - is being unlocked.\nAt Astroscale we pride ourselves on our inclusive culture. Our essential criteria are based solely on the requirements necessary to perform the role. If any criteria could present a barrier, we are open to discussing reasonable adjustments and are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process. Astrsocale is also open to supporting job share arrangements, to further our flexible working offering.\nNote to recruitment agencies: Astroscale operates a preferred Supplier List, and we do not accept unsolicited agency approaches. Please do not forward candidate CVs or details in response to this advert, or to any Astroscale employee.","description_format":"text","description_chars":6729,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":8,"management_years_min":2,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[{"language":"English","level":"All levels","optional":true}]},"benefits":["Flexible schedule","Hybrid work","Life insurance"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":true,"industries":["Space & Aerospace","Satellite Manufacturing","Space Services"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-07T01:45:11Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":30,"band":"fade","label":"Fading","p_open":1,"p_active":0.688,"p_room":0.44,"age_days":74,"expected_fill_days":62,"reasons":["conf:2","velocity","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-10-31T05:58:55Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/astroscale-ground-segment-systems-team-lead","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/astroscale-ground-segment-systems-team-lead.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-01T00:56:16Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":1552,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-02T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":9484},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=9484"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fastroscale-ground-segment-systems-team-lead"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fastroscale-ground-segment-systems-team-lead"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fastroscale-ground-segment-systems-team-lead"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/astroscale-ground-segment-systems-team-lead\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fastroscale-ground-segment-systems-team-lead"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":492185}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"astroscale.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":492185},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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